David Carradine

David Carradine (born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American, director, and producer, whose career included over 200 major and minor roles in film, television and on stage in a six decade career. A member of the Carradine family of actors, he was the oldest son of prolific character actor, John Carradine. His younger half brothers, Keith and Robert are also actors, along with nieces Ever Carradine and Martha Plympton.

He is perhaps best known as the star of the television series Kung Fu (1972 – 1975), playing Kwai Chang Caine (a role he won over Bruce Lee), a peace-loving Shaolin monk travelling through the American Old West (years later he co-started with Brandon Lee in a TV movie sequel), for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.

He’s appeared in various films produced by Roger Corman including Martin Scorsese’s Boxcar Bertha (1972), with Barbara Hershey; Paul Bartel’s Death Race 2000 (1975), with Sylvester Stallone, Simone Griffeth, Mary Woronov, Martin Kove, and Don Steele; Corey Allen’s Thunder and Lightning (1977), with Kate Jackson, Sterling Holloway, Roger C. Carmel, Eddie Barth, and Charles Napier; Deathsport (1978), with Claudia Jennings and Richard Lynch; and Fast Charlie…the Moonbeam Rider (1979), with Brenda Vaccaro, L.Q. Jones, R.G. Armstrong, Terry Kiser, Jesse Vint, Noble Willingham, and Ralph James.

Other films in the early to mid 1970s include Alf Kjellin’s The McMasters (1970), with Burl Ives, Brock Peters, Nancy Kwan, and Jack Palance; Bernard Kowalski’s Macho Callahan (1970), with David Janssen, Jean Seberg, Lee J. Cobb, James Booth, and Diane Ladd; an uncredited appearance in Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye (1973), with Elliott Gould, Nina van Pallandt, Sterling Hayden, Mark Rydell, Henry Gibson, David Arkin, and Jim Bouton; You and Me (1975), with Bobbi Shaw, Hershey, and Gary Busey – the latter being his directorial debut.

He also received second Golden Globe nominations for his performance as Woody Guthrie in Hal Ashby’s biopic Bound for Glory (1976), with Ronny Cox, Melinda Dillon, Gail Strickland, John Lehne, Ji-Tu Cumbuka and Randy Quaid. Other films in the late 1970s include Ingmar Bergman‘s The Serpent’s Egg (1977), with Liv Ullman, Gert Fröbe, Heinz Bennent, Glynn Turman, and James Whitmore; David Green’s Gray Lady Down (1978), with Charlton Heston, Stacy Keach, Ned Beatty, Cox and Rosemary Forsyth, Michael O’Keefe, and Christopher Reeve; and Circle of Iron (1978), with Roddy McDowall, Eli Wallach and Christopher Lee.

Films in the early to mid 1980s include Walter Hill’s The Long Riders (1980), with brothers Keith & Robert, along with James & Stacey Keach, Dennis & Randy Quaid, and Christoper & Nicholas Guest; Cloud Dancer (1980), with Jennifer O’Neill and Joseph Bottoms; Safari 3000 (1980), with Stockade Channing and Christopher Lee; and Sundown: Larry Cohen’s Q – The Winged Serpent (1982), with Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark, and Richard Roundtree; Gary Graver’s Tricks or Treats (1982), with Jackelyn Giroux, Peter Jason, Chris Graver, Carrie Snodgress, and Steve Railsback; Lone Wolf McQuade (1983), with Chuck Norris, Barbara Carrera, L.Q. Jones, R.G. Armstrong, Leon Isaac Kennedy and Robert Beltran; and The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984), with Luke Askew, María Socas, Anthony De Longis, and Harry Townes.

