# Ever Carradine
**Ever Carradine** (full name Ever Dawn Carradine, born 1974) is an American actress known for television roles including Naomi Putnam on Hulu's Emmy Award-winning drama *The Handmaid's Tale*, Janet Stein on *Marvel's Runaways*, and Kelly Ludlow on the ABC political drama *Commander in Chief*. She is a third-generation member of the Carradine acting family: her grandfather was [John Carradine](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-carradine), her father was [Robert Carradine](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-carradine), and her uncles are Keith and [David Carradine](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-carradine).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0139936/bio/) • [2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/ever-carradine/) • [3](https://edgemagonline.com/article/ever-carradine/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974, Los Angeles, California[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0139936/bio/) |
| Family | Daughter of Robert Carradine and Susan Snyder; granddaughter of John Carradine; niece of Keith Carradine and David Carradine[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0139936/bio/) |
| Education | Lewis & Clark College, Portland, Oregon; began as a sociology/anthropology major, switched to theater, graduated in 1996[4](https://www.lclark.edu/_ingredients/templates/details/news-magazine.php?id=14476) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ever_carradine) |
| Signature roles | Naomi Putnam on *The Handmaid's Tale* (2017–2025, 28 episodes), Janet Stein on *Marvel's Runaways*, Kelly Ludlow on *Commander in Chief* (2005–06)[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0139936/fullcredits) • [7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ever-carradine/) |
| Notable films | *Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back* and *Bubble Boy* (both 2001), *Dead & Breakfast* (2004), *All My Life* (2020)[2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/ever-carradine/) |
| Marriage | Married musician Coby Brown on October 1, 2005; two children[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0139936/bio/) |
## Family background
Carradine was born in Los Angeles to actor Robert Carradine and Susan Snyder.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0139936/bio/) The Carradines are one of Hollywood's multi-generational acting families. Her grandfather John Carradine, born in New York City in 1906, began as a Shakespearean actor in the 1920s, appeared in ten films directed by [John Ford](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-ford) including *The Grapes of Wrath*, and made more than 200 movies.[4](https://www.lclark.edu/_ingredients/templates/details/news-magazine.php?id=14476) Her father Robert made his name as Lewis Skolnick in the *Revenge of the Nerds* films; her uncle [Keith Carradine](https://www.edgepedia.org/keith-carradine) won both an Oscar and a Tony, and her uncle David Carradine played Kwai Chang Caine on the 1970s series *Kung Fu* and the title role in [Quentin Tarantino](https://www.edgepedia.org/quentin-tarantino)'s *Kill Bill* films.[4](https://www.lclark.edu/_ingredients/templates/details/news-magazine.php?id=14476) Her cousins include actress Martha Plimpton.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0139936/bio/)
Carradine has said the family name opened doors but carried no guarantees. "The name only gets you in the door; once you're in, it's just you. If you can't deliver, then it doesn't matter what your last name is, you won't get the role," she told her college magazine.[4](https://www.lclark.edu/_ingredients/templates/details/news-magazine.php?id=14476) In interviews she has described the family's standing as something she never stepped out of so much as worked alongside: after nearly three decades of interviews, every one has asked about her family, and she describes being proud to share the business with her relatives.[8](https://www.vingtseptmagazine.com/post/editorial-ever-carradine-on-navigating-hollywood-family-and-the-art-of-reinvention)
## Education and early career
Carradine began her screen apprenticeship at age 9, when family friend [Dennis Quaid](https://www.edgepedia.org/dennis-quaid) asked her to play his daughter in *The Right Stuff*; having grown up on her father's sets, she described it as feeling like hanging out rather than work.[4](https://www.lclark.edu/_ingredients/templates/details/news-magazine.php?id=14476) She was the first member of her family to pursue a college degree, enrolling at [Lewis & Clark College](https://www.edgepedia.org/lewis-and-clark-college) in [Portland, Oregon](https://www.edgepedia.org/portland-oregon), initially as a sociology/anthropology major.[4](https://www.lclark.edu/_ingredients/templates/details/news-magazine.php?id=14476) Acting in a play during her sophomore year convinced her that performance could be a career she would always enjoy; she switched her major to theater and graduated in 1996, landing her first television and film roles that same year, including an episode of *Diagnosis: Murder* and the film *Foxfire*.[4](https://www.lclark.edu/_ingredients/templates/details/news-magazine.php?id=14476) • [5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ever_carradine)
Back in Los Angeles, she found herself typecast into comedy before she considered herself a comic actor. Early roles included the recurring character Pepper on NBC's *Veronica's Closet* and [Neve Campbell](https://www.edgepedia.org/neve-campbell)'s rival Rosalie on FOX's *Party of Five*, and she became a series regular on ABC's Emmy Award-winning drama *Once and Again*.[2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/ever-carradine/) Film work in this period included *Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back* and *Bubble Boy*, both released in 2001.[2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/ever-carradine/)
