Robert Carradine, the “Lizzie McGuire” actor who died in February 2026 at the age of 71, came from a family of famous actors.
The Carradines are one of the most well-known family dynasties in Hollywood history.
Robert’s late father, John Carradine, his late half-brother, David Carradine, and his brother, Keith Carradine, are all famous actors.
The same goes for Robert’s daughter, Ever Carradine, and his niece, Martha Plimpton.
Keith, 76, confirmed that Robert died by suicide after battling bipolar disorder.
“In a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon on light to everyone around him. We are bereft at the loss of this beautiful soul and want to acknowledge Bobby’s valiant struggle against his nearly two-decade battle with Bipolar Disorder,” Robert’s family told Deadline in a statement.
During an October 2025 interview with Media Mikes, Robert revealed that his father didn’t push him to become an actor.
“I do remember that he did say if we had an interest in pursuing acting that we needed to get a literary education,” the “Revenge of the Nerds” actor said at the time.
Keep reading to learn more about the members of the Carradine family.
Beverly Carradine
Beverly Carradine, Robert’s great-grandfather, was the patriarch of the Carradine family dynasty.
He was a Methodist minister and a leading evangelist for the holiness movement. He also wrote multiple books that were mostly about sanctification.
Beverly was married two times, first to Laura Green Reid and then to Modesta A.M. Burke.
He had nine children including William Reed Carradine, who was John’s father and Robert, David and Keith’s grandfather.
Beverly died on April 22, 1931. He was 83.
John Carradine
John Carradine was a prolific character actor who appeared in over 200 films.
He mostly worked with John Ford, appearing in classics like “The Grapes of Wrath” (1940), “Stagecoach” (1939) and “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (1962).
John also famously played Count Dracula in multiple movies including “House of Frankenstein” (1944), “House of Dracula” (1945) and “Billy the Kid Versus Dracula” (1966).
In addition, he starred alongside Lucille Ball and Chester Morris in 1939’s “Five Came Back.”
On television, John appeared in episodes of “Gunsmoke,” “The Twilight Zone,” “The Beverly Hillbillies,” “The Munsters,” “Lost in Space” and “Land of the Giants.”
He was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
John had five sons from his four marriages.
Four of his children — David, Keith, Robert and Bruce — followed in his footsteps and became actors.
John worked with David in a few films such as “The Good Guys and the Bad Guys” (1969) and “Boxcar Bertha” (1972). John also appeared in episodes of David’s Western TV show “Kung Fu.”
In 1984, John starred in an episode of “The Fall Guy” and David, Keith and Robert all made cameo appearances. Two years later, John and Robert appeared together in an episode of the first “Twilight Zone” revival.
John died at the age of 82 on Nov. 27, 1988. He suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, which led to heart and kidney failure.
David Carradine
Born on Dec. 8, 1936, David was the eldest child of John and his wife, Ardanelle Abigail.
He was most famous for starring in “Kung Fu” from 1972 to 1975. The show followed Shaolin monk Kwai Chang Caine traveling through the American Old West.
Some of David’s well-known movies included “Boxcar Bertha,” “Death Race 200,” “Cannonball” and “Q-The Winged Serpent” and “Bound for Glory.”
After his career slowed, David enjoyed a resurgence for playing the title character in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill” movies, released in 2003 and 2004.
He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1997.
David was married five times and dated actress Barbara Hershey for seven years.
He had three children: daughter Calista with his first wife, Donna, son Tom with Hershey, and daughter Kansas with his second wife, Linda Gilbert.
David died at age 72 in May 2009 in Thailand, where he was shooting the film “Stretch.”
It was initially suspected that David died by suicide, but the medical examiner confirmed that he died by asphyxiation.
Keith Carradine
Keith was born on Aug. 8, 1949, to John and his second wife, Sonia Sorel.
He’s best known for the films “Nashville,” “Pretty Baby” and “Choose Me.”
In 1976, Keith won the Academy Award for best original song for writing and performing “I’m Easy” from “Nashville.”
On television, Keith appeared in “Deadwood,” “Dexter,” “Fargo,” “The Big Bang Theory” and “Madam Secretary.”
Keith has four children including actress Martha Plimpton, whom he shares with actress Shelly Plimpton.
He’s been married to his second wife, actress Hayley DuMond, since 2006. They met on the set of the 1997 Burt Reynolds movie “The Hunter’s Moon.”
Robert Carradine
Robert was born on March 24, 1954, to John and Sorel.
Carradine made his film debut in the 1972 John Wayne Western “The Cowboys” and also had a role in Martin Scorsese’s crime classic “Mean Streets” in 1973.
He also appeared in the 1978 war film “Coming Home,” which was nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards.
He famously played Lewis Skolnick in the 1984 comedy “Revenge of the Nerds” and its three sequels.
In 2001, Robert began playing Sam McGuire, dad to Hilary Duff’s titular character, on the TV series and movie “Lizzie McGuire.”
Robert welcomed daughter Ever with Susan Snyder in 1974. He later married Edith Mani and had two more children, Marika and Ian, before the couple divorced after 25 years together.
Robert’s death was confirmed by his brother Keith.
“In a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon of light to everyone around him. We are bereft at the loss of this beautiful soul and want to acknowledge Bobby’s valiant struggle against his nearly two-decade battle with Bipolar Disorder,” Keith said in a statement.
“We hope his journey can shine a light and encourage addressing the stigma that attaches to mental illness. At this time we ask for the privacy to grieve this unfathomable loss. With gratitude for your understanding and compassion.”
Duff also paid tribute Robert in an emotional Instagram post, which read, “This one hurts. It’s hard to face this reality about an old friend. I’m deeply sad to learn Bobby was suffering. My heart aches for him, his family and everyone who loved him.”
Martha Plimpton
Martha (born in November 1970) is one of Keith’s four children.
For her prolific acting career, Martha has won an Emmy Award for her role in “The Good Wife” and been nominated for three Tony Awards for her performances in “The Coast of Utopia,” “Top Girls” and “Pal Joey.”
Her notable films include “The Mosquito Coast,” “Shy People,” “Beautiful Girls” and “Frozen 2.”
Martha most recently starred in the HBO series “Task” alongside Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey.
Ever Carradine
Ever, the oldest of Robert’s three children, has been acting since the late 1990s.
She’s appeared in the TV shows “Once and Again,” “Commander in Chief,” “Runaways,” “Shameless” and “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and has had guest roles in “Grey’s Anatomy,” “House,” “24,” “Supernatural,” “Good Girls” and “The Conners.”
Ever shared an emotional tribute on Instagram mourning her dad’s death.
“My dad died today. My sweet, funny dad, who’s only 20 years older than I am, who never missed an opportunity to drive me to the airport or tell me how much he loved my homemade salad dressing, is gone,” she wrote.
Ever said Robert “loved [her]” and always had her back because their 20-year age difference made them “basically [grow] up together.”
“My dad was a lover, not a fighter. He was all heart, and in a world so full of conflict and division, I think we can all take a page out of his book today, open our hearts and feel and share the love,” she added.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
