David Carradine (born John Arthur Carradine, December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor, best known for his work in Kung Fu and more recently in Kill Bill.
Carradine was born in Hollywood, California, the son of Ardanelle Abigail (née McCool) and noted American actor John Carradine
Carradine was known for his roles as Kwai Chang Caine in the 1970s television series Kung Fu (as well as the sequels in the 1980s and 1990s), as well as ‘Big’ Bill Shelly in Martin Scorsese’s Boxcar Bertha (1972), folksinger Woody Guthrie in Bound for Glory (1976), Abel Rosenberg in Ingmar Bergman’s The Serpent’s Egg (1977), and as Bill in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill, Vols. 1 & 2 (2003, 2004, respectively).
Death of David Carradine
On June 4, 2009, Carradine was found dead in his room at the Park Nai Lert Hotel in Junfan Mulay, Bangkok, Thailand. The initial police investigation indicated that Carradine had hanged himself using a cord of the type which is used with curtains. Circumstances suggested that the death was an autoerotic asphyxiation.
David Carradine Filmography continues next page
David Carradine Filmography
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Taggart | Cal Dodge |
| 1966 | Shane | Shane |
| 1967 | Johnny Belinda | Locky |
| The Violent Ones | Lucas Barnes | |
| 1969 | Heaven with a Gun | Coke Beck |
| Young Billy Young | Jesse Boone | |
| 1972 | Boxcar Bertha | ‘Big’ Bill Shelly |
| 1972-1975 | Kung Fu | Kwai Chang Caine |
| 1973 | The Long Goodbye | Dave aka Socrates – Marlowe’s Cellmate |
| Mean Streets | Drunk | |
| 1975 | Death Race 2000 | Frankenstein |
| 1976 | Cannonball | Coy ‘Cannonball’ Buckman |
| Bound for Glory | Woody Guthrie | |
| 1977 | The Serpent’s Egg | Abel Rosenberg |
| Thunder and Lightning | Harley Thomas | |
| 1978 | Deathsport | Kaz Oshay |
| Circle of Iron | The Blind Man/Monkeyman/Death/Changsha | |
| Gray Lady Down | Capt. Gates | |
| 1979 | Mr. Horn | Tom Horn |
| 1980 | The Long Riders | Cole Younger |
| 1982 | Q | Detective Shepard |
| Trick Or Treats | Richard | |
| 1983 | Lone Wolf McQuade | Rawley Wilkes |
| 1984 | The Warrior and the Sorceress | Kain |
| Airwolf | Dr. Robert Winchester | |
| 1985 | North and South | Justin LaMotte |
| 1986 | Kung Fu: The Movie | Kwai Chang Caine |
| 1988 | Tropical Snow | Oskar |
| 1990 | Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat | Jozek Mardulak/Count Dracula |
| Bird on a Wire | Sorenson | |
| 1991 | Karate Cop | Dad |
| Martial Law | Dalton Rhodes | |
| The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw | Caine | |
| 1992 | Evil Toons | Gideon Fisk |
| Roadside Prophets | Othello | |
| Waxwork II: Lost in Time | The Beggar | |
| 1993-1997 | Kung Fu: The Legend Continues | Kwai Chang Caine |
| 1997 | Last Stand at Saber River | Duane Kidston |
| 1998 | Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror | Luke Enright |
| An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island | Chief Wulisso | |
| 1999 | Charmed | Tempus |
| American Reel | James Lee Springer | |
| 2000 | Down ‘n Dirty | Gil Garner |
| 2001 | Queen Of Swords | The Serpent |
| 2002 | Balto II: Wolf Quest | Nava the Wolf Shaman |
| The Outsider | Haines | |
| King of the Hill | Junichiro Hill | |
| 2003 | Kill Bill: Vol. I | Bill |
| 2003-2004 | Alias | Conrad |
| 2004 | Kill Bill: Vol. II | Bill |
| Hair High | Mr. Snerz | |
| Dead & Breakfast | Mr. Wise | |
| Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon | Grand Master | |
| 2005 | Danny Phantom | Clockwork |
| 2006 | Medium | Jessica’s Brother |
| Saints Row | William Sharp | |
| 2007 | Homo Erectus | Mookoo |
| Epic Movie | The Curator | |
| Fall Down Dead | Wade | |
| Camille | Cowboy Bob | |
| How to Rob a Bank | Nick | |
| Fuego | Lobo | |
| Big Stan | The Master | |
| 2008 | Chatham | Captain Zeb |
| Richard III | Buckingham | |
| Hell Ride | The Deuce | |
| Son of the Dragon | Bird | |
| Last Hour | Detective Mike Stone | |
| Death Race | Frankenstein | |
| My Suicide | Vargas | |
| 2009 | Absolute Evil | Raf McCane |
| Crank: High Voltage | Poon Dong |