John Carradine (born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 â€"
November 27, 1988) was an American actor, one of the most prolific and
famed character actors in Hollywood history. He was a member of Cecil
B. DeMille's stock company and later John Ford's company, best known
for his roles in horror films, Westerns, and Shakespearean theatre. In
the latter decades of his career, he starred mostly in low-budget
B-movies, but continued to also appear in higher-profile fare. In
total, he holds 351 film and television credits, making him one of the
most prolific English-speaking actors of all time.Carradine was
married four times, had five children, and was the patriarch of the
Carradine family, including four of his sons and four of his
grandchildren who are or were also actors.Carradine was born in New
York City, the son of William Reed Carradine, a correspondent for the
Associated Press, and his wife, Dr. Genevieve Winnifred Richmond, a
surgeon. William Carradine was the son of evangelical author, Beverly
Carradine. The family lived in Peekskill and Kingston, New York.
William Carradine died from tuberculosis when his son John was two
years old. Carradine's mother then married "a Philadelphia paper
manufacturer named Peck, who thought the way to bring up someone
else's boy was to beat him every day just on general principle."
Carradine attended the Christ Church School in Kingston and the
Episcopal Academy in Merion Station, Pennsylvania, where he developed
his diction and his memory skills from portions of the Episcopal Book
of Common Prayer as a punishment.Carradine's son David claimed his
father ran away when he was 14 years old. He later returned, as he
studied sculpture at Philadelphia's Graphic Arts Institute. Carradine
lived with his maternal uncle, Peter Richmond, in New York City for a
while, working in the film archives of the public library. David said
that while still a teenager, his father went to Richmond, Virginia, to
serve as an apprentice to Daniel Chester French, the sculptor who
created the statue of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial in
Washington, DC. He traveled for a time, supporting himself painting
portraits. "If the sitter was satisfied, the price was $2.50," he once
said. "It cost him nothing if he thought it was a turkey. I made as
high as $10 to $15 a day." During this time, he was arrested for
vagrancy. While in jail, Carradine was beaten, suffering a broken nose
that did not set correctly. This contributed to "the look that would
become world famous."
November 27, 1988) was an American actor, one of the most prolific and
famed character actors in Hollywood history. He was a member of Cecil
B. DeMille's stock company and later John Ford's company, best known
for his roles in horror films, Westerns, and Shakespearean theatre. In
the latter decades of his career, he starred mostly in low-budget
B-movies, but continued to also appear in higher-profile fare. In
total, he holds 351 film and television credits, making him one of the
most prolific English-speaking actors of all time.Carradine was
married four times, had five children, and was the patriarch of the
Carradine family, including four of his sons and four of his
grandchildren who are or were also actors.Carradine was born in New
York City, the son of William Reed Carradine, a correspondent for the
Associated Press, and his wife, Dr. Genevieve Winnifred Richmond, a
surgeon. William Carradine was the son of evangelical author, Beverly
Carradine. The family lived in Peekskill and Kingston, New York.
William Carradine died from tuberculosis when his son John was two
years old. Carradine's mother then married "a Philadelphia paper
manufacturer named Peck, who thought the way to bring up someone
else's boy was to beat him every day just on general principle."
Carradine attended the Christ Church School in Kingston and the
Episcopal Academy in Merion Station, Pennsylvania, where he developed
his diction and his memory skills from portions of the Episcopal Book
of Common Prayer as a punishment.Carradine's son David claimed his
father ran away when he was 14 years old. He later returned, as he
studied sculpture at Philadelphia's Graphic Arts Institute. Carradine
lived with his maternal uncle, Peter Richmond, in New York City for a
while, working in the film archives of the public library. David said
that while still a teenager, his father went to Richmond, Virginia, to
serve as an apprentice to Daniel Chester French, the sculptor who
created the statue of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial in
Washington, DC. He traveled for a time, supporting himself painting
portraits. "If the sitter was satisfied, the price was $2.50," he once
said. "It cost him nothing if he thought it was a turkey. I made as
high as $10 to $15 a day." During this time, he was arrested for
vagrancy. While in jail, Carradine was beaten, suffering a broken nose
that did not set correctly. This contributed to "the look that would
become world famous."
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