Best Known As: The star of TV's Kung Fu and the Kill Bill movies
Name at birth: John Arthur Carradine
Actor David Carradine shot to stardom in the early 1970s as the star of the television series Kung Fu (1972-75). He played Kwai Chang Caine, a Shaolin priest in exile wandering the American frontier of the late 1800s, attempting to live in cosmic harmony but using his fighting skills to whup the occasional nasty cowboy. Carradine suffered from type-casting after the role ended; he worked steadily, but often on stage and in low-budget movies. The cult status of Kung Fu led to a resurgence in his popularity in the 1990s and 2000s, culminating with his title role in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies (2003-04). His other films include Boxcar Bertha (1972, directed by Martin Scorsese), Death Race 2000 (1975, produced by Roger Corman), 1976's Bound for Glory, for which he received high praise for his portrayal of Woody Guthrie, The Serpent's Egg (1977, directed by Ingmar Bergman) and Lone Wolf McQuade (1983). He also wrote a 1995 autobiography, Endless Highway. Carradine died in 2009 in a hotel room in Thailand, where he was found hung in a closet. Police first suggested the death was suicide, but an autopsy ruled he died by "accidental asphyxiation."
Carradine was the son of Hollywood veteran John Carradine and half-brother to actors Robert and Keith Carradine (with whom he appeared in the 1980 movie The Long Riders)... He attended San Francisco State University... Carradine was married five times and divorced four. The BBC reported at his death that he was survived by his fifth wife, Annie Bierman, "and three children including actresses Calista and Kansas."
Career Highlights: Mr. Horn, Death Race 2000, The Long Riders
First Major Screen Credit: Bala Perdida (1959)
Biography
David Carradine is best known to the public for a single role, of Kwai Chang Caine, whom he portrayed during three seasons of the series Kung Fu (1972-1975), and in its successor series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (1993-1997). But in a career approaching its fifth decade, he has done memorable work in over 200 motion pictures and television dramas, numerous plays -- including a successful run on Broadway early on -- and has been a producer, director, writer, and composer for the screen as well.
He was born John Arthur Carradine, the eldest son of John Carradine, the beloved and very busy character actor, whose roles encompassed everything from John Steinbeck's Reverend Casey to Bram Stoker's Dracula. David Carradine's early adult life was one of exploration -- though born in Hollywood (or, perhaps, precisely because he had been), he tried on a lot of sides of living before he finally turned to acting as a profession, including a hitch in the army, an early marriage that produced one child, life among the beats in San Francisco, traveling around the country doing odd jobs and performing as a folk singer, and squeezing in some study of theater arts. He worked with various community and semi-professional dramatic companies in San Francisco; hitchhiked his way to New York; did Shakespeare in Akron, OH, and parts of New Jersey; and all of the other things that aspiring would-be actors are supposed to do. And he got a few early screen credits in television productions such as Armstrong Circle Theater ("Secret Document"), and in various series produced by Universal Pictures' ReVue television division, including episodes of The Virginian, Wagon Train, and Arrest & Trial, plus The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. He also made his big-screen debut thanks to Universal with a small role in the R.G. Springsteen-directed western Taggart (1964). His real professional breakthrough came a year later on the Broadway stage, however, in Peter Shaffer's The Royal Hunt of the Sun, in a cast headed by Christopher Plummer. He enjoyed an extended run in the Broadway production, which was accompanied by the first round of publicity for Carradine, even then focusing on his unpredictable, iconoclastic nature. He was lured back to Hollywood by the chance to star in the series Shane, based on the George Stevens movie and the Jack Schaefer novel. He was able to put his own stamp on the role, quite different from the portrayal that Alan Ladd had delivered in the film; but the viewing public had been swamped by westerns for a decade, and the series never had a chance to find an audience, lasting only 16 episodes. From 1967 until 1972, he was occasionally seen in one-off roles in dramatic series such as Coronet Blue and The Name of the Game, and was in a remake of Johnny Belinda with Mia Farrow and Ian Bannen, but was most often seen in westerns, including The Violent Ones (1967) and The McMasters (1969) (playing a Native American in the latter). Villainous roles seemed to be what he was most often offered -- even in the the most interesting of his early-'70s vehicles, the drama Maybe I'll Come Home in the Spring (1971), starring Sally Field, his presence as a somewhat larcenous street person lent an extra sinister undertow to the plot.
In 1972 he was approached about the possibility of starring in a proposed series that was easily the most offbeat western ever considered by a network up to that time: Kung Fu. The public had long since lost interest in traditional westerns, but here was a story that combined a quest with a tale of pursuit and necessarily included philosophical conflict never before addressed in series television. The role appealed to Carradine, and he got the part of Kwai Chang Caine, the Chinese-American hero, despite knowing nothing of martial arts. Drawing on his ability as a dancer at his meeting with the producers, he was able to prove with one well-placed kick at a point above his head that he could pull it off. The series ran for three seasons, during which time Carradine put an increasing amount of himself into the portrayal. And the public responded, especially viewers under 40, who resonated to the character and the man behind it. Kung Fu became one of those odd cult shows -- somewhat reminiscent of Star Trek (and, especially, the appeal of Leonard Nimoy's Spock) -- the fans of which were devoted beyond the usual casual weekly viewing. Carradine saw to it, however, even during the run of the series, that he kept busy on other projects, including the Martin Scorsese-directed Boxcar Bertha (1972), starring his paramour Barbara Hershey, and small roles in the Robert Altman revisionist detective film The Long Goodbye (1973) and Scorsese's Mean Streets (1973).
