David Carradine
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Posted by Gus Leous in Arts section |
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Though he has found success on stage, screen, and television, American actor David Carradine has developed a cult following for his work in two realms: for B-movie martial arts actioners and in television for the portrayal of Kwai Chang Caine, the peripatetic Chinese-American Shaolin priest and martial arts master in the innovative NBC series Kung Fu (1972-1975).
He is the eldest son of veteran character actor John Carradine and was born and raised in Hollywood. With his limp, stringy hair, thick facial features, sad eyes, and rangy build, Carradine is ideal for character roles and he has proved himself equally adept at playing heroes and villains. His tendency for unpredictability and eccentricity are also traits he shares with his father. Before entering show business, Carradine graduated from San Francisco State University and then spent a few years as a transient laborer working around the country and performing as a folk singer/songwriter. At this time, Carradine experimented with psychedelic drugs.
He made his film debut with a bit part in the Western Taggart. In 1965, he appeared on Broadway in The Royal Hunt of the Sun and then was cast in the title role of the short-lived TV Western Shane. After that he continued with his film career. During this time, Carradine was frequently cast as heartless villains in a number of Westerns. Adept at the martial arts, Carradine was chosen over Bruce Lee to play Caine in Kung Fu. In film, Carradine and then-wife Barbara Hershey appeared in Martin Scorsese’s professional debut, Boxcar Bertha (1972).
In 1975, Carradine began a long association with producer Roger Corman, appearing as a racecar driver in such films as Paul Bartel’s Death Race 2000 and Cannonball (1976). In 1976, Carradine also appeared in his most distinguished movie role in Hal Ashby’s biography of folksinger Woody Guthrie Bound for Glory. Carradine’s own talent for singing and guitar playing, coupled with his earlier taste of the hobo’s life, made him well suited for playing Guthrie. But while the film won high praise from critics, it did poorly at the box office and Carradine did not win too many more roles in major films. He did however offer a memorable turn as a Jewish trapeze artist in Ingmar Bergman’s The Serpent’s Egg (1977); Liv Ullman was his co-star. Since then, Carradine has mostly appeared in low-budget action films; he has also continued appearing on television and in theatrical productions such as Black Elk Speaks and Don Juan Speaks.
In the early ‘90s he reprised his role of Kwai Chang Caine in the cable series Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.
Carradine made his debut as a screenwriter/director/producer in the feature film Americana, a low-key drama in which he plays a taciturn Vietnam veteran who heals himself and a troubled Midwestern town by refurbishing an old carousel.
Carradine has written two books, the philosophical Spirit of Shaolin and his autobiography, Endless Highway. He has also made a pair of popular instructional videos, David Carradine’s Tai Chi Workout and David Carradine’s Kung Fu Workout.
When not working, the actor enjoys painting, sculpting, and performing music
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