Films in the mid to late 1980s include P.O.W. The Escape (1986), with Charles Grant, Mako, and Steve James; Fred Ollen Ray’s Armed Response (1986), with Lee Van Cleef, Brent Huff, Michael Berryman, and Mako; The Misfit Brigade (1987), with Bruce Davison, D.W. Moffett,Keith Szarabajka, David Patrick Kelly, and Oliver Reed; Terrence Young’s Run for Your Life (1988), with Lauren Hutton, George Segal, Franco Nero, Sabine Sun, and Anthony Dawson; Tropical Snow (1988), with Madeleine Stowe and Jsu Garcia; Warlords (1988), with Sid Haig and Ross Hagan; Sonny Boy (1989), with Paul L. Smith, Brad Dourif, Conrad Janis, Sydney Lassick, Alexandra Powers, and Steve Carlisle; Crime Zone (1989), with Peter Nelson, Sherilyn Fenn, and Michael Shaner; Anthony Hickox’s Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989), with Bruce Campbell, Maxwell Caulfield, Morgan Brittany, Jim Metzler, John Ireland, Deborah Foreman, and M. Emmett Walsh; Jon Turtletaub’s Think Big (1989), with Peter Paul, David Paul, Martin Mull, Ari Meyers, Claudia Christian, Richard Kiel, Richard Moll, Michael Winslow, Peter Lupus, and Thomas Gottschalk; and David A. Prior’s Future Force (1989), with Robert Tessier.

Films in the 1990s include John Badham’s Bird on a Wire (1990), with Mel Gibson, Goldie Hawn, Bill Duke, Stephen Tobolowsky, Joan Severance, and Jeff Corey; Martial Law (1990), with Chad McQueen and Cynthia Rothrock; Capital Punishment (1991), with Gary Daniels; Evil Toons (1992), with Monique Gabrielle, Madison Stone, Barbara Dare, Dick Miller, and Arte Johnson; Double Trouble (1992), with Peter Paul, David Paul, Troy Donahue, James Doohan, Collin Bernsen, Bill Mumy, Roddy McDowall, and Lewis Arquette; Roadside Prophets (1992), with John Doe, Adam Horowitz, Timothy Leary, Arlo Guthrie, David Carradine, Flea, John Cusack, Don Cheadle, and Bill Cobbs; Waxwork II: Lost in Time (1992), with Zach Galligan, Alexander Godunov, Monika Schnarre, Martin Kemp, and Campbell; Distant Justice (1992), with Bunta Sugawara and George Kennedy; Animal Instincts (1992), with Caulfield, Shannon Whirry, and Jan-Michael Vincent; and Code… Death: Frontera Sur (1993), with Hugo Stiglitz, Isaac Hayes, and Pedro Armendáriz Jr.

Films in the late 1990s include Sidney J. Furie’s The Rage (1997), with Lorenzo Lamas, Busey, Kristen Cloke, and Roy Scheider; Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998), with the New Swiss Family Robinson (1998), with Jane Seymour, James Keach, John Mallory Asher, Blake Bashoff, and Jamie Renée Smith; Shepherd (1998), with C. Thomas Howell and Roddy Piper; The Effects of Magic (1998), with Robert Carradine, Dillon, Jacobo Morales, Cynthia Ettinger, and Kathy Bates; a voice role in An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island (1998), with Thomas Dekker, Lacey Chabert, Elaine Bilstad, Pat Musick, Dom DeLuise, René Auberjonois, John Kassir, Sherman Howard, Tony Jay, Nehemiah Persoff, Erica Yohn, Richard Karron, and Ron Perlman; Light Speed (1998), with Karen Black and Gregory Scott Cummins; and Natural Selection (1999), with Michael Bowen, Bob Balaban, and Stephen Root.

He had a resurgence in popularity after appearing as the main antagonist in Quentin Tarantino‘s martial arts epic, Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003) and Vol. 2 (2004), with Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox, and Michael Madsen – for which he won a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. Other films in the early to mid 2000s include a voice role in Balto II: Wolf Quest (2001), with Jodi Benson, Chabert, Mark Hamill, Maurice LaMarche, Peter MacNicol, Charles Fleischer, Rob Paulsen, Nicolette Little, Melanie Spore, and Kevin Schon; Dead & Breakfast (2004), with Ever Carradine, Gina Philips, Erik Palladino, Bianca Lawson, Jeremy Sisto, Oz Perkins, and Diedrich Bader; a voice role in Bill Plympton’s Hair High (2004), with Ed Begley, Jr., Craig Bierko, Keith Carradine, Beverly D’Angelo, Hayley DuMond, Eric Gilliland, Matt Groening, Don Hertzfeldt, Peter Jason, Justin Long, Dermot Mulroney, Tom Noonan, Zak Orth, Martha Plimpton, Jay O. Sanders, Michael Showalter, and Sarah Silverman; and Last Goodbye (2004), with Faye Dunaway.

