About David Carradine
David Carradine, real name John Arthur Carradine Jr., was an American actor best known for portraying martial arts characters. His estimated net worth was $700,000. He died on June 3, 2009. First, you undoubtedly remember David Carradine from the 1970s television series Kung Fu, where he portrayed Kwai Chang Caine. Second, the peculiar circumstances of his death are certainly intriguing to you. Third, isn’t his on-stage presence as closely related to martial arts as they come? In other words, you must be interested in Carradine if you are interested in the arts enough to locate the About Martial Arts website.
Continue reading to find out more about this legendary actor’s life.
Early Life of David Carradine
John Arthur Carradine was born to Ardanelle “Abigail” McCool and actor John Carradine in Hollywood, California. His mother’s second marriage produced three children, and his father’s first marriage produced four. He was known as “Jack” when he was a child. The early years of Carradine were challenging. This was reinforced when he eventually came to the realization and revealed in an autobiography that his mother’s secret “coat hanger” abortions had overridden his father’s desire for a large brood. Carradine claimed that after learning that he and Bruce (the son of his mother and first husband) had different fathers, he attempted suicide by hanging.
Carradine was the half-brother of Keith, Christopher, and Robert Carradine in addition to Bruce. Sadly, his mother only requested a divorce after their marriage had barely been together for three years. However, there was a five-year gap between her filing and the divorce being finalized due to legal battles and his father’s choice to leave California when such talk first began.
Jack (again, what the child version of David Carradine was named) finally moved to New York City to live with his father following the divorce. By that time, his father had already remarried. For the following few years, he then alternated between boarding schools, foster homes, and reform institutions. Along with that, he spent some time in Massachusetts, a winter milking cows on a farm in Vermont, and usually hung out with his father when he appeared in summer productions.
Jack was also the great-grandson of Methodist evangelical author Beverly Carradine and the uncle of Ever Carradine, Martha Plimpton, and other well-known figures.
Years in High School, College, and the Military
After a while, the childhood relocations abated long enough for Carradine to earn his high school diploma from Oakland High School in California. After one year at Oakland Junior College, he transferred to San Francisco State College to pursue a degree in acting and music theory. His time there was, however, brief because he elected to leave and hang out for a while on San Francisco’s North Beach in Venice, where he collected unemployment benefits and sold baby photographs. Carradine was also charged with breaking the peace during this period of his life, although it hardly deterred the army from drafting him in 1960.
When serving in the military, Carradine married his high school girlfriend, Donna Lee Becht, and while stationed in Fort Eustis, Virginia, he assisted in founding a theater group (the “entertainment unit”).
He and his wife welcomed their daughter Calista in 1962. Carradine served in the military for two years before being honorably discharged.
Jack Carradine transitions into David Carradine as acting picks up.
Carradine had performed on stage at college, and as was already mentioned, he continued to do so while serving in the military. But things on that front really heated up after he left the Army. He appeared on an episode of Armstrong Circle Theatre in 1963 to make his television debut. Additionally, he ended up appearing on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre. His breakthrough came in Peter Shaffer’s Broadway play The Royal Hunt of the Sun, though he made his feature film debut in 1964’s Taggart. He received many of his subsequent parts thanks to this one, for which he received a Theatre World Award in 1965 for Best Debut Performance.
After getting divorced, Carradine went on to star in films and television shows like Boxcar Bertha, Maybe I’ll Come Home in the Spring, and Shane (he collaborated with his father John in this). He would frequently labor with his father, not just in this situation.
It should also be mentioned that Carradine chose to assume the name David Carradine after leaving the Army to prevent confusion with his father (upon advisement).
Kung Fu Star David Carradine as Kwai Chang Caine
Carradine gained prominence as a result of his participation in the ABC blockbuster television series Kung Fu (1972-75). He portrayed Kwai Chang Caine, a half-Causasian, half-Chinese Shaolin monk on the program who had incredible martial arts skills and knowledge. Both the setting in the old west and the nickname for Carradine’s character are remarkable (“Grasshopper”).
For his work on the show, Carradine received nominations for an Emmy and a Golden Globe. Later, he would also appear in Kung Fu the movie (1986) and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, a remake of the original Kung Fu series (1993-97). The show’s replication, however, was never as popular as the original. The fact that Carradine’s alcoholism became so severe while filming the new Kung Fu series and forced him into treatment may have had something to do with it.
Career in Film and Miniseries
There are too many movies starring Carradine to list them all. The Serpent’s Egg, Bound for Glory (for which he received a National Board of Review Award for Best Actor), Circle of Iron, The Long Riders, and Kill Bill were some of his most noteworthy parts, though (1 and 2). In addition to this, he co-starred with Patrick Swayze in the miniseries North and South.
Martial Arts expertise
Contrary to popular belief, Carradine had neither training nor expertise in kung fu at the time of the first Kung Fu. In order to look the part, he used his dancing, boxing, swordfighting, and street fighting abilities. Later, Carradine did start studying kung fu and improved to the point that he could appear in numerous instructional videos for Tai Chi and Qi Gong. He initially received instruction from Kam Yuen, then from Rob Moses (Yuen’s student).
Arrests and Unusual Activity
Throughout his life, Carradine was taken into custody numerous times. Some of the occurrences we are aware of are listed below:
Carradine was detained for striking a police officer in the 1950s (he later pleaded down to disturbing the peace).
He repeatedly faced court-martial for shoplifting during his time in the army.
He was detained for marijuana possession in 1967.
In 1974, Carradine was detained for an attempted burglary and criminal mischief—possibly a sign of things to come. He began strolling about his neighborhood naked under the effect of peyote, entered a neighbor’s house, and then approached two young girls. He allegedly assaulted one of the women while questioning whether she was a witch and cut himself on their piano after breaking in through the window. The young lady was eventually given a $20,000 judgment in a case.
When Carradine was in South Africa in 1980, he was also detained for marijuana possession. He asserted that he was falsely accused of having danced with Tina Turner there during racially charged times.
He was moreover repeatedly detained for driving while intoxicated during the 1980s.
Individual Life
Carradine married Donna Lee Becht not long after being enlisted in the army, as was previously mentioned. They split up in 1968.
When Carradine was working on the set of Heaven With a Gun in 1969, she met Barbara Hershey. Shortly after that, they started dating; their relationship lasted until 1975. In 1972, the same year Hershey gave birth to their son Free, they shared a nude Playboy spread during this time. Carradine started an affair with Season Hubley throughout the relationship, with whom he would later get engaged but never wed. This contributed to the breakup.
Carradine wed Linda Anne Gilbert in 1977. Despite the fact that she and Carradine also divorced, they had a daughter together they named Kansas. Along with Annie Bierman, Carradine wed Gail Jensen from 1998 to 2001, Marina Anderson from 1998 to 1997, and (in 2004).
Death of David Carradine
David Carradine was discovered hanged up in a closet at the Swissôtel Nai Lert Park Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, on June 4, 2009. He was in Bangkok filming Stretch, his most recent movie. Although many people initially thought Carradine had killed himself, it was eventually discovered that he had actually died of “accidental asphyxiation.” Many have speculated that his death was caused specifically by autoerotic asphyxiation.
Two of Carradine’s former spouses revealed that self-bondage was a sexual interest of his after his passing, Gail Jensen and Marina Anderson.
David Carradine had a net worth of $750,000 at the time of his passing in 2009. In 1997, Carradine was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
