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IMDbPro

David Carradine(1936-2009)

  • Actor
  • Producer
  • Director
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,00067
David Carradine
Trailer for Dinocroc Vs. Supergator
Play trailer1:34
Dinocroc vs. Supergator (2010)
63 Videos
99+ Photos
David Carradine was born in Hollywood, California, the eldest son of legendary character actor John Carradine, and his wife, Ardanelle Abigail (McCool). He was a member of an acting family that included brothers Keith Carradine and Robert Carradine as well as his daughters Calista Carradine and Kansas Carradine, and nieces Ever Carradine and Martha Plimpton.

He was born in Hollywood and educated at San Francisco State College, where he studied music theory and composition. It was while writing music for the Drama Department's annual revues that he discovered his own passion for the stage, joining a Shakespearean repertory company and learning his craft on his feet. After a two-year stint in the army, he found work in New York as a commercial artist and later found fame on Broadway in "The Deputy" and "The Royal Hunt of the Sun" opposite Christopher Plummer. With that experience he returned to Hollywood, landing the lead in the short-lived TV series Shane (1966) before being tapped to star opposite Barbara Hershey in Martin Scorsese's first Hollywood film, Boxcar Bertha (1972). The iconic Kung Fu (1972) followed, catapulting Carradine to super-stardom for the next three years, until he left the series to pursue his film career.

That career included more than 100 feature films, a couple of dozen television movies, a whole range of theater on and off Broadway and another hit series, Kung Fu: A Legend Reborn (1992).

Carradine received the Best Actor Award from the National Board of Film Review as well as a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Woody Guthrie in Hal Ashby's Bound for Glory (1976), and he won critical acclaim for his work as Cole Younger in The Long Riders (1980). "Kung Fu" also received seven Emmy nominations in its first season, including one for Carradine as Best Actor. In addition, he won the People's Prize at the Cannes Film Festival's "Director's Fortnight" for his work on Americana (1981), and a second Golden Globe nomination for his supporting role in North & South: Book 1, North & South (1985). Among his other notable film credits were Gray Lady Down (1978), Mean Streets (1973), Bird on a Wire (1990), The Long Goodbye (1973), The Serpent's Egg (1977) and Circle of Iron (1978). He returned to the screen in what could be his greatest performance, playing the title role in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003) and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004), for which he received his fourth Golden Globe nomination. He also continued his devotion to music, and recorded some 60 tracks in various musical genres and sang in several movies. He made his home in Los Angeles with his fifth wife Annie, her four children and their two dogs.

Found dead in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 3, 2009, aged 72.
BornDecember 8, 1936
DiedJune 3, 2009(72)
BornDecember 8, 1936
DiedJune 3, 2009(72)
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,00067
  • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
    • 10 wins & 15 nominations total

Photos258

David Carradine and Wynn Hammer in Bound for Glory (1976)
David Carradine in Boxcar Bertha (1972)
David Carradine in Boxcar Bertha (1972)
David Carradine in Boxcar Bertha (1972)
David Carradine and Barbara Hershey in Boxcar Bertha (1972)
David Carradine and Bernie Casey in Boxcar Bertha (1972)
David Carradine and Barry Primus in Boxcar Bertha (1972)
David Carradine, John Carradine, Barbara Hershey, Bernie Casey, and Barry Primus in Boxcar Bertha (1972)
David Carradine in Boxcar Bertha (1972)
David Carradine in Boxcar Bertha (1972)
David Carradine in Boxcar Bertha (1972)
David Carradine in Boxcar Bertha (1972)

Known for

Uma Thurman in Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)
Kill Bill: Vol. 2
8.0
  • Bill aka Snake Charmer
  • 2004
Bound for Glory (1976)
Bound for Glory
7.3
  • Woody Guthrie
  • 1976
Sylvester Stallone, David Carradine, and Simone Griffeth in Death Race 2000 (1975)
Death Race 2000
6.2
  • Frankenstein
  • 1975
Big Stan (2007)
Big Stan
6.1
  • The Master
  • 2007

