Photo: Credit to lukeford.net (permission statement at en:User:Tabercil/Luke Ford permission) / CC BY-SA 2.5 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
David Carradine fascinates me as the ultimate survivor of the actor's trade. Born into a Hollywood dynasty, he could have coasted on the family name; instead he ground out more than two hundred roles, taking the big ones and the forgettable ones with equal appetite. Kung Fu made him an icon of 1970s television, and three decades later Tarantino handed him Bill in Kill Bill, and suddenly he was essential again. That kind of second act is almost unheard of. His refusal to be precious about his career — to simply keep working — is, I believe, exactly what kept the instrument sharp until the end.
Overview
David Carradine ( KARR-ə-deen; born John Arthur Carradine Jr.; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor and director, whose career included over 200 major and minor roles in film, television and on stage. He was widely known to television audiences as the star of the series Kung Fu (1972–1975), playing Kwai Chang Caine, a peace-loving Shaolin monk traveling through the American Old West.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- David Carradine
- Name (Japanese)
- デビッド・キャラダイン
- Reading
- でびっど・きゃらだいん
- Born
- December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Rat
- Origin
- Hollywood, California, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 181 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film actor / film director / film producer / voice actor / character actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Oakland High School
- University
- San Francisco State University
Awards & achievements
- 1966 Theatre World Award
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- 2005 Saturn Awards
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Film actor — see all → · Film director — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.