Born February 5, 1906 as Richmond Reed Carradine to a family that traces their ancestry back to St. Pedro Carradegna, the patron saint of Barcelona, John Carradine was undoubtedly one of the busiest men in Hollywood. If you like and watch movies you've probably seen him. He was in at least one movie or television show every year from 1930 till his death of natural causes in 1988. He was even in three movies released after his death.
Trained as a painter and marine artist he entered Hollywood as a scenic designer for Cecil B. DeMille. In the early 1930's he began showing up in bit parts as Peter Richmond. He changed his name to John Carradine for his 1935 role as Enjolras in Les Miserables. The name stuck and he continued to use it for the remainder of his career.
As a member of John Ford's company of character actors he performed in some of the true classics of Hollywood's golden age like Mary of Scotland, Stagecoach, The Grapes of Wrath and The Man who Shot Liberty Valance. Although he is probably best remembered as playing villains and spooks in a string of both good and bad horror films, he had an amazing range and has portrayed the likes of Moses' brother Aaron, writer Bret Harte in The Adventures of Mark Twain and The Great Owl in the Secret of NIMH.
An eccentric man, he was sometimes known as the "Bard of the Boulevard" for his habit of donning a cape and walking the streets of New York and Los Angeles reciting Shakespeare. Four of his five sons - David, Robert, Keith and Bruce - went on to varying degrees of success as actors in their own rights.
- Jack-O (1995) .... Walter Machen
- Century of Cinema, A (1994) .... Himself (archive footage)
- Vampire Interviews, The (1994) (V) (archive footage)
- Alien Within, The (1991) .... Dr. Zeitman
- Buried Alive (1990/I) .... Jacob
- Evil Spawn (1987) .... Dr. Zeitman
- Hollywood Ghost Stories (1986) .... Narrator
- Monster in the Closet (1986) .... Old Joe Shempter
- Peggy Sue Got Married (1986) .... Leo
- Revenge (1986/I) (V) .... Senator Bradford
- Evils of the Night (1985) .... Dr. Kozmar
- Reel Horror (1985)
- Tomb, The (1985) .... Mr. Androheb
- Prison Ship (1984) .... The Justice
- Ice Pirates, The (1984) .... Supreme Commander
- Antony and Cleopatra (1983) .... Soothsayer
- Boogeyman II (1983)
- House of the Long Shadows (1983) .... Lord Grisbane
- Rose for Emily (1982)
- Scarecrow, The (1982) .... Hubert Salter
- Vals, The (1982) .... Mr. Stanton
- Secret of NIMH, The (1982) .... Great Owl
- Best of Sex and Violence, The (1981) .... Host/narrator
- Doctor Dracula (1981) .... Radcliff
- Frankenstein Island (1981) .... Apparition of Dr. Frankenstein
- Nesting, The (1981) .... Colonel Lebrun/narrator
- Satan's Mistress (1981) .... Father Stratten
- Goliath Awaits (1981) (TV) .... Ronald Bentley
- Boogeyman, The (1980) .... Dr. Warren
- Howling, The (1980) .... Erle Kenton
- Monster Club, The (1980) .... R.Chetwynd-Haynes, Writer
- Carradines Together, The (1979) .... Himself
- Monster (1979) .... Priest
- Nocturna (1979) .... Dracula
- Vampire Hookers (1979) .... John Peter Richmond
- Seekers, The (1979) (TV) .... Avery Mills
- Bees, The (1978) .... Dr. Sigmund Hummel
- Missile X - Geheimauftrag Neutronenbombe (1978) ....