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actor

  • Mata Hari
    • In Production
  • Jeff Espanol in The American Connection (2021)
    The American Connection
    • General Rusfnar
    • 2021
  • The Banksters, Madoff with America (2013)
    The Banksters, Madoff with America
    • Neal
    • 2013
  • David Carradine, Udo Kier, and Norman Reedus in Night of the Templar (2012)
    Night of the Templar
    • Shopkeeper
    • 2012
  • Eldorado (2012)
    Eldorado
    • The Spirit Guide
    • Video
    • 2012
  • Stretch (2011)
    Stretch
    • Monteiro
    • 2011
  • No Clean Break (2010)
    No Clean Break
    • The Bishop
    • TV Series
    • 2010
  • 8 for Infinity
    • Short
    • 2010
  • Money to Burn
    • Klau
    • 2010
  • Six Days in Paradise (2010)
    Six Days in Paradise
    • Vernon Billings
    • 2010
  • Dinocroc vs. Supergator (2010)
    Dinocroc vs. Supergator
    • Jason Drake
    • TV Movie
    • 2010
  • True Legend (2010)
    True Legend
    • Anthony
    • 2010
  • Detention (2010)
    Detention
    • Principal Hoskins
    • 2010
  • All Hell Broke Loose (2009)
    All Hell Broke Loose
    • U.S. Marshal Ian McHenry
    • Video
    • 2009
  • Bad Cop (2009)
    Bad Cop
    • Det. Humes
    • Video
    • 2009
  • Dark Fields (2009)
    Dark Fields
    • Clive Jonis
    • 2009

Producer

  • Stuart Mossman: A Modern Stradivari
    • producer
    • 2010
  • Michael Madsen and David Carradine in Road of No Return (2009)
    Road of No Return
    • associate producer
    • 2009
  • Dominique Swain, David Carradine, Udo Kier, and Mehmet Günsür in Fall Down Dead (2007)
    Fall Down Dead
    • associate producer
    • 2007
  • Richard III (2007)
    Richard III
    • executive producer
    • 2007
  • Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (1993)
    Kung Fu: The Legend Continues
    • co-producer
    • TV Series
    • 1995–1996
  • David Carradine and Frank Zagarino in Project Eliminator (1991)
    Project Eliminator
    • associate producer
    • 1991
  • Crime of Crimes (1989)
    Crime of Crimes
    • producer
    • 1989
  • David Carradine in Future Force (1989)
    Future Force
    • associate producer
    • 1989
  • Crime Zone (1988)
    Crime Zone
    • executive producer
    • 1988
  • Kung Fu: The Movie (1986)
    Kung Fu: The Movie
    • co-producer
    • TV Movie
    • 1986
  • Americana (1981)
    Americana
    • producer
    • 1981
  • A Country Mile
    • co-producer
    • 1973

Director

  • Mata Hari
    • Director
    • In Production
  • Hilary Duff in Lizzie McGuire (2001)
    Lizzie McGuire
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2001
  • Americana (1981)
    Americana
    • Director
    • 1981
  • Kung Fu (1972)
    Kung Fu
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 1974
  • You and Me (1974)
    You and Me
    • Director
    • 1974
  • A Country Mile
    • Director
    • 1973

Star Siblings

Star Siblings

Take a look at some of our favorite celebrity siblings, including Kate and Rooney Mara, and Halle and Chloe Bailey.
See the gallery
[object Object]
Photos

Videos67

How 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' Connects the TarantinoVerse
Clip 5:09
How 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' Connects the TarantinoVerse
Gamer -- "It's Cool, Yeah"
Clip 0:40
Gamer -- "It's Cool, Yeah"
Crank: High Voltage -- "Mansion Fight"
Clip 0:38
Crank: High Voltage -- "Mansion Fight"
Death Race 2000
Clip 1:09
Death Race 2000
Death Race 2000
Clip 1:21
Death Race 2000
Death Race 2000
Clip 1:25
Death Race 2000
Death Race 2000
Clip 0:16
Death Race 2000
Death Race 2000
Clip 1:10
Death Race 2000
Death Race 2000
Clip 0:39
Death Race 2000
Death Race 2000
Clip 0:44
Death Race 2000
Death Race 2000
Clip 1:10
Death Race 2000
Death Race 2000
Clip 0:57
Death Race 2000

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Authorized Site
    • MySpace
  • Height
    • 5′ 11¾″ (1.82 m)
  • Born
    • December 8, 1936
    • Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
  • Died
    • June 3, 2009
    • Bangkok, Thailand(accidental asphyxiation)
  • Spouses
      Annie CarradineDecember 26, 2004 - June 3, 2009 (his death)
  • Children
      Calista Carradine
  • Parents
      Ardanelle Abigail Carradine
  • Relatives
      Keith Carradine(Half Sibling)
  • Other works
    Video: AM & PM Tai Chi Workouts (2003).
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Biographical Movies
    • 3 Print Biographies
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 13 Interviews
    • 42 Articles
    • 3 Pictorials
    • 2 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Was an alcohol abuser for many years, until he entered rehab. He was sober at age 59.
  • Quotes
    If you cannot be a poet, be the poem.
  • Trademarks
      Frequently played villainous characters
  • Nicknames
    • Mr. Cool
    • The Barefoot Legend
  • Salary
    • Death Race 2000
      (1975)
      $50,000

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