## Commander in Chief and dramatic work
Her turn toward drama came with *Commander in Chief*, Rod Lurie's Golden Globe-nominated ABC series starring [Geena Davis](https://www.edgepedia.org/geena-davis) as the first woman president, in which Carradine played press secretary Kelly Ludlow from 2005 to 2006.[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ever-carradine/) • [2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/ever-carradine/) She has said her reputation as a "funny" actress nearly cost her the part, and that after the show wrapped she found it difficult to get work in comedy again.[9](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-ever-carradine) She prepared for the role by researching real press secretaries, including [Dee Dee Myers](https://www.edgepedia.org/dee-dee-myers).[4](https://www.lclark.edu/_ingredients/templates/details/news-magazine.php?id=14476)
Subsequent work mixed genres. She starred in the camp horror film *Dead & Breakfast* (2004), made with a cast that had been a softball team together, and played the love interest of [John Corbett](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-corbett)'s character on the FX series *Lucky*.[3](https://edgemagonline.com/article/ever-carradine/) • [2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/ever-carradine/) Recurring television roles followed on *Eureka*, *24*, *Women's Murder Club*, *Code Black*, TNT's *Major Crimes*, Amazon's *[Goliath](https://www.edgepedia.org/goliath-tv-series)* with [Billy Bob Thornton](https://www.edgepedia.org/billy-bob-thornton), and Showtime's *Shameless*.[2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/ever-carradine/) She has said she filmed *Major Crimes* and *Goliath* simultaneously for a stretch, starting her day on one set and wrapping on the other.[8](https://www.vingtseptmagazine.com/post/editorial-ever-carradine-on-navigating-hollywood-family-and-the-art-of-reinvention)
## The Handmaid's Tale and Runaways
Two concurrent Hulu series define her recent career. Carradine was cast as Naomi Putnam on *The Handmaid's Tale* after an earlier, unpicked pilot with that show's creator, Bruce Miller. She first read for the role of Rita and did not get it; months later she was called back to read for Naomi and was on a plane to Toronto the next day after being hired.[3](https://edgemagonline.com/article/ever-carradine/) She appeared in 28 episodes between 2017 and 2025, and the show's sixth and final season premiered on April 8, 2025.[6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0139936/fullcredits) • [9](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-ever-carradine) In interviews she has described the production's demands, filming in Toronto through the winter months with long outdoor hours, and said the show had given her voice a wider reach on issues she cares about.[9](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-ever-carradine)
On *Marvel's Runaways* (2017–2019), she played Janet Stein, described in one profile as a supervillain suburban mom; the show had 16 series regulars and shot at least half of each episode at night.[7](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ever-carradine/) • [3](https://edgemagonline.com/article/ever-carradine/) • [9](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-ever-carradine) The two series filmed on opposite halves of the year, which she described in a 2019 interview as a fortunate arrangement.[3](https://edgemagonline.com/article/ever-carradine/)
## Recent and upcoming work
Guest appearances since *The Handmaid's Tale* include roles on *The Neighborhood*, *Based on a True Story*, *The Conners*, *The Rookie*, and a two-episode arc on *Good Girls*; her film credits in recent years include *All My Life* (2020) and *The Long Game* (2024).[2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/ever-carradine/) • [6](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0139936/fullcredits) She has been signed to join the second season of Prime Video's *Ballard* as Lauren Sousa, a devoted mother whose past involvement in an influential spiritual movement continues to shape her present.[10](https://television.mxdwn.com/news/ever-carradine-joins-the-ballard-season-two-cast/)
Her father, Robert Carradine, died in February 2026 at age 71; a family statement listed his survivors as including his three children, among them Ever Carradine.[11](https://apnews.com/article/5b5b3ee6f40b4a82a37221f04641988f)
## Personal life
Carradine married musician Coby Brown on October 1, 2005. Their children are a daughter, Chaplin Haddow Brown, born in 2010, and a son, Samuel Hauck Brown, born in 2015.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0139936/bio/) The family resides in Los Angeles.[2](https://press.hulu.com/bios/ever-carradine/) In interviews she has spoken about balancing acting with parenting during the Toronto shoots for *The Handmaid's Tale*, crediting a supportive husband, and about interests outside acting including gardening, flower arranging, and entertaining.[9](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-ever-carradine) • [8](https://www.vingtseptmagazine.com/post/editorial-ever-carradine-on-navigating-hollywood-family-and-the-art-of-reinvention)
## References
1. [Ever Carradine – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0139936/bio/)
2. [Ever Carradine – Hulu Press Bio](https://press.hulu.com/bios/ever-carradine/)
3. [Ever Carradine – EDGE Magazine interview](https://edgemagonline.com/article/ever-carradine/)
4. [Family Business – L&C Magazine, Lewis & Clark College](https://www.lclark.edu/_ingredients/templates/details/news-magazine.php?id=14476)
5. [Ever Carradine – Rotten Tomatoes profile](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/ever_carradine)
6. [Ever Carradine – IMDb full credits](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0139936/fullcredits)
7. [Ever Carradine – TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ever-carradine/)
8. [Ever Carradine on Navigating Hollywood, Family, and the Art of Reinvention – Vingt Sept Magazine](https://www.vingtseptmagazine.com/post/editorial-ever-carradine-on-navigating-hollywood-family-and-the-art-of-reinvention)
9. [In Conversation with Ever Carradine – Numéro Netherlands](https://www.numeronetherlands.com/in-conversation-with/in-conversation-with-ever-carradine)
10. [Ever Carradine Joins The 'Ballard' Season Two Cast – mxdwn Television](https://television.mxdwn.com/news/ever-carradine-joins-the-ballard-season-two-cast/)
11. [Robert Carradine, 'Revenge of the Nerds' and 'Lizzie McGuire' star, dies at 71 – AP News](https://apnews.com/article/5b5b3ee6f40b4a82a37221f04641988f)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames C to Cl*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license