inmate profile: Robert Carradine

In anticipation of The Asylum's next release - the scintillating comedy Bikini Spring Break, out on DVD, Blu-Ray and VOD June 26th - it's time we turn the Committed spotlight onto the cast and crew of this production, and who better to start with than the film's celebrity star, a true living legend, Mr. Robert Carradine.

Carradine, of course, is part of one of the largest and most talented of Hollywood families: his father, John Carradine, was an actor of all trades who appeared in literally hundreds of films, including Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath, The Ten Commandments, Around the World in 80 Days, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, House of the Black Death, Billy the Kid vs. Dracula, Hillbillies in a Haunted House, The Astro Zombies, Bigfoot and like a trillion more - look up "versatility" in the dictionary, and John Carradine's picture is what you get.

Robert's brothers - David and Keith - have also made significant contributions to the industry, David most notably in the TV series "Kung Fu" and the Kill Bill films, and Keith for his role in Robert Altman's Nashville, for which he won an Oscar for Best Original Song (he's also "Lundy" on a few seasons of "Dexter").

As for Robert, he began his acting career in the early 70's on television before progressing into major motion pictures, his first being The Cowboys with John f'ing Wayne and Bruce Dern, and his second being Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets; not a bad start. 

From there Carradine dabbled a little in the world of Corman with films like Jackson County Jail and Cannonball!, co-starring his brother David. Continuing to work with family, Carradine made The Long Riders in 1980, a bitchin' western about the James' Gang from director Walter Hill (The Waaaaaaaarriors) that co-starred both his brothers (the film also starred three other sets of real life acting brothers, James & Stacy Keach, Dennis & Randy Quaid, and Christopher & Nicholas Guest.).

And then came the role that would forever firmly inaugurate Carradine into the pop culture hall of fame:

 Ah, Lewis Skolnick, a role model for sooooo many of us.

From there Carradine continued to work steadily in film and television, hitting another popularity peak in the early 2000's as Hillary Duff's dad in "Lizzie Maguire." Most recently he's been in Slumber Party Slaughter with Tom Sizemore and Ryan O'Neal, Benefit of the Doubt, an installment of Tom Selleck's "Jesse Stone" TV-movie franchise, Worker's Comp with Morgan Fairchild and, of course, Bikini Spring Break from writer/director Jared Cohn (Born Bad).

Scantilly-clad coeds are no new thing to Carradine, so here's betting his fit into Bikini Spring Break is as snug as a thong. Find out for yourself on June 26th..

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