Kung Fu made Carradine a star, but he eventually left the series, owing to disagreements with the producers. His withdrawal from the series could have damaged his career, but Carradine was fortunate enough to latch on to a script that Roger Corman was planning to produce -- a new kind of action movie, Death Race 2000 (1975), became a huge underground hit and proved that Carradine had some measure of big-screen appeal. He followed this up with Cannonball (1976) and other action pictures done for Corman. And in the midst of those movies -- moneymakers all -- he also found the opportunity to star for the first time in a major, big-budget Hollywood feature, Bound for Glory (1976), portraying legendary folk singer/songwriter Woody Guthrie. Carradine put a lot of his own experience in music into the portrayal, and the movie -- directed by Hal Ashby -- was a critical success, but a box office disappointment. Good roles kept coming his way, however, not only through Corman but also from an unexpected quarter, Ingmar Bergman, who cast Carradine, in memorable turn, as a Jewish trapeze artist in The Serpent's Egg (1977), co-starring Liv Ullmann. Even some of the most routine movies in which he appeared during this period were often worth seeing solely for Carradine's performances, never more so than his work as Captain Gates in the submarine rescue drama Gray Lady Down (1978). Indeed, Carradine's scenes in the latter film have a completely different feel and dramatic texture from the rest of the movie, which was otherwise mostly worthless as anything except a way to kill 100 minutes or so.
Carradine made his directorial debut on a handful of episodes of Kung Fu. Upon leaving the series, he directed his first feature film, the drama You and Me (1975). The latter film co-starred Barbara Hershey and his brothers Keith Carradine and Robert Carradine were in the cast. His career across the next few decades involved a mix of major feature films, such as The Long Riders (1980), and offbeat smaller scale pictures such as Q (1982), interspersed with more personal projects such as Americana (1981), for which he served as screenwriter, director, and producer, as well as starring as a taciturn Vietnam veteran who heals himself and a troubled Midwestern town by refurbishing an old carousel. During the 1990s, he also returned to the role of Kwai Chang Caine in the series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues. Among the best elements of the series were Carradine's interactions with his co-star, Robert Lansing (another Hollywood iconoclast), especially in the late episodes, when the latter actor was terminally ill. Even when he was doing action features such as Lone Wolf McQuade (1983) -- in which he played the antagonist to real-life martial arts expert Chuck Norris' hero -- Carradine maintained a reputation for quality in the nature of his own work, which served him in good stead in the years to come. Longtime fans, appreciative of his work since his days on Kung Fu, could always depend on him to deliver a worthwhile performance, even if the vehicles in which he worked were less than stellar, as was often the case -- outside of Kung Fu: The Legend Continues -- in the 1990s. The stars finally lined up in his favor again in 2003, when Carradine appeared in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 1 with Uma Thurman, which led to his much-expanded part in the follow-up movie. Since those films, he has been busier than at any time in his career, with dozens of screen credits in the years that followed.
Carradine has written two books, Spirit of Shaolin and the autobiography Endless Highway, and has made a pair of popular instructional videos, David Carradine: T'ai Chi Workout and David Carradine: Kung Fu Workout. When not working, the actor enjoys painting, sculpting, and performing music. He also wrote several songs for the 2003 film American Reel, in which he starred as struggling singer/songwriter James Lee Springer. Carradine has three children, one each from his first two marriages, to Donna Lee Brecht (1960-1968) and Linda Gilbert (1977-1983), and one with Barbara Hershey, with whom he lived from 1972 to 1975. In 2009, he was found dead, hanged in a Bangkok hotel. He was 72 years old. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
Early in the decade, he was a spokesperson for Lipton[14] ("This ain't no sippin' tea") in a memorable TV ad where he paid homage not only to Kung Fu but also The Three Stooges. He returned to series TV in Kung Fu: The Legend Continues (1993–97) as the grandson of his original character. Though the film was produced in 1992, that quickly turned into a series, where it became a cult classic all over Canada. Also in its first season, it was an immediate hit. In addition to Carradine starring in the series, he served as Executive Producer and Director of Kung-Fu: The Legend Continues, making him the series' driving force. Carradine also became very popular with the one character he always associated with since 1972. Also starring on Kung Fu: The Legend Continues was an unfamiliar struggling actor, spokesperson and singer from Toronto, Chris Potter, in the role of Caine's crime-fighting son and partner, Peter Caine. The on- and off-camera relationship between Carradine & Potter were a huge success story of 1990s television, as the two had shared a lot of issues with each other, becoming close buddies, and very often, Potter putting up with Carradine's drinking issues, despite having an alcohol problem, and many more. Despite the show being popular, and with Carradine's alcohol problems escalated which put him in rehab prior to being sober, it was canceled in 1997, after 5 1/2 seasons, and 88 episodes, but later reruns aired on TNT and in syndication.
