John Carradine

John Carradine (with Joan Crawford) in Johnny Guitar

John Carradine (1906 - 1988)

a.k.a. John Peter Richmond

Film Deaths

• The Sign of the Cross (1932) [Christian Martyr/Gladiator Leader/Voice in Coliseum Mob]: Playing a triple role, "Gladiator Leader" is presumably killed (off-screen) in combat with the other gladiators in the arena. (Due to the gladiators wearing helmets, I'm unsure which gladiator was John, or if he was even shown on-screen at all; we only hear his distinctive voice announcing "We who are about to die, salute you" before the battle begins.) "Christian Martyr" is executed (off-screen) in the arena; his death is not shown, but it's established that all the prisoners are executed.

• To the Last Man (Law of Vengeance) (1933) [Pete Garon]: Shot to death by Barton MacLane as John was rustling cattle. (Thanks to Stephen)

• The Black Cat (The House of Doom; The Vanishing Body) (1934) [Cult Organist]: Killed in an explosion (along with the rest of the cultists) when Bela Lugosi blows up the cult's headquarters. We only see Bela activating the bomb, followed by an exterior shot of the house exploding.

• Mary of Scotland (1936) [David Rizzio]: Stabbed in the stomach by soldiers after being chased through the castle.

• Thank You, Mr. Moto (1937) [Pereira]: Shot to death in his antique store in a drive by shooting by Sidney Blackmer's thugs as John was being interrogated Peter Lorre.

• Mr. Moto's Last Warning (1939) [Danforth / Richard Burke]: Suffocated in a diving bell when Ricardo Cortez has him lowered into the Suez Canal without a supply of breathing air after Ricardo had figured out that Danforth was really Richard Burke, a British Intelligence Agent.

• Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) [Caldwell]: Killed (off-screen) in the battle between the colonists and the Mohawks & Tories. His fate is revealed (by implication) when we see Chief John Big Tree wearing John's eyepatch.

• Five Came Back (1939) [Crimp]: Shot in the chest with a poison dart (off-screen) by the natives in the jungle; his body is shown afterwards when Allen Jenkins and Lucille Ball discover him.

• Stagecoach (1939) [Hatfield]: Shot by Apaches as he is about to shoot Louise Platt (in order to spare her from being captured). We only see his hand dropping his gun as we hear the shot. He dies shortly afterwards while talking to Louise and Thomas Mitchell.

• The Grapes of Wrath (1940) [Preacher Casy]: Hit on the head with a club by a deputy while John and Henry Fonda are walking outside the camp at night.

• The Return of Frank James (1940) [Bob Ford]: Shot in the stomach (off-screen) in a shoot-out with Jackie Cooper outside the courthouse (we only hear the shots from inside the courthouse). John later dies of his wound (off-screen) after hiding out in a nearby barn and trying to shoot at Henry Fonda; his body is shown lying on the floor afterwards when Henry walks in after the shooting stops. (This bears absolutely no resemblance to the actual events in the lives of Bob Ford and Frank & Jesse James.)

• Manhunt (1941) [Mr. Jones]: Electrocuted on the rail of the tracks during a struggle with Walter Pidgeon.

• Captive Wild Woman (1943) [Dr. Sigmund Walters]: Mauled to death by Acquanetta (in her ape form).

• Hitler's Madman (Hitler's Hangman) (1943) [Reichs Protector Reinhardt Heydrich]: Shot by several resistance members (including Ralph Morgan and Alan Curtis) as his car drives along a road in the wood; he dies in his bedroom some time afterwards while talking to Howard Freeman.

• Bluebeard (1944) [Gaston Morrell]: Commits suicide by jumping into the river while fleeing from police.

• House of Frankenstein (1944) [Count Dracula, a.k.a. Baron Latos]: Destroyed by the light of the rising sun as he tries to get back into his coffin; we see a close-up of his hand as he turns into a skeleton. (John returned as Dracula in the 1945 sequel House of Dracula, with no explanation for his resurrection.)

• The Mummy's Ghost (1944) [Yousef Bey]: Thrown from a mill tower by Lon Chaney Jr.

• Return of the Ape Man (1944) [Professor John Gilmore]: His body dies on the operating table when Bela Lugosi surgically removes John's brain and transplants it into Frank Moran's body. John's brain (in Frank's body) is burned to death when he sets fire to Bela's laboratory. (Thanks to Dignan)

• The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944) [Dr. Drury]: Dies after Jon Hall drains his blood (to become visible), his death is mentioned afterwards

• House of Dracula (The Wolf Man's Cure) (1945) [Count Dracula, a.k.a. Baron Latos]: Turned into a skeleton when Onslow Stevens drags John's coffin outside and opens it as the sun rises.
• The Private Affairs of Bel Ami (1947) [Charles Forestier]: Dies of a terminal illness.

• Johnny Guitar (1954) [Old Tom]: Shot in the chest by Mercedes McCambridge in Joan Crawford's saloon, after John shoots Frank Ferguson; he dies in Joan's arms shortly afterwards.

• The Unearthly (1957) [Dr. Charles Conway]: Stabbed in the stomach by Harry Fleer.

• Invisible Invaders (1959) [Dr. Karol Noymann/ Aliens]: Killed in an explosion in his laboratory; his body is later re-animated by aliens to communicate with human. Also, as the voice of the invisible Aliens, several are destroyed when John Agar uses sonic shock waves on them.