Films in the mid to late 2000s include Miracle at Sage Creek (2005), with Wes Studi and Michael Parks; Epic Movie (2007), with Kal Penn, Adam Campbell, Jayma Mays, Jennifer Coolidge, Faune A. Chambers, Crispin Glover, Tony Cox, and Fred Willard; Richard III (2007), with Sally Kirkland, Maria Conchita Alonso, Anne Jeffreys, and Danny Trejo; How to Rob a Bank 2007), with Nick Stahl, Erika Christensen, Gavin Rossdale, and Terry Crews; Fall Down Dead (2007), with Dominique Swain and Udo Kier; Homo Erectus (2007), with Adam Rifkin (who also directed), Giuseppe Andrews, Busey, Ali Larter, Hayes MacArthur, Talia Shire, and Sasha Grey; Hell Ride (2008), with Larry Bishop (who also directed), Madsen, Dennis Hopper, Eric Balfour, Vinnie Jones, and Leonor Varela; Camille (2008), with James Franco, Sienna Miller, Scott Glenn, and Ed Lauter; Last Hour (2008), with DMX, Madden, and Paul Sorvino; The Golden Boys (2008), with Bruce Dern, Rip Torn, Charles Durning, and Mariel Hemingway; My Suicide (2008), with Gabriel Sunday, Brooke Nevin, Hemingway, Nora Dunn, and Tony Hale; Crank: High Voltage (2009), with Jason Statham, Amy Smart, Clifton Collins Jr., Efren Ramirez, Bai Ling, and Dwight Yoakam; and Autumn (2009), with Dexter Fletcher.

Posthumous films include Dark Fields (2009), with Dee Wallace, Richard Lynch, Ellen Sandweiss, and Sasha Higgins; Yuen Woo-Ping’s True Legend (2010), with Vincent Zhao, Zhou Xun, Jay Chou, Andy On, Gordon Liu, Leung Kar-yan, and Michelle Yeoh; Stretch (2011), with Nicolas Cazalé and Fan Bingbing; Eldorodo (2012), with Brigitte Nielsen, Hannah, Madsen, Kerry Washington, Jeff Fahey, Steve Guttenberg, Bill Moseley, Sylvester McCoy, Tyrese Gibson, and O’Toole; Night of the Templar (2012), with Paul Samson (who also directed), Kier, Norman Reedus, Billy Drago, and Jack Donner; and The Banksters, Madoff with America (2013), with Tom Sizemore.

He received a third Golden Globe nomination for his performance in the tv miniseries North and South (1985), with James Read, Patrick Swayze, Lesley-Anne Down, Wendy Kilbourne, Kirstie Alley, Jean Simmons, Mitchell Ryan, Terri Garber, Genie Francis, Kyle Chandler, David Ogden Stiers, Jonathan Frakes, Hal Holbrook, Robert Guillaume, Nancy Marchand, Tom Noonan, Billy Dee Williams, Robert Wagner, Wayne Newton, Lloyd Bridges, Rip Torn, James Stewart, Johnny Cash, Gene Kelly, Robert Mitchum, Elizabeth Taylor, Peter O’Toole, and Olivia de Havilland.