Other roles
In 1999, he portrayed Tempus, a powerful demon with the ability to manipulate time, on the series Charmed.
In 2001, he appeared in the episode The Serpent of the syndicated tv series Queen of Swords as the sword wielding bandit El Serpiente filmed at Texas Hollywood studio's, home of many spaghetti westerns, Southern Spain. Also in 2001, he appeared in an episode of the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire (on which his brother Robert was a regular performer). Also in 2001, he provided the voice for Lo Pei, the ancient warrior responsible for Shendu's petrification on the animated series Jackie Chan Adventures. In 2002, Carradine voiced a character on King of the Hill in the episode Returning Japanese, portraying Hank's Japanese half-brother Junichiro. In 2003, he appeared as Conrad on the series Alias.
In 2003, he produced and starred in several instructional videos on the martial arts of Tai chi and Qi Gong. These made him a natural as the title character in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill films, Vol. 1 (2003) and Vol. 2 (2004). In 2005, he took over hosting duties from his brother Keith on Wild West Tech on the History Channel. On two episodes of the animated series Danny Phantom (2005–2006), he provided the voice for "Clockwork", a supernatural being with the power to control time (similar to his 1999 role on Charmed). In 2006, he became the spokesman for Yellowbook, a publisher of independent telephone directories in the United States.
Carradine was married five times.[16] He had a daughter Calista (born April 1962) by first wife Donna (neé Donna Lea Becht, born September 26 1937)[3][15] and a daughter Kansas (born April 19 1978) by second wife Linda (neé Linda Anne Gilbert, born March 16 1950). He had three stepdaughters, Amanda Eckelberry (born November 29 1989), Madeleine Rose (born April 4 1995) and Olivia Jane (born 1998) and a stepson, Max Richard (born 1998), who were all children of his fifth wife Annie Bierman (neé Anne Kirstie Fraser, born December 1960) from a previous relationship.[16]
Each of Carradine's first four marriages ended in divorce. On December 26, 2004, he married Annie Bierman[3] at the seaside Malibu home of his friend, Michael Madsen. Vicki Roberts, his attorney and longtime friend of his wife, performed the ceremony.
According to ex-wife Marina Anderson in an interview with Access Hollywood, "There was a dark side to David, there was a very intense side to David. People around him know that." Previously in her divorce filing she had claimed that "It was the continuation of abhorrent and deviant sexual behavior which was potentially deadly."[17]
Carradine also had a stepmother from his father's second marriage, Sonia Sorel, who died in 2004, just 3 months before he married Annie.
On June 4, 2009, Carradine was found dead in his room at the Swissôtel Nai Lert Park Hotel on Wireless Road, near Sukhumvit Road, in central Bangkok, Thailand.[5][6] A police official said Carradine was found hanging by a rope in the room's closet,[18][19] and the Bangkok Post reported that his body was found curled up in the wardrobe with one end of a shoelace tied around his penis and the other end around his neck.[20] The same officer said: "Under these circumstances we cannot be sure that he committed suicide."[21] It has also been reported that Carradine was found "with his hands tied behind his back."[22] Carradine was in Bangkok to shoot his latest film, Stretch, and was expected to join the film crew for dinner on June 3. The crew noticed his absence when going out, but they assumed that he took a rest because of his age.[5]
KhunyingPornthip Rojanasunand, a Thaiforensicpathologist and Director of Central Institute of Forensic Science, stated the incident met four of the criteria for accidental death involving autoerotic asphyxiation leading to an autoerotic fatality. Police Lieutenant General Worapong Chewprecha, Commander of the Metropolitan Police, remarked that the closed circuit television installed within the hotel supported the theory that no other persons were involved with the death.[23][24][25][26] Carradine's representative and family members told the press that they believed the death to be accidental and not a suicide.[27] Chuck Binder, Carradine's manager of six years,[16] indicated neither suicide nor accident was the likely cause since "the family has been told Carradine's hands were immobilized (behind his back) by the rope."[22] However, this is contradicted by photographic evidence from the scene published by Thai Rath newspaper, showing "hands apparently bound together above the head".[28]
In July 2009, it was reported that a private pathologist, after carrying out a second autopsy, also ruled out the possibility of suicide, but was still unable to "determine whether Carradine's death was accidental or a homicide" and was awaiting further toxicology test results.[29]
Two of Carradine's ex-wives (Gail Jensen[1][30] and Marina Anderson[31][32][33]) stated that his sexual interests included the practice of self-bondage.
Carradine's funeral was held on June 13, 2009 in Los Angeles. His casket was carried in a white hearse from Groman Eden Mortuary to his burial at Forest Lawn Memorial Park.[34] Among the many stars and family members that attended his private memorial were: Lucy Liu, Tom Selleck, Frances Fisher, James Cromwell, Vicki Roberts, Steve Railsback, and Chris Potter.