- "Greatest Heroes of the Bible" (1978) (mini) TV Series .... King David
- Sunset Cove (1978/I) .... Judge Winslow
- Crash! (1977/I) .... Dr. Edwards
- Journey Into the Beyond (1977) (voice) .... Narrator
- Lady and the Lynchings, The (1977)
- Satan's Cheerleaders (1977) .... The Bum
- Shock Waves (1977) .... Captain Ben
- Christmas Miracle in Caufield, U.S.A. (1977) (TV) .... Grampa
- Golden Rendezvous (1977) .... Fairweather
- Mouse and His Child, The (1977) (voice) .... The Tramp
- White Buffalo, The (1977) .... Amos Briggs, Undertaker
- Tail Gunner Joe (1977) (TV) .... Wisconsin farmer
- Sentinel, The (1977) .... Fr. Francis Matthew Halloran
- Killer Inside Me, The (1976) .... Dr. Smith
- Last Tycoon, The (1976) .... Tour Guide
- Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary (1976) .... Mary's Father
- Shootist, The (1976) .... Hezekiah Beckhum, Undertaker
- Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) .... Drunk
- "Captains and the Kings" (1976) (mini) TV Series .... Father Hale
- Death at Love House (1976) (TV) .... Conan Carroll
- Stowaway to the Moon (1975) (TV) .... Jacob Avril
- House of Seven Corpses, The (1974) .... Edgar Price
- Lady's Not for Burning, The (1974) (TV) .... Old Skips
- Moonchild (1974) .... 'The Walker'
- Bad Charleston Charlie (1973) .... Alcoholic reporter
- Hex (1973) .... Old gunfighter
- Silent Night, Bloody Night (1973) .... Charlie Towman
- Superchick (1973) .... Igor Smith
- Terror in the Wax Museum (1973) .... Claude Dupree
- Gatling Gun, The (1973) .... Rev. Harper
- Cat Creature, The (1973) (TV) .... Hotel clerk
- Night Strangler, The (1973) (TV) .... Llewellyn Crossbinder
- Blood of Ghastly Horror (1972) .... Dr. Van Ard
- Boxcar Bertha (1972) .... H. Buckram Sartoris
- Decisions! Decisions! (1972) (TV) .... Railroad ticket clerk
- Richard (1972) .... Plastic Surgeon
- Shadow House (1972)
- Portnoy's Complaint (1972) (voice) (uncredited) .... Judge
- Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (1972) .... Doctor Bernardo
- Beast of the Yellow Night (1971)
- Blood Legacy (1971) .... Christopher Dean
- Cain's Cutthroats (1971) .... Preacher Simms
- Honey Britches (1971)
- Seven Minutes, The (1971) .... Sean O'Flanagan
- Shinbone Alley (1971) (voice) .... Tyrone T. Tattersall
- Blood of the Iron Maiden (1970) .... Director
- Crowhaven Farm (1970) (TV) .... Nate Cheever
- Bigfoot (1970) .... Jasper B. Hawks
- Myra Breckinridge (1970) .... Surgeon
- Five Bloody Graves (1970) .... Boone Hawkins
- Horror of the Blood Monsters (1970) .... Dr. Rynning
- Hell's Bloody Devils (1970) .... Merchant
- Astro-Zombies, The (1969) .... Dr. DeMarco
- McMasters, The (1969) .... Preacher
- Mummy and the Curse of the Jackals, The (1969)
- Daughter of the Mind (1969) (TV) .... Mr. Bosch
- Good Guys and the Bad Guys, The (1969) .... Ticker, train conductor
- Trouble with Girls, The (1969) .... Mr. Drewcolt
- Enigma de muerte (1968)
- Pacto diabólico (1968)
- They Ran for Their Lives (1968) .... Laslow
- Vampiras, Las (1968) .... Count Dracula
- Helicopter Spies, The (1968) (TV) .... Third-Way Priest
- Autopsia de un fantasma (1967) .... Satan
- Blood of Dracula's Castle (1967) .... George, the butler
- Hillbillys in a Haunted House (1967) .... Dr. Himmel
- Hostage, The (1967) .... Otis P. Lovelace
- Señora Muerte, La (1967) .... Dr. Diabolo
- Billy the Kid vs. Dracula (1966) .... Count Dracula
- Broken Sabre (1966)
- Dr. Terror's Gallery of Horrors (1966) .... Narrator/Tristram Halbin
- Emperor's New Clothes, The (1966)
- Munster, Go Home (1966) .... Cruikshank
- Night Train to Mundo Fine (1966) .... Engineer
