Introduction
The Carradine family’s legacy in American cinema and television spans generations with accomplished actors such as John Carradine, David Carradine, Keith Carradine, and Martha Plimpton. Cinema Scholars explores this legacy in part one of our latest Scholars’ Spotlight series, The Carradine Family: Part I. This article will focus on John Carradine and his son David Carradine.
John Carradine
On February 5, 1906, Richmond Reed Carradine was born in New York City. He was the grandson of the famous evangelical author, Beverly Carradine. His father, William Reed Carradine, was a writer for the Associated Press. His mother, Dr. Genevieve Winnifred Richmond, was a surgeon.
William died of tuberculosis when Richmond was just two years old. Genevieve remarried an abusive man named Peck. Richmond was rumored to have run away as a teenager due to his intolerable stepfather. Richmond soon returned to New York as a young man, developing a deep interest in art and film. He studied sculpture at the Philadelphia Graphic Arts Institute and took time working in the film archives of the New York Public Library. Richmond also did a stint as a traveling artist, selling hand-drawn art as a teenager.
In 1927, Richmond found work in the theater as a set designer under Cecil B. DeMille. After failing miserably in this position, DeMille instead used his baritone voice in voice-overs for his films. This launched a fantastic career in cinema. In 1935, he changed his name to John Carradine. Here, his true journey began.
Dracula and John Ford
John Carradine would go on to play Count Dracula for Universal Studios in House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945). In 1936, Carradine joined the John Ford stock company. There he would star in his first prominent role as Preacher Casy in the Oscar-nominated The Grapes of Wrath (1940).
Carradine’s unique talent and distinct voice helped him establish constant work in Hollywood. Some other notable films that he appeared in included Hitler’s Madman (1943), The Ten Commandments (1956), and John Ford’s The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962).
Carradine starred in many horror movies, earning a reputation for this genre. He also accepted roles for goofy B-movie horror parts with dignity. In various interviews, he was often asked why a Shakespearean actor would participate in such films. Carradine would calmly deflect that these roles were ‘just another job.’
Stage and Television Roles
Often portraying Dracula, John Carradine starred in Billy the Kid Versus Dracula (1966), Blood of Dracula’s Castle (1969), Vampire Hookers (1978), as well as appearing in Nocturna, The Grand-Daughter of Count Dracula (1979). Upon watching these films, you can see the actor’s full commitment to the roles, no matter how outlandish. He’s magnetic and simply a joy to watch.
If one considers his full acting repertoire, Carradine was certainly not a purist. He worked in other dominantly masculine genres, mostly dramas, and westerns. The thespian also accepted many television roles. These included parts on Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Lost in Space, and The Munsters, to name a few.
Carradine admits that while he enjoyed his time on films and television, his heart belonged to the stage. He starred in Othello, Hamlet, and Macbeth. Further, His love of theater didn’t stay exclusively with Shakespeare. On Broadway, he starred in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Madwoman of Chaillot, and The Cup of Trembling.
“…I prefer to work in theater because by and large the material is better than it is in pictures or TV….In the theater that’s another matter. That’s my life. Outside the theater it’s just a job…”
– John Carradine Interview for KMOX-TV 1983
Marriage, Divorce, and Death
John Carradine was married four times. His first marriage was to Ardanelle McCool. Bruce, a son from Ardanelle’s previous marriage, was adopted by John. John Arthur Carradine Jr., later known as David Carradine, was born from this marriage. After a messy divorce, John married actress Sonia Sorel. She bore him three sons, Christopher, Keith, and Robert.
Carradine later married again. This time to Doris Grimshaw. She became the mother figure to his sons until she died in 1971. In 1975, Carradine married a final time, to Emily Cisneros. He remained her spouse until his death. On November 27, 1988, while in Milan, Italy, John Carradine succumbed to heart and kidney failure. According to David Carradine, he died in David’s arms with Keith in the room.
David Carradine
David Carradine began his life in a broken family. John’s marriage to Ardanelle was rocky and David bore the brunt of the discord. In his autobiography, Endless Highway, David claims to have attempted suicide at a young age. After his parents divorced, David was placed in boarding schools and foster homes. Due to this tenuous beginning, emotional issues would continue to plague his tumultuous life.
