Actor Robert Carradine Dies at 71

Actor Robert Carradine who is famous for his roles as Lewis Skolnick in “Revenge of the Nerds” and Sam McGuire in “Lizzie McGuire” has taken his own life after battling Bipolar Disorder for 20 years.

The family released the following statement: “It is with profound sadness that we must share that our beloved father, grandfather, uncle, and brother Robert Carradine has passed away. 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 with Bipolar Disorder. We hope his journey can shine a light and encourage addressing the stigma that attaches to mental illness.”

Carradine Journey

Carradine was born in Los Angeles on March 24, 1954. He was the youngest son of actor John Carradine and actress/artist Sonia Sorel. He has three brothers, actors David and Keith and Christopher, who is the former vice president for Disney Imagineering.

Before auditioning for “The Cowboys,” Carradine was not interested in acting and wanted to be a race car driver. His brother David told him, “You have everything to gain, and nothing to lose.” Carradine went to the audition and once he got the part, “that was that,” he said in an interview.

In 1976, he played road-racing Jim Cantrell in “Cannonball,” then was in “Coming Home” with Jane Fonda and John Voight.

He played alongside his brothers in the 1980 movie, “The Long Riders.” That movie cast three other sets of real-life siblings: Randy and Dennis Quaid played the Miller brothers, Stacy and James Keach played Frank and Jesse James, and Christopher and Nicholas Guest played the Ford brothers.

Before taking the role of Lewis Skolnick, Carradine told his agent, “I did not want to be in a movie with nerd in the title.” His agent talked him into it. Before his audition, he cut his long hair, found a “nerdy shirt” and sported the glasses worn by “Apollo 13” engineers. When he arrived, the casting associate did not recognize him. “She said, ‘Oh my God, Robert?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ She said, “Come on in.’ So that’s how I got the part.”

During a 2013 interview with Dope Dose, he said the role of Sam McGuire in “Lizzie McGuire” was a “godsend.” “I didn’t really think that they were going to to go for somebody of my style and type as Lizzie’s father. Then I found out after the fact that they’d written this guy to be kind of loose and devil-may-care, which I am.”

Warm Good-Byes

Hillary Duff posted on Instagram: “This one hurts. It’s really hard to face this reality about an old friend. There was so much warmth in the McGuire family and I always felt so cared for by my on-screen parents. I’ll be forever grateful for that. I’m deeply sad to learn Bobby was suffering. My heart aches for him, his family, and everyone who loved him.”

“Lizzie McGuire” co-star, Jake Thomas referred to Carradine as “one of the coolest guys you could ever meet. Funny, pragmatic, sometimes cranky, always a little eccentric.”

“Party Nerds Pop-Cast” co-host Richard Gabai said, “I lost my best friend today. He was the kindest, sweetest, and most loving person one could every hope to meet. I feel blessed to have had him in my life and will miss him dearly.”

His brother Keith told Deadline: “We want people to know it, and there’s no shame in it. It is an illness that got the best of him and I want to celebrate him for his struggle with it and celebrate his beautiful soul. He was profoundly gifted and we will miss him every day. We will take solace in how funny he could be, how wise and utterly accepting and tolerating he was. That’s who my baby brother was.”

Sources:
Deadline: Actor Robert Carradine Dies at Age 71
CNN: Robert Carradine, actor in ‘Revenge of the Nerds’ and ‘Lizzie McGuire’ dies at 71
Rolling Stone: Robert Carradine, “Revenge of the Nerds” and “Lizzie McGuire” Star Dead at 71

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