- House of the Black Death (1965) .... Andre Dessard
- Psycho a Go-Go (1965) .... Dr. Varnard
- Wizard of Mars, The (1965) .... The Wizard of Mars
- Curse of the Stone Hand (1964) .... The Old Drunk
- Genesis (1964) .... Narrator
- Cheyenne Autumn (1964) .... Major Jeff Blair
- Patsy, The (1964) .... Bruce Alden
- Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The (1962) .... Major Cassius Starbuckle
- Sex Kittens Go to College (1960) .... Prof. Watts
- Tarzan the Magnificent (1960) .... Abel Banton, Coy's Father
- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The (1960) .... Slave catcher
- Cosmic Man, The (1959) .... Cosmic Man
- Incredible Petrified World, The (1959) .... Prof. Millard Wyman
- Oregon Trail, The (1959) .... Zachariah Garrison
- Rymdinvasion i Lappland (1959) .... Narrator (US version)
- Invisible Invaders (1959) .... Dr. Karol Noymann
- Last Hurrah, The (1958) .... Amos Force
- Proud Rebel, The (1958) .... Travelling salesman
- Showdown at Boot Hill (1958) .... Doc Weber
- Half Human: The Story of the Abominable Snowman (1957) .... Dr. John Rayburn
- Hell Ship Mutiny (1957) .... Malone
- True Story of Jesse James, The (1957) .... Reverend Jethro Bailey
- Unearthly, The (1957) .... Dr. Charles Conway
- Story of Mankind, The (1957) .... Khufu
- Prince and the Pauper, The (1957) (TV)
- Black Sleep, The (1956) .... Bohemund
- Dark Venture (1956)
- Female Jungle (1956) .... Claude Almstead
- Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) .... Col. Proctor Stamp
- Ten Commandments, The (1956) .... Aaron
- Hidden Guns (1956) .... Snipe Harding
- Court Jester, The (1956) .... Giacomo
- Desert Sands (1955) .... Jala
- Kentuckian, The (1955) .... Fletcher
- Stranger on Horseback (1955) .... Colonel Streeter
- Thunder Pass (1954) .... Bergstrom
- Egyptian, The (1954) .... Grave robber
- Johnny Guitar (1954) .... Old Tom
- Casanova's Big Night (1954) .... Foressi
- "My Friend Irma" (1952) TV Series .... Mr. Corday (1953-1954)
- C-Man (1949) .... Doc Spencer
- Christmas Carol, A (1947) (TV) .... Ebenezer Scrooge
- Private Affairs of Bel Ami, The (1947) .... Charles Forestier
- Down Missouri Way (1946) .... Thorndyke Dunning
- Face of Marble, The (1946) .... Dr. Charles Randolph
- Captain Kidd (1945) .... Orange Povey
- It's in the Bag! (1945) .... Jefferson T. Pike
- House of Dracula (1945) .... Count Dracula (aka Baron Latos)
- Fallen Angel (1945) .... Madley
- Barbary Coast Gent (1944) .... Duke Cleat
- Invisible Man's Revenge, The (1944) .... Dr. Peter Drury
- Return of the Ape Man (1944) .... Prof. John Gilmore
- Voodoo Man (1944) .... Toby
- Waterfront (1944) .... Victor Marlow
- House of Frankenstein (1944) .... Dracula
- Alaska (1944) .... Reagan
- Bluebeard (1944) .... Gaston Morrell
- Adventures of Mark Twain, The (1944) .... Bret Harte
- Mummy's Ghost, The (1944) .... Yousef Bey
- Jungle Woman (1944/I) .... Dr. Walters
- Black Parachute, The (1944) .... General von Bodenbach
- Captive Wild Woman (1943) .... Dr. Sigmund Walters
- Gangway for Tomorrow (1943) .... Wellington
- Hitler's Madman (1943) .... Reinhardt Heydrich
- Silver Spurs (1943) .... Lucky Miller
- Revenge of the Zombies (1943) .... Dr. Max Heinrich von Altermann
- Isle of Forgotten Sins (1943) .... Mike Clancy
- I Escaped from the Gestapo (1943) .... Martin, Gestapo Agent
- Information Please No. 5 (1942) .... Himself
- Northwest Rangers (1942) .... Martin Caswell
- Reunion in France (1942) .... Ulrich Windler, Head of Gestapo in Paris
- Whispering Ghosts (1942) .... Norbert/Long Jack
- Son of Fury (1942) .... Caleb Green