Eventually, David made his way back to California and completed high school. He enrolled in college and studied drama at San Francisco State College, but dropped out. In his first of many encounters with the law, David was prosecuted for disturbing the peace.
Shortly after, David joined the United States Army and established a theater company at Fort Eustis. He also married Donna Lee Becht, and two years later, his daughter Calista was born. Despite being court-martialed for shoplifting, David Carradine was honorably discharged from the US military in 1962.
Beginnings in Acting
Encouraged by his father, David launched himself into an acting career. He rolled into television in 1963, starring in an episode of Armstrong Circle Theatre. From there he landed roles in various other television episodes, including The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and The Virginian.
David Carradine snagged a contract with Universal and was given his first feature film role as Cal Dodge in Taggart (1964). While minor TV roles were available for the young actor, he also kept a foot firmly on stage, as did his father.
After landing the lead for The Deputy on Broadway, he starred opposite Christopher Plummer in The Royal Hunt of the Sun. This part gained him notice and earned him a Theatre World Award for Best Debut Performance in 1965. After a long successful run, he left the role in 1966 to play the titular role in the new television show, Shane.
Although critically well-received, Shane didn’t last long before being canceled. After this, David was typecast as a supporting actor and often a villain for several Western television shows. These included The Violent Ones (1967), Young Billy Young (1969), and The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969).
Rise of the Grasshopper
David’s typecasting led to professional frustration. Unlike his father, who fully embraced his iconic horror type-casting, David pushed back against his work as a villain in Westerns. He took a year off acting in films or television in 1971 but was back in action in 1972 when he was cast as a lead in Martin Scorsese’s first feature film, Boxcar Bertha.
During this time, David was dating Barbara Hershey, who also starred in Boxcar Bertha. In 1972, they posed for Playboy together, mimicking sex scenes from the movie. Hershey gave birth to their son Free, who would later change his name to Tom. Hershey and Carradine broke up after his arrest for burglary in 1974, at the peak of his fame.
In 1972, David would rise to iconic levels with his portrayal of Kwai Chang Caine, in the hit TV series, Kung Fu. Caine is a half-Chinese, half-American orphan, trained as a Shaolin monk. He travels the Wild West searching for his brother and using his skills of self-defense and Eastern philosophy to help others in his travels. The charismatic Caine exudes compassion, easy confidence, and a Zen-like quality unknown to other TV heroes.
Kung Fu won three Prime Time Emmys; Best Directorial Achievement in Drama, Best Achievement in Cinematography, and Outstanding Achievement in Makeup. David was nominated for Best TV Actor at the 1974 Golden Globes and nabbed Spain’s TP de Oro in 1974 for Best Foreign Actor. The show popularized Kung Fu in modern American and European pop culture.
Father, Son, and Bruce Lee
David Carradine would also star in three episodes of Kung Fu, alongside his father John. John had played the blind preacher, Reverend Serenity Johnson. He was a recurring character throughout the series. Johns’ episodes included Dark Angel (1972), The Nature of Evil (1974), and Ambush (1975).
Kung Fu would also forever link David Carradine’s name to Bruce Lee. Lee had originally auditioned and was seriously considered. Executives eventually rejected the idea of casting Bruce Lee due to his strong Chinese accent. Supposedly, his line readings were difficult to understand and the execs felt that the audience would not be able to follow along.
Inversely, Carradine carried perfect execution and clarity in his dialogue. Like his father John, David was gifted with a beautiful voice. According to Tom Kuhn, head of Warner Brothers TV division at the time, David was not only easier to understand, but he projected serenity. Lee was typecast as more aggressive.
This spurred a legacy of controversy regarding the casting of white actors in place of Asians and/or Asian Americans for roles originally scripted as Asian. Lee’s rejection by the studio worked against him being able to obtain leading roles. The controversy is still hot today as many argue that shows and movies like Kung Fu whitewashed Asian stories.
Jumpstart Into Films
For Carradine, being cast as Caine was the most powerful boon of his career. Although he knew nothing of martial arts at the time, he seemed a natural in the part. Kung Fu launched David’s film career. After the show ended, he accepted the role of Frankenstein in the cult classic Death Race 2000 (1975).
