David Carradine

David Carradine (born John Arthur Carradine; December 8, 1936 – June 3, 2009) was an American actor and martial artist. He was known for his leading role as a peace-loving Shaolin monk, Kwai Chang Caine, in the 1970s television series Kung Fu. He was also known for playing Frankenstein in the original Death Race movie and Bill in both Kill Bill films. He was a member of an acting family that began with his father, John Carradine. His father's acting career, which included major and minor roles on stage and television, and in cinema, spanned over four decades. A prolific "B" movie actor, David Carradine appeared in more than 100 feature films in a career spanning over sixty years. He was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, for projects such as the television series Kung Fu (1972–1975), the Woody Guthrie biopic Bound for Glory (1976) and the miniseries North and South (1985). His final nomination came in the category of Best Supporting Actor for portraying the titular character in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004). Films that featured Carradine continued to be released after his death. These posthumous credits were from a variety of genres including action, documentaries, drama, horror, martial arts, science fiction, and westerns. In addition to his acting career, Carradine was a director and musician. Moreover, influenced by his most popular acting role, he studied martial arts. He was sometimes arrested and prosecuted for a variety of offenses, which often involved substance abuse. He died on June 3, 2009, in a hotel room in Bangkok, Thailand from auto-erotic asphyxiation.