DAVID CARRADINE

'David Carradine' (born 'John Arthur Carradine' on December 8, 1936 in Hollywood, California) is an American actor.

Contents

Career

Background and family

Selected filmography

Controversy

Awards

Trivia

References

External links

Career

Carradine is best 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), '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'' (2003,2004).
Other notable roles include the lead in ''Shane'' (the 1966 television series based upon the 1949 novel of the same name) and a gunslinger in ''Taggart'', a 1964 western film based on a novel by Louis L'Amour. More recently, he portrayed Tempus on the television series ''Charmed'' and Conrad in the television series ''Alias''. He currently appears as the host of ''Wild West Tech'' on the History Channel, taking over the duties from his brother Keith.
Carradine is also known for producing and starring in several exercise videos teaching the martial arts of Tai chi and Qi Gong exercises. Carradine actually had no knowledge of martial arts prior to starring in the series ''Kung Fu'', but developed an interest in it after this experience and has since become an avid practitioner.
David Carradine also narrated the PBS anthropology series "Faces of Culture".

Background and family

Carradine is the son of noted American actor John Carradine. Born of Irish, English, Scottish, Welsh, German, Spanish, Ukrainian, Cherokee and Italian descent, he is the brother of Bruce Carradine and half-brother of Keith and Robert Carradine. He is also the uncle of Ever Carradine.
He studied drama at San Francisco State University before working as an actor on stage as well as in television and cinema.

Selected filmography

'Year'	'Title'	'Role'	'Other notes'
2007	''FUEGO''	Lobo	-
2007	''	Mikhail
2007	''Epic Movie''	The Curator
2007	''Richard III''	Buckingham
2004	''Kill Bill'': Vol. II	Bill
2004	''Danny Phantom''	Clockwork (starting in 2005).	Television
2003	''Kill Bill'': Vol. I	Bill
2003	''American Reel''	James Springer
2002	''King of the Hill	Junichiro Hill	Television
2001	''Alias''	Conrad	Television
2001	''Lizzie McGuire''	Himself	Television
1999	''Charmed''	Tempus	Television
1993-1997	''	Kwai Chang Caine	Television
1992	''Roadside Prophets''	Othello
1991	''Karate Cop''	"Dad"
1991	''	Jozek Mardulak/Count Dracula
1990	''Bird on a Wire''	Sorenson
1986	''	Kwai Chang Caine	Television
1986	''Behind Enemy Lines''	Col.James Cooper
1985	''North and South''	Justin LaMotte	Television
1984	''The Warrior and the Sorceress''	Kain
1983	''Lone Wolf McQuade''	Rawley Wilkes
1983	''Americana''	The American Soldier
1982	''Q (film)''	Detective Shepard
1980	''The Long Riders''	Cole Younger
1979	''Mr. Horn''	Tom Horn	Television
1978	''Gray Lady Down''	Capt. Gates
1978	''Circle of Iron''	The Blind Man/Monkeyman/Death/Changsha
1977	''The Serpent's Egg''	Abel Rosenberg
1976	''Bound for Glory''	Woody Guthrie
1976	''Cannonball''	Coy 'Cannonball' Buckman
1975	''Death Race 2000''	Frankenstein
1973	''Mean Streets ''	Drunk
1972-1975	''Kung Fu''	Kwai Chang Caine	Television
1972	''Boxcar Bertha''	'Big' Bill Shelly
1967	''The Violent Ones''	Lucas Barnes
1967	''Johnny Belinda''	Locky	Television
1966	''Shane''	Shane	Television
1964	''Taggart''	Cal Dodge

Controversy

Some scholars have referred to Carradine's role in ''Kung Fu'' as an example of a modern Yellowface actor. ^[1]
However, it is worth note that Carradine's character is half white (his father was American). It may have been very difficult to believe that a full blooded Chinese man would be able to walk from town to town in the American West in the 1800s. The original show was to take place in China (this is when Bruce Lee was considered). Then producers decided they wanted the show to take place in America, so the idea was sought to have the main character be half white. This way the racist townsfolk and/or bad guys wouldn't quite know if he were Chinese or not.

Awards

''Winner:''

★ 2005: ''Action On Film International Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award'' [1]

★ 2004: Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor - ''Kill Bill''.

★ 1976: National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, ''Best Actor,'' - ''Bound for Glory''.
''Nominated:''

★ 2005: Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture, ''Kill Bill''.

★ 1986: , ''North and South''.

★ 1977: Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama, ''Bound for Glory''.

★ 1974: , ''Kung Fu''.

Trivia

★ Carradine appears in an episode of Disney's ''Lizzie McGuire''. In this episode, an upcoming Jet Li film is auditioning boys the age of Lizzie's brother Matt for the role of the sidekick. Carradine plays an old friend of Lizzie's father, Sam McGuire, who teaches Matt a few Kung fu moves for his audition tape. When asked how he knows Carradine's character, Mr. McGuire replies cryptically, "He's like a brother to me." This is an in-joke as the actor who portrays Sam, Robert Carradine, is David Carradine's actual (half-) brother. Additionally, a large portion of the episode is spent in parody of ''Kung Fu'', one of Carradine's most famous projects.

★ He has also provided his voice for the ''King of the Hill'' episode, ''Returning Japanese'' where he voiced the character of Hank's Japanese half-brother, Junichiro, who lives in Japan.

★ He provided the voice for Lo Pei, the ancient warrior who was responsible for Shendu's petrification in the animated series: ''Jackie Chan Adventures''.

★ He has twice played a supernatural being with the power to control time: "Tempus" on ''Charmed'' and "Clockwork" on ''Danny Phantom''.

★ In 2006, he became the spokesman in the commercial for the Yellow Book

★ Provided the voice for Sharp, leader of the Westside Rollerz gang, on the video game Saint's Row.

★ He also had an unusual guest appearance in an episode of ''Medium'': he played the spirit of a murdered mentally disturbed mathematician whose constant fantasies of being a hero caused him to believe he looked like David Carradine (which reflected in the appearance of his spirit). In the end of the episode, after his murderer is caught, he seems to improve and tells Allison that next time they meet he will "look more like [himself]".

★ He appeared in a Mad tv skit in where Will Sasso (Portraying Steven Seagal) snaps his neck several times, but repeatedly fails at killing Carradine as Carradine simply returns to his feet rubbing his neck, Sasso as Seagal refers to Carradine as being "one tough hombre".

★ He loves it when fans recognize him as "Grasshopper."

References

★ Carradine, David. ''Endless Highway.'' Boston: Journey Editions, 1995.

★ Pilato, Herbie J. ''. Boston: Charles A. Tuttle, 1993. ISBN 0-8048-1826-6

External links

★ Official website

★ Official Myspace Page With Video Proof

★ Fan site

★

★

★ David Carradine at the Internet Broadway Database

★ Onion interview

★ IGN interview with David Carradine

★ ''"A Fresh Thing": David Carradine''

★ Carradine Music on itunes