David Carradine is the eldest son of legendary character actor John Carradine and now presides over an acting family that includes brothers Keith Carradine, Robert Carradine and Michael Bowen as well as his daughter Kansas Carradine and nieces Ever Carradine and Martha Plimpton.

He was born in Hollywood and educated at San Francisco State College, where he studied music theory and composition. It was while writing music for the Drama Department's annual revues that he discovered his own passion for the stage, joining a Shakespearean repertory company and learning his craft on his feet.

After a two-year stint in the army, he found work in New York as a commercial artist and later found fame on Broadway in "The Deputy" and "The Royal Hunt of the Sun" opposite Christopher Plummer. With that experience he returned to Hollywood, landing the short-lived TV series Shane before being tapped to star opposite Barbara Hershey in Martin Scorsese's first Hollywood film, Boxcar Bertha. The iconic Kung Fu followed, catapulting Carradine to superstardom for the next three years, until he left the series to pursue his film career.

That career now includes more than 100 feature films, a couple of dozen television movies, a whole range of theater on and off Broadway, and another hit series, Kung Fu: The Legend Continues. Carradine received the Best Actor Award from the National Board of Film Review as well as a Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of Woody Guthrie in Hal Ashby's Bound for Glory, and won critical acclaim for his work as Cole Younger in The Long Riders. "Kung Fu" also received seven Emmy nominations in its first season, including one for Carradine as Best Actor. In addition he won the People's Prize at the Cannes Film Festival's "Director's Fortnight" for his work on Americana, and a second Golden Globe nomination for his supporting role in North and South.

Among his other most notable film credits are Gray Lady Down, Mean Streets, Bird on a Wire, The Long Goodbye, The Serpent's Egg and Circle of Iron.

He recently returned to the screen in what could be his greatest performance to date, playing the title role in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (Miramax), for which he received his fourth Golden Globe nomination.

Carradine has also continued his devotion to music, and has recorded some 60 tracks from various musical genres and sung in several movies. He makes his home in Los Angeles with his wife Annie, her four children and their two dogs.
Son of John Carradine; half-brother of Keith Carradine, Robert Carradine and Michael Bowen, brother of Bruce Carradine. Lived with Barbara Hershey. (She added Seagull to her name during this time.) They have a son whom they named Free Carradine at birth, but who has since changed his name to Tom Carradine. [1972-1975] Convicted of drunk driving in October 1989. Served 48 hours in jail and did community service. Has a lifelong fascination with Eastern philosphies and culture which resulted in him writing the book "Spirit Of The Shaolin" about the philosophy of Kung Fu. Uncle of actresses Martha Plimpton and Ever Carradine. Daughter: Calista Miranda Carradine (b. 1962). Daughter: Kansas Carradine (b. 1978). Began studying the Martial Arts after getting cast in Kung Fu. Studied drama at San Francisco State University. September 2004: Was suppose to attended the Armaggeddon Pulp Culture Expo Convention in Wellington, New Zealand as a special "Kill Bill" guest but had to pull out at the last minute due to filming commitments. To date, he is the only actor who has appeared in films directed by Martin Scorsese, Ingmar Bergman and Quentin Tarantino. Because of his look, his stint on the TV series "Kung Fu" and his fascination with eastern philosophies, people often assume that he is at least part Asian. He is not. A great deal of his characters posses lethal martial arts skills. This is a nod to his most famous character, the deadly yet benevolent Kwai Chang Caine.