- Swamp Water (1941) .... Jesse Wick
- Man Hunt (1941) .... The Imposter
- Blood and Sand (1941) .... Nacional
- Western Union (1941) .... Doc Murdoch
- Brigham Young - Frontiersman (1940) .... Porter Rockwell
- Chad Hanna (1940) .... Bisbee
- Return of Frank James, The (1940) .... Bob Ford
- Grapes of Wrath, The (1940) .... Reverend Jim Casey
- Captain Fury (1939) .... Coughy
- Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) .... Caldwell
- Frontier Marshal (1939) .... Ben Carter
- Five Came Back (1939) .... Mr. Crimp
- Hound of the Baskervilles, The (1939) .... Barryman
- Three Musketeers, The (1939) .... Naveau
- Stagecoach (1939) .... Hatfield
- Mr. Moto's Last Warning (1939) .... Danforth, aka Richard Burke
- Jesse James (1939) .... Bob Ford
- Gateway (1938) .... Immigrant leader
- Submarine Patrol (1938) .... McAllison
- I'll Give a Million (1938) .... Kopelpeck
- Of Human Hearts (1938) .... Abraham Lincoln
- Kidnapped (1938) .... Gordon
- Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938) .... Cabdriver
- Kentucky Moonshine (1938) .... Reef Hatfield
- Four Men and a Prayer (1938) .... General Adolfo Arturo Sebastian
- International Settlement (1938) .... Murdock
- Ali Baba Goes to Town (1937) .... Ishak
- Danger-Love at Work (1937) .... Herbert Pemberton
- Laughing at Trouble (1937) .... Deputy Sheriff Alec Brady
- Love Under Fire (1937) .... Capt. Delmar
- Nancy Steele Is Missing! (1937) .... Harry Wilkins
- Thank You, Mr. Moto (1937) .... Periera
- Last Gangster, The (1937) .... Caspar
- Hurricane, The (1937) .... Warden
- Captains Courageous (1937) .... Long Jack
- This Is My Affair (1937) .... Ed
- Anything Goes (1936) .... Ballet master
- Captain January (1936) .... Local yokel
- Dimples (1936) .... Richards
- White Fang (1936) .... Beauty Smith
- Winterset (1936) .... Bartolomeo Romagna
- Garden of Allah, The (1936) .... Sand diviner
- Daniel Boone (1936) .... Simon Girty
- Message to Garcia, A (1936) (voice) .... William McKinley
- Ramona (1936) .... Jim Farrar
- Mary of Scotland (1936) .... David Rizzio
- Half Angel (1936) .... Offscreen Voice in Sanatarium
- Under Two Flags (1936) .... Cafard
- Prisoner of Shark Island, The (1936) .... Sergeant Rankin
- Cardinal Richelieu (1935) .... Agitator
- Crusades, The (1935) (voice) (uncredited) .... French King/wise man
- Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo, The (1935) .... Casino gambler
- She Gets Her Man (1935) .... Lunchroom customer
- Transient Lady (1935) .... Hobo
- Clive of India (1935) .... Clerk
- Bad Boy (1935) .... Saxophone player
- Dublin in Brass (1935) (uncredited) .... Parade Watcher
- Alias Mary Dow (1935) .... Nightclub drunk
- Bride of Frankenstein (1935) (uncredited) .... A Hunter
- Misérables, Les (1935) .... Enjolras
- Cleopatra (1934) (uncredited) .... Roman
- Black Cat, The (1934) (uncredited) .... Cult organist
- Meanest Gal in Town, The (1934) (uncredited) .... Stranded actor
- Story of Temple Drake, The (1933) .... Courtroom extra
- This Day and Age (1933) (as John Peter Richmond) .... High school speaker
- Invisible Man, The (1933) (uncredited) .... Man suggesting ink
- To the Last Man (1933) .... Pete Garon
- Sign of the Cross, The (1932) (uncredited) .... Gladiator leader/Christian martyr/crowd voice
- Forgotten Commandments (1932) (as John Peter Richmond) .... Orator
- Heaven on Earth (1931) (as Peter Richmond) .... Captain Sam
- Tol'able David (1930) (as Peter Richmond) .... Buzzard
- Bright Lights (1930) (uncredited) .... A reporter
Many thanks to IMDB and Wharfingers E2 List Formatter, without whom that list wouldn't have been concievable.