John Carradine's Kids: Robert, David & Keith Forged an Acting Dynasty
John Carradine was an American actor who created an acting dynasty with his four sons. Two of them - Robert and David Carradine - died tragically, and three of them became prominent actors.
John, who died at age 82 of natural causes in 1988, was "best known for his roles in horror films and Westerns as well as Shakespearean theater," according to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. "He was one of the most prolific character actors in Hollywood history and the patriarch of an acting dynasty that includes four of his sons and four of his grandchildren."
In addition to Robert, David, and Keith, John also had sons Bruce Carradine and Christopher Carradine.
Robert & David Carradine Were Half-Brothers
According to The New York Times, Robert Carradine, who died of suicide on February 23, was "the youngest son of the prolific character actor John Carradine and the actress Sonia Sorel." Nashville star Keith Carradine was also the son of John and Sorel.
Robert and Kill Bill and Kung Fu actor David Carradine were half-brothers. David was the son of John's first wife Ardenelle McCool,according to Hello!
(Photo by Ralph Dominguez/MediaPunch via Getty Images)
David Carradine died in bizarre circumstances in a Thailand hotel closet. Robert Carradine's family has revealed that he died of suicide after a lengthy struggle with bipolar disorder.
Bruce Carradine Had Some Acting Credits to His Name. Christopher Carradine Designed Theme Parks for Disney
According to his IMDb profile, Bruce Carradine also had a couple of screen credits to his name, most notably playing Captain Roy Starbuck in Kung Fu. He is also described as a photographer.
He died at age 83 in 2016. According to Hello!, Bruce "was John's first wife Ardanelle Abigail McCool's son," and he adoptedhim.
Brother Christopher Carradine took a different route. He "became an architect before specializing in developing theme parks at Disney," according to The New York Times. Christopher Carradine has worked as Chief Disney Imagineer.
Christopher now owns his own company. "One man shop after corporate life -- same skills but lazier, In 2009, retired from 28 years at Walt Disney Imagineering," his LinkedIn page explains.
John Carradine's Father Died of Tuberculosis When He Was a Kid
(Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images)
John started the family's acting tradition. He lost his father, a journalist, at a young age.
John Carradine was born Richmond Reed Carradine "in the Greenwich Village section of New York City, the son of Genevieve Winifred, a surgeon, and William Reed Carradine, a correspondent for the Associated Press," the Walk of Fame bio says. "William Carradine was the son of evangelical author Beverly Carradine. The family lived in Peekskill and Kingston, New York. William died from tuberculosis when John was two years old."
David Carradine said, according to the Walk of Fame: “My dad told me that he saw a production of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice when he was 11 years old and decided right then what he wanted to do with his life."