Everett CollectionDavid Carradine was both a star of television and of the big screen. He was the lead in the wildly popular 1970s series "Kung Fu," and he appeared in over 100 movies, becoming the only actor to star in movies by Martin Scorsese, Ingmar Bergman, and Quentin Tarantino. On June 4th, he was found dead at age 72 in his hotel room in Bangkok. Take a look back at Carradine's career highlights.
Everett CollectionBoxcar Bertha (1972)
Carradine's first lead role happened to also be one of Martin Scorsese's first features, a Roger Corman-produced exploitation flick shot on a shoestring budget of $600,000. Carradine starred opposite his then live-in girlfriend Barbara Hershey.
Everett CollectionKung Fu (1972-1975)
David Carradine might have seemed like an odd choice to play a wandering Shaolin monk -- he wasn't Asian and -- prior to this series -- wasn't known for his martial arts prowess. In fact, the network initially wanted to get Bruce Lee to play the part of Caine, but the show's producers liked the inner serenity that Carradine brought to the role. The show proved to be huge hit, launching Carradines career.
Everett CollectionDeath Race 2000 (1975)
Carradine eventually grew tired of playing Caine and, after three years, quit. Hoping to change his image, he signed on to another Roger Corman-produced exploitation flick. For "Death Race 2000," he played Frankenstein, an unwilling champion of a government-sponsored road race to the death. He did much of his own driving for the part. He also provided the voice of Frank in 2008's remake, "Death Race."
Everett CollectionBound for Glory (1976)
In Hal Ashby's beautifully shot bio-pic "Bound for Glory," Carradine plays a wanderer of a different sort -- folk hero and folk singer Woody Gutherie. The film was nominated for a half-dozen Oscars, winning two. Carradine was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance, one of four nominations he earned in his career.
Everett CollectionThe Serpents Egg (1977)
David Carradine starred as a touring Jewish circus performer in 1920s Germany in this film, the only Hollywood studio movie made by cinema great Ingmar Bergman.
Everett CollectionCircle of Iron (A.K.A. "The Silent Flute) (1979)
Bruce Lee and James Coburn wrote the initial script for this film during the late 1960s. But after Lee's death in 1973, the script was rewritten and Carradine was cast in the roles originally envisioned for the "Fists of Fury" star.
Photo by United Artists, Everett CollectionThe Long Riders (1980)
Not only did David Carradine star along side his brothers Keith and Robert in this Western about the exploits of the James-Younger gang, but this movie featured three other sets of brothers James and Stacy Keach, Dennis and Randy Quaid, and Christopher and Nicholas Guest.
Photo by Orion Pictures, Everett CollectionLone Wolf McQuade (1983)
Carradine played an evil local gangster/karate enthusiast in this high-octane Chuck Norris action flick. Reportedly, Norris chided Carradine for kicking too hard during the final fight sequence.
Getty ImagesKung Fu: The Legend Continues (1993-1997)
After a decade making less than stellar flicks, Carradine returns to the role that made him famous. In "Kung Fu: The Legend Continues," Carradine plays the grandson of the character from the original series, who along with his police detective son Peter, fought crime and righted society's wrongs.
Photo by Miramax Films, Everett CollectionKill Bill Vol. 2 (2004)
In Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction," Samuel L. Jackson's character Jules states that he wanted to "walk the earth...Like Caine from 'Kung Fu.'" Tarantino originally considered Warren Beatty to play the title role of Bill. But when Tarantino told Beatty he wanted him to be like David Carradine in the movie, Beatty suggested that he just cast him instead.
Photo by Justin Lubin/Lakeshore EntertainmentCrank High Voltage (2009)
For one of his last movies, Carradine plays a wizened Chinese Mafioso who literally steals the heart of main character Chev Chelios. Carradine still has seven movies he's made that have not yet been released.
Photo by Frazer Harrison, Getty ImagesIn addition to acting, David Carradine was a musician, a painter, and an author. His experience on "Kung Fu" inspired a lifelong interest in martial arts, and he produced instructional videos and books on Tai Chi. David Carradine is survived by his wife, children, and stepchildren.
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