TV movies include Paul Bogart’s Johnny Belinda (1966), with Ian Bannen, Mia Farrow, Barry Sullivan, and Ruth White; Joseph Sargent’s Maybe I’ll Come Home in the Spring (1971), with Sally Field, Eleanor Parker, Jackie Cooper, and Lane Bradbury; Fielder Cook’s Gaugin the Savage (1980), with Lynn Redgrave, Flora Robson, Michael Hordern, and Ian Richardson; High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane (1980), with Lee Majors and Pernell Roberts; Jealousy (1984), with Angie Dickinson, Paul Michael Glaser, Bo Svenson, Susan Tyrell, France Nuyen, and Richard Milligan; Six Against the Rock (1987), with Howard Hesseman, David Morse, Richard Dysart, and Dennis Farina; The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (1991), with Kenny Rogers, Reba McEntire, Gene Barry, Hugh O’Brian, Jack Kelly, Clint Walker, Chuck Connors, Johnny Crawford, Brian Keith, James Drury, Doug McClure, and Paul Brinegar; Last Stand at Saber River (1997), with Tom Selleck, Suzy Amis, Haley Joel Osment, Tracey Needham, David Dukes, and Harry Carey Jr.; Lovers & Liars (1998), with Michael York; Stephen Gyllenhaal’s Warden of Red Rock (2001), with James Caan, Rachel Ticotin, Jim Beavers, and Brian Dennehy; and Randa Haines’s The Outsider (2002), with Tim Daly and Naomi Watts.

Each review will be linked to the title below.

(*seen originally in theaters)