Now that David was a recognized star, he was able to negotiate very profitable deals. He also played the lead in the films Cannonball! and Bound for Glory, both released in 1976. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe and won Best Actor by the National Board of Review for his portrayal of Woody Guthrie in Bound for Glory.
David Carradine would continue to star in two to three movies a year. These included The Serpent’s Egg (1977), Deathsport (1978), and Lone Wolf McQuade, released in 1983 and starring Chuck Norris.
A notable film that once again tied Carradine to Bruce Lee was Circle of Iron (1978). Originally titled The Silent Flute and co-written by Bruce Lee, it was a martial arts fantasy. Lee was meant to play the lead role but died before filming commenced. The script changed hands and was updated to add comedy and more violence. The lead role was given to Carradine, with Christopher Lee as a co-star.
Kung Fu Revivals
In the 1980s, David Carradine’s roles had diminished in quality or were merely minor parts. His popularity continued to waver until he filmed the made-for-TV movie Kung Fu: The Movie in 1986. He would again revive his role as Caine for Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, a TV movie released in 1992.
A new series, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues aired in 1993 and also starred Carradine. In interviews, David admits that these revivals rebooted his career when it was waning. He attributes being cast in Bird on a Wire (1990) due to Kung Fu: The Movie.
It seems that David Carradine was unable to maintain a powerful presence in Hollywood, even though he was keeping quite busy with B-Movies. In 1998, he starred in ten movies, two videos, and one television episode. He was also frequently working in the theater between television and film gigs.
Tarantino, Kill Bill, and Family
Carradine dabbled mostly in television from 1999 until 2003 when he starred in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1. Tarantino wrote the part specifically for Carradine, who accepted the role almost immediately. The release of Kill Bill Vol. 1 and Kill Bill Vol. 2 gave David negotiation power once again. In an interview with The Flashback Files, he states that he was now able to be picky with his projects.
After his break-up with Barbara Hershey in 1974, Carradine would marry four more times. His second wife, Linda Anne Gilbert would bear him a daughter, Kansas, during their eleven-year marriage. David was only married for three years to Marina Anderson, from 1998 to 2001. He had no more biological children after Kansas. However, his last wife, Anne Bierman, brought three stepdaughters and a stepson into the family.
David Carradine loved music, including some of his work in his TV and film projects. He stated that his music was more of a hobby than a professional endeavor. He’s also made flutes used in Circle of Iron. One of them made it into a scene in Kill Bill. He also composed music for his project, Mata Kiri, starring his daughter Calista. David didn’t live to see the film finished, but his wife Annie continued the project after his death.
Additionally, Carradine wrote and published two books. His first book was an autobiography, titled Endless Highway. The other is a personal account of the filming of the Kill Bill movies, titled The Kill Bill Diary.
Death
Sadly, David Carradine left the world with much controversy over his death. The actor’s body was found in a five-star hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand, hanging with a golden rope around his neck, and several other unsavory details.
Due to an injury on his scalp, there are doubts as to whether this was a terrible accident due to kinky behavior, or if others were with him during his death. Carradine’s wife Annie subsequently sued the studios for wrongful death, winning a settlement sum of $400,000. To many, the circumstances remain a mystery.
In Summation
Despite the way that he left the world, David Carradine gifted us with a lifetime of world-class entertainment. He created an amazing icon like Caine, as well as a bad-ass villain like Bill. He filmed hundreds of movies and TV shows. Much like his father John, his repertoire was hit or miss.
John Carradine filled the screen with fully committed roles of elegant acting and also created a second generation of talent after him. Its legacy has been further passed on to siblings Keith Carradine (David’s brother) and Martha Plimpton (Keith’s daughter). The entire Carradine family shares an excellent love and dedication to their craft.
The second and final part of this series will continue to explore the Carradine acting dynasty by focusing on Keith Carradine (Nashville, Deadwood) and Martha Plimpton (The Goonies, Parenthood). Respectively, the son and granddaughter of screen and stage icon John Carradine.
