Actor Robert Carradine has died at 71 after a long battle with Bipolar Disorder. His family is asking for privacy to grieve.
Hollywood has lost one of its most warmly regarded character actors. Robert Carradine, best known for his role as Lewis Skolnick in the 1984 comedy Revenge of the Nerds and as the lovable dad in the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire, passed away at the age of 71. His family confirmed he died by suicide after nearly two decades of living with Bipolar Disorder.
According to Deadline, his older brother Keith Carradine, in a statement that balanced grief with a clear desire to reduce stigma around mental illness, described Robert as the emotional anchor of the family — and called his struggle with the condition a valiant one.
“We want people to know it, and there is no shame in it,” Keith said. “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 tolerant he was. That’s who my baby brother was.”
The family also issued a formal statement acknowledging Robert’s passing and urging greater public awareness around mental health: the family described Robert as someone who was always a source of light to those around him, and expressed hope that his story might encourage others to confront the stigma surrounding mental illness, while requesting privacy during this time of grief.
Born on 24 March 1954, Robert was the youngest son of veteran actor John Carradine, and grew up alongside brothers David Carradine, Keith Carradine, and Disney Imagineer Christopher Carradine — a household where performance was simply part of life.
He made his feature film debut in 1972 at just 18, appearing alongside John Wayne in The Cowboys — a role his brother David had pushed him to audition for, telling him he had everything to gain and nothing to lose. It proved to be the start of a career that spanned more than five decades.
Early on, Robert showed he was more than capable of holding his own outside the family name. He appeared in Hal Ashby’s Oscar-winning drama Coming Home alongside Jane Fonda and Jon Voight, a performance so impressive it prompted speculation that he might be the most talented actor in the Carradine family. He followed that with an appearance in Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets in 1973 — remarkable early credits for any actor, let alone one without formal training.
The production had its personal moments too — David fell for his movie horse, Z-Tan, purchased him, and the animal eventually came to live on Robert’s Hollywood Hills property. Through the 1980s, Robert’s daughter Ever Carradine could sometimes be spotted riding Z-Tan along Mulholland Drive between their home and Runyon Canyon.
It was 1984’s Revenge of the Nerds that cemented Robert Carradine’s place in popular culture. Playing the endearingly awkward Lewis Skolnick alongside Anthony Edwards, he became the unlikely hero of a franchise that resonated deeply with anyone who had ever felt like an outsider. The film went on to become one of the decade’s most beloved comedies, and Robert’s portrayal of Lewis became the role he was most closely associated with for the rest of his life.
Years later, he found a second wave of fans through the Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire, where he played the warm, bumbling father figure that a new generation took to heart.
Away from acting, Robert Carradine was a man of genuine and varied passions. Despite never receiving any formal musical training and being unable to read music, he was an accomplished guitarist who performed regularly alongside brothers Keith and David at the Sheridan Opera House in Telluride, Colorado — a venue close to home, as both Robert and Keith owned properties in the area. He also shared stages with folk legend Peter Yarrow and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. In the late 1980s, he and actress Mare Winningham formed a band called The Waybacks, named after Winningham’s childhood memory of riding in the far back of the family station wagon — a story the pair loved to recount from the stage.
Racing was his other great love. What began with go-karting at the age of 11 grew into a serious motorsport career in the late 1980s and 1990s, during which he competed at Grand Prix level as a driver on Team Lotus alongside Paul Newman. Robert often said racing was his truest passion because, unlike anything else in life, winning meant being objectively the best in the room that day.
In 1974, Robert welcomed his daughter, actress Ever Carradine, with Susan Snyder, raising her as a single father for many years. In 1990, he met Edith Mani, with whom he had two more children — Marika and Ian.
Those who knew him best remember him most vividly not for his roles or his racing, but for his warmth as a person. His niece, actress Martha Plimpton, has said he was everyone’s favourite uncle — a title he took seriously, never missing a chance to be present in the lives of the children and grandchildren around him. He was a regular at little league games and horse shows, and apparently never needed much convincing to babysit. He is remembered as someone incapable of holding a grudge, effortlessly funny, and consistently the most welcoming person in any room.
Robert Carradine is survived by his children Ever, Marika, and Ian; his grandchildren Chaplin, Sam, and Jack; his brother Keith; and all those whose lives were made warmer by knowing him.
The Sun Malaysia
