Robert Carradine has passed away at the age of 71. He took his own life. The actor is best known for his role in Long Riders, Otaku’s Revengeand Lizzie McGuire.
A beloved member of a famous acting family, Robert was the foundation of the family, said his surviving brother, Keith Carradine. However, he battled bipolar disorder for 20 years and was eventually overcome by it.
“It is with deep sadness that we must share the passing of our beloved father, grandfather, uncle, and brother Robert Carradine. In a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon of light to those around him. We are devastated by the loss of this beautiful soul, and we are saddened by his nearly 20-year battle with bipolar disorder. We would like to pay tribute to Bobby’s courageous fight against mental illness. We hope his journey shines a light and helps address the issue.”Given the stigma attached to mental illness, we ask for your understanding and respect for our privacy as we grieve this incredible loss. ”
Keith Carradine said his family wanted to know about his brother’s brave battle with bipolar disorder.
“We want people to know that, there’s no shame in it,” he said. “This disease brought out the best in him. I want to celebrate his fight and honor his beautiful soul. He was deeply gifted and we will miss him every day. We take comfort in seeing how funny he was, how wise he was, and how completely accepting and forgiving he was. That was my little brother.”
Robert Carradine leaves behind children, grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews, and all those who were honored to have him in their lives. His family requests privacy at this time.
Carradine was born on March 24, 1954, the youngest son of actor John Carradine and the brother of actors David Carradine, Keith Carradine, and Disney Imagineer Christopher Carradine. He made his screen debut in 1972, co-starring John Wayne. cowboysHer younger brother David convinced her to audition for the role, saying, “You have everything to gain and nothing to lose.” He carved out his own path as an actor, starring in Hal Ashby’s Oscar-winning film. go homewith Jane Fonda and Jon Voight. It was a performance that gave rise to speculation that he might be the best actor in the family. He followed that performance with a piece by Martin Scorsese. mean street In 1973.
In 1980, Robert submitted two semi-autobiographical films by Samuel Fuller to the Cannes Film Festival. big red oneMark Hamill and Lee Marvin, and Walter Hill. Long Rideralong with his brothers, David and Keith. Walter Hill cast real-life brothers to play the real-life outlaw brothers. James Keach and Stacey Keach play the brothers Robert, Keith, David, Frank James and Jesse James; Randy Quaid and Dennis Quaid play the Miller brothers; Christopher Guest and Nicholas Guest play the Ford brothers.
During filming, Robert’s younger brother David fell in love with and purchased the film horse, Z-Tan, who later came to live on Robert’s property in the Hollywood Hills. If you drove down Mulholland Drive in the 1980s, you may have seen Robert’s daughter, actress Ever Carradine, riding him between her home and Runyon Canyon.
Perhaps his biggest film success was the 1984 film. Otaku’s RevengeIn , he starred alongside Anthony Edwards as head nerd Louis Skolnick. The role etched him into the consciousness of a generation and became one of the most beloved series of the decade. In the years that followed, he won a new generation of fans as a movie dad. lizzie mcguire series.
Despite having no formal training or learning how to read music, Carradine continued to have a deep love for playing the guitar, especially towards his brothers Keith and David. They appeared together many times at the Sheridan Opera House in Telluride, Colorado, where Robert and Keith had their home. He also accompanied his friend and childhood hero Peter Yarrow and folk legend Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. In the late 1980s, he and Mare Winningham formed a band called The Waybacks, a nod to Mare’s childhood memories of riding in the back of his family’s station wagon, not in the front or back. It was a story they often told on stage together.
His other great love was driving race cars. His passion began racing go-karts at the age of 11 and blossomed into a lifelong love of all things motorized. In the late 80s and 90s he raced at Grand Prix level, driving for Team Lotus alongside Paul Newman. Carradine always said that race car driving was his true love because winning races meant there was no one better than him.
When he wasn’t driving cars, playing music, or appearing in movies, Robert was raising his children. In 1974, Carradine had a daughter, actress Ever Carradine, with Susan Snyder. He met Edith Mani in 1990 and raised Ever as a single father until they had two more children, Marika and Ian.
Carradine was loved by all who knew him. His niece, actress Martha Plimpton, says he was everyone’s favorite uncle. It was a role he cherished and never missed an opportunity to be with his nieces, their spouses and children. He also loved being a grandfather to Ever’s children, Chaplin and Sam, and Marika’s son Jack. He was a regular at Little League and horse shows, and always jumped at the chance to babysit his grandchildren. Robert is remembered by his family as a heartfelt person who was a friend to everyone he met in every corner of his life, never held a grudge, was kind, funny, and loved nothing more than taking his loved ones to and from the airport.