John Arthur Carradine Jr. (later known as David Carradine) is born in Hollywood, California, the eldest child of actor John Carradine and Ardanelle Abigail (née McCool) Carradine.
At about age five, Carradine nearly dies by suicide by hanging; he later said the incident followed learning he and an elder half-brother had different biological fathers.
Carradine’s parents divorce when he is seven; his father leaves California amid alimony and custody disputes.
Carradine appears in a live telecast adaptation of A Christmas Carol with his father playing Ebenezer Scrooge.
He spends time in boarding schools, foster homes, and reform school, and often accompanies his father to summer theater in the Northeast; he also works on a Vermont farm during a winter.
While living in San Francisco, Carradine is arrested for assaulting a police officer and pleads guilty to a lesser charge of disturbing the peace.
He graduates from Oakland High School and attends Oakland Junior College before transferring to San Francisco State College to study drama and music theory.
Despite an attempt to dodge the draft, Carradine is inducted into the United States Army.
He marries his high school sweetheart Donna Lee Becht while stationed at Fort Eustis, where he helps establish a theater company known as the “entertainment unit.”
During Army service, he meets fellow inductee Larry Cohen and faces court-martial proceedings for shoplifting.
His daughter Calista is born.
Carradine is honorably discharged after two years of active duty.
He makes his television debut on Armstrong Circle Theatre in the episode “Secret Document X256.”
Carradine signs a contract with Universal and makes his feature film debut in the Western Taggart (1964).
He joins Broadway’s The Deputy by Rolf Hochhuth, replacing Jeremy Brett.
Carradine’s first major break comes when he plays Atahuallpa opposite Christopher Plummer in Broadway’s The Royal Hunt of the Sun, which runs for 261 performances.
He wins the Theatre World Award for Best Debut Performance for The Royal Hunt of the Sun.
Carradine leaves The Royal Hunt of the Sun to star in the TV Western series Shane (17 episodes).
He is cast in Johnny Belinda (1967), which he later said helped “rescue” his career; he is also arrested for possession of marijuana.
Episodes of The Trials of O'Brien featuring Carradine are compiled and released theatrically as Too Many Thieves (1967).
Carradine’s marriage to Donna Lee Becht dissolves; he later returns to California to continue his screen career.
He meets actress Barbara Hershey while filming Heaven with a Gun, beginning a long-term relationship.
Carradine appears in multiple Western films, including Heaven with a Gun (1969), Young Billy Young (1969), The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969), The McMasters (1970), and Macho Callahan (1970).
He performs songs on the season 4 Ironside episode “The Quincunx,” reflecting his parallel music interests.
Carradine co-stars in Martin Scorsese’s Boxcar Bertha, a Roger Corman production, alongside Barbara Hershey.
He makes his feature directorial debut with You and Me, shot in 1972 (released later), featuring Barbara Hershey and his brothers Keith Carradine and Robert Carradine.
Carradine stars as Kwai Chang Caine in the ABC series Kung Fu, earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations and helping popularize martial arts and Eastern philosophy in the West.
Carradine as Caine
He is nominated for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role (Drama Series – Continuing) for Kung Fu.
After Bruce Lee’s death, an unreleased script (later adapted as Circle of Iron) eventually becomes a project in which Carradine plays roles originally intended for Lee.
A peyote-related incident leads to Carradine’s arrest for attempted burglary and malicious mischief; he later pleads no contest to the mischief charge and receives probation, and a civil suit results in a $20,000 award to a plaintiff.
He wins Spain’s TP de Oro for Best Foreign Actor for Kung Fu and also receives Golden Globe and TP de Oro nominations tied to the show.
With guest star Sondra Locke, 1974
Kung Fu ends; Carradine leaves to pursue film work and filmmaking (amid other contributing factors described in the article).
He stars as Frankenstein in the cult film Death Race 2000, a role he said he took to break from his Kung Fu image.
His album Grasshopper is released (as noted in the article).
The film You and Me is released after being shot in 1972 (per the article).
Carradine earns critical acclaim portraying Woody Guthrie in Bound for Glory, winning the National Board of Review Award for Best Actor and receiving Golden Globe and critics’ nominations.
Carradine marries his second wife, Linda (née Linda Anne Gilbert), in a civil ceremony in Munich, Germany.
He stars in Deathsport, described as an unofficial sequel to Death Race 2000.
Carradine plays four roles in Circle of Iron (1978), adapted from a script associated with Bruce Lee, James Coburn, and Stirling Silliphant.
While filming Safari 3000 in South Africa, Carradine is arrested for possession of marijuana, convicted, and given a suspended sentence.
He directs, produces, edits, and stars in Americana, a project that took about ten years to complete due to financing difficulties; it wins a People’s Choice Award at Cannes’ Director’s Fortnight (noted as disputed in the article).
Carradine is arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol (one of multiple DUI arrests noted in the article).
He gains attention for a major supporting role as Justin LaMotte in the TV miniseries North and South, earning a Golden Globe nomination.
Carradine reprises his role as Caine in Kung Fu: The Movie (TV film), which he also produces; it features the acting debut of Brandon Lee.
He is married to Gail Jensen (his third marriage), later ending in divorce.
Carradine and his daughter with wife Gail in 1987
He is arrested again for DUI and pleads no contest; the article notes he received a comparatively harsh sentence for a second-time offender.
Carradine publishes The Spirit of Shaolin.
He stars in Kung Fu: The Legend Continues as the grandson and namesake of the original Kwai Chang Caine; he also serves as a producer and directs one episode.
While in Toronto filming Kung Fu: The Legend Continues, Carradine is arrested for kicking in a door at the SkyDome during a Rolling Stones concert; he later says he was trying to avoid being swarmed by fans.
He receives a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (Television).
Carradine is married to Marina Anderson (his fourth marriage), later ending in divorce.
He experiences a career resurgence playing Bill in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume 1.
He appears in Kill Bill: Volume 2, earning major award attention including Golden Globe and Saturn Award recognition (as listed in the article’s awards section).
Carradine marries his fifth wife, Annie Bierman, in Malibu at the home of Michael Madsen.
Carradine appears at an event in Malmö, Sweden (as pictured in the article).
Carradine signing autographs in Malmö, Sweden in May 2005
He visits the Shaolin Monastery in Henan, China, for Kung Fu DVD special features; the abbot Shi Yǒngxìn acknowledges his role in promoting Shaolin culture.
Carradine publishes The Kill Bill Diary: The Making of a Tarantino Classic as Seen Through the Eyes of a Screen Legend.
He is found dead at age 72 in his room at the Swissôtel Nai Lert Park Hotel in Bangkok; Thai police initially describe hanging and later suggest accidental suffocation, and the case draws international attention.
Medical examiner Michael Baden, hired by the family, states Carradine died from asphyxiation and that the way his body was bound allowed him to rule out suicide.
The documentary The Legend of Stuart Mossman: A Modern Stradivari (which Carradine co-produced and is identified as his last film appearance) premieres at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
His final released film is noted as the independent cult film Night of the Templar (2013), directed by Paul Sampson.
The Hollywood Museum mounts an exhibition titled “The Barefoot Legend: David Carradine – a Contemporary Renaissance Man.”
Carradine is inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum Hall of Fame.