• Tarzan the Magnificent (1960) [Abel Banton]: Accidentally shot by Jock Mahoney when Jock shoots at Gordon Scott.

• Billy the Kid Versus Dracula (1966) [Count Dracula]: Stabbed in the chest with an iron spike (which, in this movie, works just as well as a wooden stake) by Chuck Courtney; his body turns into a skeleton after his death.

• They Ran for Their Lives (1968) [Laslow]: Falls off of a cliff when John Payne's dog lunges at him.

• The Astro-Zombies (The Space Vampires; Space Zombies) (1969) [Dr. DeMarco]: Shot once in the chest and another in the back by Tura Satana in his laboratory while he's deactivating an Astro-Zombie and revives another. (Thanks to Stephen)

• Blood of Dracula's Castle (1969) [George the Butler]: Falls to his death from the dungeon stairwell when he swings a weapon at Gene Otis Shayne and misses. His body is shown again later on when Ray Young discovers him. (Thanks to Stephen)

• Five Bloody Graves (1970) [Boone Hawkins]: Shot in the stomach with an arrow by a Yaqui warrior as John attempts to shield Paula Raymond.

• Blood Legacy (Legacy of Blood) (1971) [Christopher Dean]: Crushed to death when his servants push a wine rack on top of him. (Thanks to PortsGuy)

• Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* *But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) [Dr. Bernardo]: Either burned or crushed to death (off-screen) when his laboratory catches fire and his "silicone experiment" goes out of control, resulting in the creation of a giant monster breast. We don't see John emerge from the laboratory, so it seems safe to assume he was killed.

• Silent Night, Bloody Night (Death House; Night of the Dark Full Moon) (1973) [Charlie Towman]: Accidently hit by a car driven by James Patterson, as john was already dying of shock/blood loss after his hands were cut off (off-screen) by Grant Code. (Thanks to PortsGuy)

• House of Seven Corpses (1974) [Caretaker]: Killed by the spirits, while in a yard, his body is also seen when John Ireland finds him.

• Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary (1976) [The Man]: Shot several times in the back by David Young when John attacks Cristina Ferrare with a knife.

• Shock Waves (Almost Human; Death Corps) (1977) [Captain Ben]: Accidentally drowned (off-screen) while attempting to repair the boat; his body is shown afterwards when some of his passengers pass over him in a glass-bottomed rowboat.
• The Bees (1978) [Dr. Sigmund Hummel]: Shot twice in the back by thieves (I forget the actors), he later dies speaking to John Saxon and Angel Thompkins.

• The Howling (1981) [Erle Kenton]: Burned to death (along with several of the other werewolves (minus Elisabeth Brooks and Christopher Stone) ) when Dennis Dugan burns down their cabin. (Thanks to Michael)

• The Nesting (Massacre Mansion; Phobia) (1982) [Colonel Lebrun]: Dies following a stroke; he manages to confess his part in the decades-earlier murders to his grandson (Michael David Lally) before his death.

• Monster in the Closet (1986) [Old Joe Shempter]: Mauled/bitten to death (off-camera) by the monster (Kevin Peter Hall) after John goes into his closet; we only hear the struggle as we see clothes flying out of the closet door. (Played for comic effect.)

• Evil Spawn (Alien Within; Alive by Night; Deadly Sting; Metamorphosis) (1987) [Dr. Zeitman]: Dies of old age/natural causes. (Thanks to PortsGuy)

• Bikini Drive-In (Video, 1995) [Grandfather]: Dies (off-screen) of old age/natural causes. (Although this movie was made seven years after John's death in real life, a photograph of John was used to represent Ashlie Rhey's deceased grandfather who leaves her the drive-in.)

TV Deaths

• Gunsmoke: Reed Survives (1955) [Ephraim Hunt]: Shot to death (offscreen) by James Drury, we only hear the shots from outside the barn; he dies shortly afterwards while talking to James Arness and Dennis Weaver. (Thanks to Harry).

• Wagon Train: The Dora Gray Story (1958) [Doc Lockridge]: Killed off-screen by X Brands when John fails to deliver guns to X and his warriors. His body is shown when Robert Horton and Mike Connors finds him.
• Thriller: The Remarkable Mrs. Hawk (1961) [Jason Longfellow]: Slaughtered (off-screen), along with Paul Newlan, Hal Baylor, and Bruce Dern, after Jo Van Fleet transforms them into pigs. The episode ends as they are being loaded onto a truck on the way to the slaughterhouse.

• Night Gallery: Big Surprise (1971) [Mr. Hawkins]: Playing a hermit who presents three young boys (Vincent Van Patten, Marc Vahanian and Eric Chase) with instructions about where to dig to find "a big surprise" as if suggesting buried treasure. The boys find the spot and dig throughout the day with two of them giving up and leaving the obstinate Vincent to finish by himself. When he finally unearths a coffin shaped box Carradine emerges from it and says, "Surprise." The story leaves it to viewer imagination as to what transpired but it is likely that Hawkins was dead before the story began and the children were dealing with a ghost.

Noteworthy Connections

• Ex-husband of Doris Rich.

• Ex-husband of Sonia Sorel.

• Father of David Carradine, Keith Carradine, and Robert Carradine.

• Grandfather of Martha Plimpton, Ever Carradine, Calista Carradine and Kansas Carradine.

Gallery

John Carradine in Wagon Train: The Dora Gray Story.

John Carradine getting shot by Tura Satana in The Astro Zombies.

The fatal explosion in The Black Cat.