(**seen rereleased in theaters) Film

Taggart (1964) – directed by R.G. Springsteen
Bus Riley’s Back in Town (1965) – directed by Harvey Hart
Too Many Thieves (1966) – directed by Abner Biberman
Johnny Belinda (1967) – directed by Paul Bogart – TV movie
The Violent Ones (1967) – directed by Fernando Lamas
Heaven with a Gun (1969) – directed by Lee H. Katzin
Young Billy Young (1969) – directed by Burt Kennedy
The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969) – directed by Burt Kennedy
The McMasters (1970) – directed by Alf Kjellin
Macho Callahan (1970) – directed by Bernard L. Kowalski
Maybe I’ll Come Home in the Spring (1971) – directed by Joseph Sargent – TV movie
Boxcar Bertha (1972) – directed by Martin Scorsese
The Long Goodbye (1973) – directed by Robert Altman – uncredited
Mean Streets (1973) – directed by Martin Scorsese
You and Me (1974) – also director
Death Race 2000 (1975) – directed by Paul Bartel
Cannonball! (1976) – directed by Paul Bartel
Bound for Glory (1976) – directed by Hal Ashby
Thunder and Lightning (1977) – directed by Corey Allen
The Serpent’s Egg (1977) – directed by Ingmar Bergman
Gray Lady Down (1978) – directed by David Greene
Deathsport (1978) – directed by Allan Arkush, Nicholas Niciphor, & Roger Corman (uncredited)
Circle of Iron (1978) – directed by Richard Moore
I’ve Got You, You’ve Got Me by the Chin Hairs (1979) – directed by Jean Yanne
Fast Charlie… the Moonbeam Rider (1979) – directed by Steve Carver
Gauguin the Savage (1980) – directed by Fielder Cook TV movie
The Long Riders (1980) – directed by Walter Hill
Cloud Dancer (1980) – directed by Barry Brown
High Noon, Part II: The Return of Will Kane (1980) – directed by Jerry Jameson – TV movie
Safari 3000 (1980) – directed by Harry Hurwitz
Americana (1981) – also director
Q (1982) – directed by Larry Cohen
Trick or Treats (1982) – directed by Gary Graver
Lone Wolf McQuade (1983) – directed by Steve Carver
Jealousy (1984) – directed by Jeffery Bloom – TV movie
The Warrior and the Sorceress (1984) – directed by John C. Broderick
On the Line (1984) – directed by José Luis Borau
The Bad Seed (1985) – directed by Paul Wendkos – TV movie
Kung Fu: The Movie (1986) – directed by Richard Lang – TV movie
Behind Enemy Lines (1986) – directed by Gideon Amir
Oceans or Fire (1986) – directed by Steve Carver – TV movie
Armed Response (1986) – directed by Fred Olen Ray
The Misfit Brigade (1987) – directed by Gordon Hessler
Heartbeat (1987) – directed by John Nicolella
Six Against the Rock (1987) – directed by Paul Wendkos – TV movie
I Saw What You Did (1988) – directed by Fred Walton – TV movie
Run for Your Life (1988) – directed by Terence Young
Crime Zone (1988) – directed by Luis Llosa
Warlords (1988) – directed by Fred Olen Ray
Tropical Snow (1988) – directed by Ciro Durán
Sonny Boy (1989) – directed by Robert Martin Carroll
Wizard of the Lost Kingdom II (1989) – directed by Charles B. Griffith
Nowhere to Run (1989) – directed by Carl Franklin
Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1989) – directed by Anthony Hickox
Try This One for Size (1989) – directed by Guy Hamilton
Open Fire (1989) – directed by Roger Mende
Think Big (1989) – directed by Jon Turteltaub
Future Force (1989) – directed by David A. Prior
Animal Protector (1989) – directed by Mats Helge
The Mad Bunch (1989) – directed by Arne Mattson & Mats Helge
Night Children (1989) – directed by Norbert Meisel
Crime of Crimes (1989) – directed by Alfredo Zacarías
Fatal Secret (1989) – directed by Anders Nillsson & Mats Olsson
The Trace of Lynx (1990) – directed by Antonio Gonzalo
Bird on a Wire (1990) – directed by John Badham
Future Zone (1990) – directed by David A. Prior
Martial Law (1990) – directed by Steve Cohen
Brotherhood of the Gun (1991) – directed by Vern Gillum – TV movie
The Gambler Returns: The Luck of the Draw (1991) – directed by Dick Lowry – TV movie
Dune Warriors (1991) – directed by Cirio H. Santiago
Midnight Fear (1991) – directed by Bill Crain
Project Eliminator (1991) – directed by H. Kaye Dyal
Capital Punishment (1991) – directed by David Huey
Battle Gear (1991) – directed by Cirio H. Santiago
Karate Cop (1991) – directed by Alan Roberts
Evil Toons (1992) – directed by Fred Olen Ray
Double Trouble (1992) – directed by Gregory Dark
Roadside Prophets (1992) – directed by Abbe Wool
Waxwork II: Lost in Time (1992) – directed by Anthony Hickox
Night Rhythms (1992) – directed by Gregory Dark
Animal Instincts (1992) – directed by Gregory Dark
Distant Justice (1992) – directed by Tôru Murakawa
Kung Fu: A Legend Reborn (1992) – directed by Jud Taylor – TV movie
Dead Center (1992) – directed by Steve Carver
Kill Zone (1993) – directed by Cirio H. Santiago
Code… Death: Frontera Sur (1993) – directed by Ernesto García Cabral & Hugo Stiglitz
Bitter End (1993) – directed by Bill Henderson
