John Carradine

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Birthday:

5 February 1906, New York City, New York, USA

Birth Name:

Richmond Reed Carradine

Height:

183 cm

John Carradine, the son of a reporter/artist and a surgeon, grew up in Poughkeepsie, New York. He attended Christ Church School and Graphic Art School, studying sculpture, and afterward roamed the South selling sketches. He made his acting debut in "Camille" in a New Orleans theatre in 1925. Arriving in Los Angeles in 1927, he worked in local theatre. He applied for a job as as scenic designer to Cecil B. DeMille, who rejected his designs but gave him voice work in several films. His on-screen debut was in Tol'able David (1930), billed as Peter Richmond. A protégé and close friend of John Barrymore, Carradine was an extremely prolific film character actor while simultaneously maintaining a stage career in classic leading roles such as Hamlet and Malvolio. In his later years he was typed as a horror star, putting in appearances in many low- and ultra-low-budget horror films. He was a member of the group of actors often used by director John Ford that became known as "The John Ford Stock Company". John Carradine died at age 82 of natural causes on November 27, 1988. Show less «

I've made some of the greatest films ever made - and a lot of crap, too.

[his last words before passing away in Milan, Italy] Milan. What a beautiful place to die.

As for making movies, who can act at eight o'clock in the morning? Let's face it!

Directors never direct me. They just turn me loose.

[on Darryl F. Zanuck] Nobody liked working for Zanuck, the little goddamn Napoleon, always walking around with his polo mallet. Nobody had a...Show more »

[on Darryl F. Zanuck] Nobody liked working for Zanuck, the little goddamn Napoleon, always walking around with his polo mallet. Nobody had any respect for him except as an executive. And he was a good editor at one time, but he fancied himself a writer, and he was not a good writer. Show less «

[on Cecil B. DeMille] I was very fond of him. I never saw him direct an actor; his specialty was the camera. He simply hired the best actors...Show more »

[on Cecil B. DeMille] I was very fond of him. I never saw him direct an actor; his specialty was the camera. He simply hired the best actors he could get and let them do their job. He didn't interfere with them unless something was drastically wrong. DeMille's specialty was the camera, the pageantry. Show less «

[on John Ford] Oh, Ford was a peculiar man. You had to know how to handle him. Actors were terrified of him because he liked to terrify them...Show more »

[on John Ford] Oh, Ford was a peculiar man. You had to know how to handle him. Actors were terrified of him because he liked to terrify them. He was a sadist. Show less «

I am a ham! And the ham in an actor is what makes him interesting.

Lionel Barrymore then had hands like mine are now--arthritic talons.

Never do anything you wouldn't want to be caught dead doing.

[In 1972] I still have an awful load to carry. I've been carrying a heavy load for thirty years. My youngest son is only 16; my next boy is ...Show more »

[In 1972] I still have an awful load to carry. I've been carrying a heavy load for thirty years. My youngest son is only 16; my next boy is 22. I've got a ways to go before I can call my life my own. Show less «

[In 1973] I know, of course, that no self estimate is sure, but I think I'm better at acting than I am at dairy farming.

[on Bela Lugosi] Oh, he was a charming man. He always had a bucket of red wine on the set which he pulled out gracefully all day long. He ne...Show more »

[on Bela Lugosi] Oh, he was a charming man. He always had a bucket of red wine on the set which he pulled out gracefully all day long. He never forgot his line... he never lost his affability. He was a very affable man. Show less «

[on Cedric Hardwicke] He had a wonderful quality that I noticed even before I ever met him. A wonderful quality of stillness in his face. No...Show more »

[on Cedric Hardwicke] He had a wonderful quality that I noticed even before I ever met him. A wonderful quality of stillness in his face. Not a muscle ever moved, yet he conveyed wonderful things. Show less «

Read all the Shakespeare you can. If you play Shakespeare, you can play anything.

I never made big money in Hollywood. I was paid in hundreds, the stars got thousands. But I worked with some of the greatest directors in fi...Show more »

I never made big money in Hollywood. I was paid in hundreds, the stars got thousands. But I worked with some of the greatest directors in films, and some of the greatest writers. They gave me freedom to do what I can do best and that was gratifying. Show less «