Robert Reed Carradine (born March 24, 1954) is an American actor. A
member of the Carradine family, he made his first appearances on
television western series such as Bonanza and his brother David's TV
series, Kung Fu. Carradine's first film role was in the 1972 film The
Cowboys, which starred John Wayne and Roscoe Lee Browne. Carradine
also portrayed fraternity president "Lewis Skolnick" in the Revenge of
the Nerds series of comedy films.Carradine was born in Hollywood,
California, the son of actress and artist Sonia Sorel (née Henius)
and actor John Carradine. He is one of many actors in the Carradine
family. He is the brother of Christopher and Keith Carradine, paternal
half-brother of Bruce and the late David Carradine, and maternal
half-brother of Michael Bowen. His maternal great-grandfather was
biochemist Max Henius, and his maternal great-grandmother was the
sister of historian Johan Ludvig Heiberg.Carradine's parents divorced
when he was 2 years old. A bitter custody battle led to his father
gaining custody of him and his brothers, Christopher and Keith. During
the custody battle, the children spent three months in a home for
abused children as wards of the court. His brother, Keith, said of the
experience, "It was like being in jail. There were bars on the
windows, and we were only allowed to see our parents through glass
doors. It was very sad. We would stand there on either side of the
glass door crying".Carradine was raised primarily by his stepmother,
his father's third wife, Doris Grimshaw, and believed her to be his
mother until he was introduced to Sonia Sorel at a Christmas party
when he was 14 years old. While still in high school, Robert lived
with his half-brother, David, in Laurel Canyon, California. Under
David's care he indulged in two of his major interests: race car
driving and music. He and David belonged to a musical quartet that
performed in small clubs in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
member of the Carradine family, he made his first appearances on
television western series such as Bonanza and his brother David's TV
series, Kung Fu. Carradine's first film role was in the 1972 film The
Cowboys, which starred John Wayne and Roscoe Lee Browne. Carradine
also portrayed fraternity president "Lewis Skolnick" in the Revenge of
the Nerds series of comedy films.Carradine was born in Hollywood,
California, the son of actress and artist Sonia Sorel (née Henius)
and actor John Carradine. He is one of many actors in the Carradine
family. He is the brother of Christopher and Keith Carradine, paternal
half-brother of Bruce and the late David Carradine, and maternal
half-brother of Michael Bowen. His maternal great-grandfather was
biochemist Max Henius, and his maternal great-grandmother was the
sister of historian Johan Ludvig Heiberg.Carradine's parents divorced
when he was 2 years old. A bitter custody battle led to his father
gaining custody of him and his brothers, Christopher and Keith. During
the custody battle, the children spent three months in a home for
abused children as wards of the court. His brother, Keith, said of the
experience, "It was like being in jail. There were bars on the
windows, and we were only allowed to see our parents through glass
doors. It was very sad. We would stand there on either side of the
glass door crying".Carradine was raised primarily by his stepmother,
his father's third wife, Doris Grimshaw, and believed her to be his
mother until he was introduced to Sonia Sorel at a Christmas party
when he was 14 years old. While still in high school, Robert lived
with his half-brother, David, in Laurel Canyon, California. Under
David's care he indulged in two of his major interests: race car
driving and music. He and David belonged to a musical quartet that
performed in small clubs in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
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