Keith Carradine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Keith Carradine
Carradine in Pretty Baby (1978)
Born	Keith Ian Carradine (1949-08-08) August 8, 1949 (age 75) San Mateo, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1969–present
Spouse(s)	Sandra Will ​ ​ (m. 1982; div. 1999)​ Hayley DuMond ​ (m. 2006)​
Children	4, including Martha Plimpton and Sorel Carradine
Parent(s)	John Carradine
Relatives	Robert Carradine (brother) David Carradine (half-brother) Michael Bowen (half-brother) Max Henius (great-grandfather) Johan Ludvig Heiberg (great-granduncle)
Family	Carradine

Keith Ian Carradine (born August 8, 1949) is an American actor. He is famous for his roles in movies and TV shows. Some of his well-known film roles include Tom Frank in Nashville and E. J. Bellocq in Pretty Baby.

On television, he played Wild Bill Hickok in Deadwood and FBI agent Frank Lundy in Dexter. He also appeared as Lou Solverson in Fargo and Penny's father Wyatt in The Big Bang Theory. Later, he became known as U.S. President Conrad Dalton in Madam Secretary. Keith Carradine comes from a family of actors, including his father, John Carradine.

Early life and family

Keith Carradine was born in San Mateo, California. His mother was Sonia Sorel, an actress and artist. His father was the famous actor John Carradine. Keith has two full brothers, Christopher and Robert Carradine, who are also actors. He also has half-brothers named Bruce and David Carradine, and Michael Bowen.

Keith's childhood was challenging. His parents divorced when he was eight years old. He and his brothers, Christopher and Robert, spent some time in a children's home. Keith described this as a sad experience, like being in jail. He was mostly raised by his maternal grandmother in San Mateo. He did not see his mother for many years after the divorce.

Keith went to the Ojai Valley School. There, he enjoyed acting in school plays. After high school, he thought about becoming a forest ranger. He even enrolled in Colorado State University. But he soon realized he preferred acting. He dropped out after one semester. He then moved in with his older half-brother, David. David encouraged him to become an actor. He helped Keith with acting and vocal lessons.

Acting career

Stage performances

Keith Carradine started his acting career on stage. As a young person, he sometimes performed with his father in Shakespeare plays. In 1969, he joined the original Broadway show Hair. He began in the chorus and later played lead roles. He said he didn't even plan to audition for Hair. He just went with his brother David and friends.

He was nominated for a Tony Award in 1991. This was for his role in the musical The Will Rogers Follies. He also won the Outer Critics Circle Award for his work in Foxfire. In 2013, he starred in the Broadway show Hands on a Hardbody. He received another Tony Award nomination for this role.

Film roles

Carradine and Shelley Duvall in Nashville (1975)

Keith Carradine's first important movie role was in McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971). He also appeared with Kirk Douglas and Johnny Cash in A Gunfight that same year. In 1973, he played a young hobo in Emperor of the North Pole. This movie also starred Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine.

One of his most famous roles was Tom Frank in Nashville (1975). He even wrote and performed a song for the movie. After Nashville, he felt people saw him as a "cad." In 1977, he starred with Harvey Keitel in The Duellists. He then appeared in Pretty Baby in 1978.

Carradine has worked in several unique films by director Alan Rudolph. He played a surprising character in Choose Me (1984). He was a small-time criminal in Trouble in Mind (1985). He also played an American artist in 1930s Paris in The Moderns (1988).

Carradine in 2006

In 1980, he acted with his brothers David and Robert in The Long Riders. They played the Younger brothers, a famous outlaw gang. Keith played Jim Younger. He also had a small role as Will Rogers in Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994). In 2011, he was in the Western science fiction film Cowboys & Aliens. This movie starred Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. In 2016, Keith played Edward Dickinson, the father of poet Emily Dickinson, in A Quiet Passion.

Music and songwriting

Keith Carradine is also a talented musician. His brother David said Keith could play any instrument. In 1975, he wrote and sang the song "I'm Easy" for the movie Nashville. The song became a big hit. Keith won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best Original Song for it.

This success led to a short singing career. He released two albums: I'm Easy (1976) and Lost & Found (1978). In 1984, he appeared in the music video for Madonna's song "Material Girl". In the early 1990s, he played the main role in the musical The Will Rogers Follies.

Television roles

In 1972, Keith Carradine appeared in the TV series Kung Fu. His brother David starred in the show. Keith played a younger version of David's character, Kwai Chang Caine. In 1987, he starred in the miniseries Murder Ordained. His performance in the miniseries Chiefs earned him an Emmy Award nomination.

He played Wild Bill Hickok in the HBO series Deadwood. From 2003 to 2004, he hosted the documentary series Wild West Tech on the History Channel. He later passed the hosting job to his brother David. He also played FBI Special Agent Frank Lundy in the series Dexter.

Keith Carradine appeared as Penny's father Wyatt in The Big Bang Theory. He also had roles in Star Trek: Enterprise and Crash. In 2014, he had a recurring role as Lou Solverson in the FX series Fargo. He then played President Conrad Dalton in Madam Secretary. He became a regular cast member in the show's second season.

Video games

In 2012, Keith Carradine provided his voice for the video game Hitman: Absolution. He voiced the main bad guy, Blake Dexter.

Personal life

Keith Carradine has four children. His daughter, Martha Plimpton, is also an actress. He met Martha when she was four years old. He has said that Martha's mother did a great job raising her.

In 1982, Keith married Sandra Will. They had two children together: Cade Richmond Carradine and Sorel Johannah Carradine. Sorel is also an actress. Keith and Sandra later divorced in 1999.

On November 18, 2006, Keith Carradine married actress Hayley DuMond. They met in 1997 while working on the film The Hunter's Moon.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

See also

• Carradine family
• List of 1970s one-hit wonders in the United States