David Carradine was born John Arthur Carradine in Hollywood, California, on December 8, 1936, the son of well-known madman John Carradine. He was the half-brother of Bruce, Keith, Christopher and Robert Carradine. His eclectic creative career spanned most of five decades of television and movies.
His early roles included guest performances on TV shows such as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Virginian and Wagon Train. His first movie role was in 1964 in Taggart, a western based on a novel by Louis L'Amour. He appeared in The Royal Hunt of the Sun on Broadway, for which he won a Theater World Award for Best Debut Performance in 1965.
He is best known, of course, for his legendary role as Kwai Chang Caine in the TV series Kung Fu, starting in 1972. His portrayal of the unflappable and unbeatable, Shaolin priest was both groundbreaking and inspiring, and brought the concepts of Eastern culture and philosophy to a wide audience. He returned to this fictional universe in the 80s in Kung Fu: The Movie and again in the 90s in the series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.
In addition to being an award-winning actor, Carradine is well-known for gracing many a B-Movie with his presence; Drive-In fare from Death Race 2000 to Q, The Winged Serpent have benefitted from his unique gravitas. In the 21st Century, his fame reached a new level with a new generation when cult director Quentin Tarantino featured him in his double-feature movie Kill Bill.
Carradine was married five times. He had a daughter Calista (1962) with first wife Donna. He had a son, Tom (1972), with Barbara Hershey, his domestic partner from 1972 to 1975. He had a daughter Kansas (1978) with his second wife Linda. He had three stepdaughters, Amanda, Madeline and Olivia and a stepson, Max, who were all children of his fifth wife, Annie Bierman, from a previous relationship.
On June 4, 2009, Carradine was found dead in his room at the Swissôtel Nai Lert Park Hotel in central Bangkok, Thailand, at the age of 72.
Caine was one of the great heroes of my childhood and was a huge influence on me; I also enjoyed the revival series, though it wasn't as good as the original. David Carradine was a unique character actor who brought a special panache to every project he appeared in and was one of those lucky folks who developed an increasing presence with age. At 72, he still looked great and he died much too young.
Thumbs Up from me.
His early roles included guest performances on TV shows such as The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, The Virginian and Wagon Train. His first movie role was in 1964 in Taggart, a western based on a novel by Louis L'Amour. He appeared in The Royal Hunt of the Sun on Broadway, for which he won a Theater World Award for Best Debut Performance in 1965.
He is best known, of course, for his legendary role as Kwai Chang Caine in the TV series Kung Fu, starting in 1972. His portrayal of the unflappable and unbeatable, Shaolin priest was both groundbreaking and inspiring, and brought the concepts of Eastern culture and philosophy to a wide audience. He returned to this fictional universe in the 80s in Kung Fu: The Movie and again in the 90s in the series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.
In addition to being an award-winning actor, Carradine is well-known for gracing many a B-Movie with his presence; Drive-In fare from Death Race 2000 to Q, The Winged Serpent have benefitted from his unique gravitas. In the 21st Century, his fame reached a new level with a new generation when cult director Quentin Tarantino featured him in his double-feature movie Kill Bill.
Carradine was married five times. He had a daughter Calista (1962) with first wife Donna. He had a son, Tom (1972), with Barbara Hershey, his domestic partner from 1972 to 1975. He had a daughter Kansas (1978) with his second wife Linda. He had three stepdaughters, Amanda, Madeline and Olivia and a stepson, Max, who were all children of his fifth wife, Annie Bierman, from a previous relationship.
On June 4, 2009, Carradine was found dead in his room at the Swissôtel Nai Lert Park Hotel in central Bangkok, Thailand, at the age of 72.
Caine was one of the great heroes of my childhood and was a huge influence on me; I also enjoyed the revival series, though it wasn't as good as the original. David Carradine was a unique character actor who brought a special panache to every project he appeared in and was one of those lucky folks who developed an increasing presence with age. At 72, he still looked great and he died much too young.
Thumbs Up from me.
