David Carradine
1936-2009
I was shocked to hear this morning that actor David Carradine has passed away at the age of 72. Found in his Bangkok hotel room on June 3rd, (He was there to shoot his latest film) Carradine was found with a rope tied around his neck, reports are saying it was a suicide… Wow, that’s pretty devastating.
Known most famously for his Golden Globe nominated performance of Kwai Chang Caine on the 70s TV show Kung Fu along with his performance as Woody Guthrie in the 1976 film Bound for Glory and as racer Frankenstein in the original Death Race 2000, Carradine had become known in more recent years for his Golden Globe nominated performance as Bill in the excellent Kill Bill films. The eldest son of the late great actor John Carradine (Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath, and over 200 B-Movies) and older brother of actors Keith Carradine and Robert Carradine (All three brothers starred together in Walter Hill’s 1980 western The Long Riders) David Carradine had built a strong cult following over the years with a whole slew of projects.
I was always disappointed that his great performance in Kill Bill didn’t nab him an Oscar nomination. He was probably my favorite part of Tarantino’s epic and it really showed that he was truly a gifted actor. It’s a shame that it all had to end this way but I suppose we’ll always have the movies and through those, he’ll always live on.