Hollywood Dream (1994) – directed by Ninì Grassia
The Eagle and the House (1994) – directed by Serge Korber
Last Stand at Saber River (1997) – directed by Dick Lowry – TV movie
The Rage (1997) – directed by Sidney J. Furie
The Good Life (1997) – directed by Alan Mehrez & Barry Samson (uncredited) – unreleased
Macon County Jail (1997) – directed by Victoria Muspratt
Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998) – directed by Ethan Wiley
The New Swiss Family Robinson (1998) – directed by Stewart Raffill
Shepherd (1998) – directed by Peter Hayman
The Effects of Magic (1998) – directed by Charlie Martinez
An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island (1998) – directed by Larry Latham
Kiss of a Stranger (1998) – directed by Sam Irvin
Lovers and Liars (1998) – directed by Mark Freed
Light Speed (1998) – directed by Roger Mende
Sublet (1998) – directed by John Hamilton
Knocking on Death’s Door (1999)
Natural Selection (1999) – directed by Mark Lambert Bristol
Full Blast (1999) – directed by Rodrigue Jean
The Puzzle in the Air (1999) – directed by Gino Cabanas
Zoo (1999) – directed by Alexandra King
Dangerous Curves (2000) – directed by Jeremiah Cullinane
Down ‘n Dirty (2000) – directed by Fred Williamson
Nightfall (2000) – directed by Gwyneth Gibby
G.O.D. (2001) – directed by Dean Rusu
The Donor (2001) – directed by Jean-Marie Pallardy
Balto II: Wolf Quest (2002) – directed by Phil Weinstein
Wheatfield with Crows (2002) – directed by Brent Roske
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)* – directed by Quentin Tarantino
American Reel (2003) – directed by Mark Archer
Dead & Breakfast (2004) – directed by Matthew Leutwyler
Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)* – directed by Quentin Tarantino
Hair High (2004) – directed by Bill Plympton
Lost Goodbye (2004) – directed by Jacob Gentry
Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon (2004) – directed by Albert Pyun & Isaac Florentine
Brothers in Arms (2005) – directed by Jean-Claude La Marre
Miracle at Sage Creek (2005) – directed by James Intveld
Final Move (2006) – directed by Joey Travolta
World War 1: American Legacy (2006) – directed by Mark Bussler – narrator – documentary
Sons of the Dragon (2006) – directed by David Wu – miniseries
The Last Sect (2006) – directed by Jonathan Dueck
Epic Movie (2007) – directed by Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer
Lost Bullet (2007) – directed by Paul Martinez
Treasure Raiders (2007) – directed by Brent Huff
Richard III (2007) – directed by Scott M. Anderson
The Trident (2007) – directed by Anurag Mehta – short
How to Rob a Bank (and 10 Tips to Actually Get Away with It) (2007) – directed by Andrews Jenkins
Fall Down Dead (2007) – directed by Jon Keeyes
Permanent Vacation (2007) – directed by W. Scott Peake
Fuego (2007) – directed by Damian Chapa
Big Stan (2007) – directed by Rob Schneider
Homo Erectus (2007) – directed by Adam Rifkin
Blizhniy Boy: The Ultimate Fighter (2007)
Hell Ride (2008) – directed by Larry Bishop
Camille (2008) – directed by Gregory Mackenzie
Last Hour (2008) – directed by Pascal Caubet
Jonas Brothers: Burnin’ Up (2008) – short
Break (2008) – directed by Marc Clebanoff
Death Race (2008) – directed by Paul W.S. Anderson – voice cameo
The Golden Boys (2008) – directed by Daniel Adams
Kandisha (2008) – directed by Jerome Cohen-Olivar
Archie’s Final Project (2009) – directed by David Lee Miller
Absolute Evil – Final Exit (2009) – directed by Ulli Lommel
Road of No Return (2009) – Parviz Saghizadeh
Crank: High Voltage (2009) – directed by Mark Neveldine & Brian Taylor (as Neveldine/Taylor)
Autumn (2009) – directed by Steven Rumbelow
Dark Fields (2009) – directed by Douglas Schulze – posthumous release
Bad Cop (2009) – directed by Damian Chapa – posthumous release
All Hell Broke Loose (2009) – directed by Christopher Forbes – posthumous release
Detention (2010) – directed by James D.R. Hickox
True Legend (2010) – directed by Yuen Woo-ping – posthumous release
Dinocroc vs. Supergator (2010) – directed by Jim Wynorski (as Jay Andrews) – TV movie – posthumous release
Six Days in Paradise (2010) – directed by John Vidor – posthumous release
Money to Burn (2010) – directed by Roger Mende – posthumous release
Stretch (2011) – directed by Charles de Meaux – posthumous release
Eldorado (2012) – directed by Richard Driscoll – posthumous release
Night of the Templar (2012) – directed by Paul Sampson – posthumous release
The Bankers, Madoff with America (2013) – directed by Edmund Druilhet – posthumous release
The American Connection (2021) – directed by Jeff Espanol – posthumous release
Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (2025)* – directed by Quentin Tarantino – posthumous release

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