# Robert Carradine
**Robert Carradine** (Robert Reed Carradine; 24 March 1954 – 23 February 2026) was an American actor who worked steadily in film and television for more than five decades, best known for playing Lewis Skolnick in *Revenge of the Nerds* (1984) and the title character's father Sam in the [Disney Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/disney-channel) series *Lizzie McGuire* (2001–04).[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary) A member of the Carradine acting family, he was the youngest son of the character actor [John Carradine](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-carradine) and the brother of [Keith Carradine](https://www.edgepedia.org/keith-carradine) and half-brother of David Carradine.[2](https://apnews.com/article/5b5b3ee6f40b4a82a37221f04641988f)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name, dates | Robert Reed Carradine, born 1954; died 23 February 2026 in Los Angeles, aged 71[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001019) |
| Signature roles | Lewis Skolnick in *Revenge of the Nerds* (1984) and its three sequels; Sam McGuire, Lizzie's father, in *Lizzie McGuire* (2001–04) and *The Lizzie McGuire Movie* (2003)[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/5b5b3ee6f40b4a82a37221f04641988f) |
| Notable early work | *The Cowboys* (1972), *Mean Streets* (1973), *Coming Home* (1978), *The Long Riders* (1980, as Bob Younger), *The Big Red One* (1980, as Pvt. Zab)[2](https://apnews.com/article/5b5b3ee6f40b4a82a37221f04641988f) • [1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary) |
| Family | Son of John Carradine and Sonia Sorel; brother of Keith and Christopher; half-brother of David Carradine and Michael Bowen; father of the actor Ever Carradine[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary) |
| Racing career | Competed several times in the 24 Hours of Daytona, finishing eighth overall in 1978 in a team that included Paul Newman; the family said he later drove for Lotus[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary) • [2](https://apnews.com/article/5b5b3ee6f40b4a82a37221f04641988f) |
| Death | Died by suicide after living with bipolar disorder for nearly 20 years, an illness he linked to his brother David's death in 2009[2](https://apnews.com/article/5b5b3ee6f40b4a82a37221f04641988f) • [4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/24/robert-carradine-dies-aged-71-death-revenge-of-the-nerds-actor) |
## Early life and family
Carradine was born to the prolific character actor John Carradine and his second wife, the actor Sonia Sorel. Most accounts place his birth in Los Angeles; an earlier biographical entry records [San Mateo, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-mateo-california), with some sources giving Los Angeles.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary) • [5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/carradine-robert-1954) His parents divorced when he was two, and his father received custody of Robert and his brothers Keith and [Christopher](https://www.edgepedia.org/christopher). Christopher, the only one of the four brothers who did not act, became an architect; another half-brother, Michael Bowen, was Sorel's son from a previous marriage.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary)
His first ambition was racing, not acting. "I always had a passion to be a race car driver, and that's what I thought I was going to do," he recalled in a 2013 interview, describing how he happened to be sitting with David when *The Cowboys* was being cast.[2](https://apnews.com/article/5b5b3ee6f40b4a82a37221f04641988f) David's agent, [Saul Krugman](https://www.edgepedia.org/saul-krugman), urged him to audition for one of the juvenile roles; he won the part of Slim Honeycutt and dropped out of school to make the film.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary)
## Early career
After his debut in the [John Wayne](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-wayne) western *The Cowboys* (1972) and a role on the television series *Bonanza* in 1971, Carradine appeared in Martin Scorsese's *Mean Streets* (1973), where his character shoots the drunk played by his brother David.[2](https://apnews.com/article/5b5b3ee6f40b4a82a37221f04641988f) • [1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary) His brother David shaped much of his early work: David cast him in *You and Me* (1974), which David directed, and in *A Country Mile*, a period musical never released because of rights issues; the two appeared together in the comic race movie *Cannonball* (1976), released in the UK as *Carquake*, in which Robert played the winning driver.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary)
The late 1970s brought his most prominent dramatic role, a suicidal [Vietnam veteran](https://www.edgepedia.org/vietnam-veteran) in the Oscar-winning *Coming Home* (1978), opposite [Jane Fonda](https://www.edgepedia.org/jane-fonda), Jon Voight, and [Bruce Dern](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruce-dern).[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary) In 1980 he played Bob Younger in Walter Hill's *The Long Riders*, a western whose cast was built from real-life acting siblings, with David and Keith cast as the other Younger brothers, and played Private Zab in Samuel Fuller's World War II film *The Big Red One*, where his on-set run-in with Lee Marvin ended in an unlikely friendship.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary) • [6](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/217983) Later film work included the killer-whale thriller *Orca* (1977), *Number One With a Bullet* (1987) with Billy Dee Williams, a television adaptation of Stephen King's *The Tommyknockers* (1993), and several pictures for John Carpenter, including *Escape from L.A.* (1996).[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary)
## Revenge of the Nerds
Carradine's best-known role came in the raunchy campus comedy *Revenge of the Nerds* (1984), about college misfits striking back against the jocks who expel them from their dormitory. Shot for $6 million, the film grossed more than $40 million and spawned three sequels, all featuring Carradine as Lewis Skolnick, the computer science major with the honking laugh he described as like a sea lion's.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary) Critical reaction was mixed: the Los Angeles Times called the result "an Armageddon of sexual and athletic swashbuckling," while [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter) criticized "several tasteless episodes," including a scene of the nerds spying on a female classmate during an intimate moment.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary)
**He nearly declined the part.** "The title was so off-putting to me that I didn't even want to meet [the director]," he said the year before his death. He dressed for the audition as he imagined the character, with a short haircut and thick-framed glasses, and won the lead despite calling his own audition lacklustre.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary) He later co-hosted, with his *Nerds* co-star [Curtis Armstrong](https://www.edgepedia.org/curtis-armstrong), the reality competition show *King of the Nerds*, which aired three seasons (2013–15).[2](https://apnews.com/article/5b5b3ee6f40b4a82a37221f04641988f)
## Television and later work
For a generation of younger viewers, Carradine was Sam McGuire, the endearing father of the title character played by [Hilary Duff](https://www.edgepedia.org/hilary-duff) on the Disney Channel series *Lizzie McGuire* from 2001 to 2004, and in *The Lizzie McGuire Movie* (2003).[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary) His final years brought a character part as one of the trackers in [Quentin Tarantino](https://www.edgepedia.org/quentin-tarantino)'s *Django Unchained* (2012), a role he said Tarantino offered him after seeing a "very furry" photograph.[2](https://apnews.com/article/5b5b3ee6f40b4a82a37221f04641988f) His television credits also included *Kung Fu: The Legend Continues* and *Nash Bridges*.[7](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robert-carradine)
## Racing
Acting remained, in his own telling, something he was equivocal about; racing was the ambition he fulfilled in between films. He competed several times in the 24 Hours of Daytona endurance race, driving a [Ferrari Daytona](https://www.edgepedia.org/ferrari-daytona) and finishing eighth overall in 1978 in a team that also included the actor Paul Newman. Away from the track his preferred vehicle was a decommissioned police car.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary) According to his family's statement, he realized his racing ambitions in the late 1980s and 1990s as a driver for Lotus.[2](https://apnews.com/article/5b5b3ee6f40b4a82a37221f04641988f) His firearms skill also found an outlet: he competed in quick-draw competitions organized by the Single Action Shooting Society under the alias Bob Younger, borrowed from his *Long Riders* character.[1](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary)
## Personal life and death
Carradine married Edith Mani in 1990; the marriage, which produced children Marika and Ian, ended in divorce in 2018 after more than 25 years. His daughter Ever, from a relationship with Susan Snyder, became an actor.[2](https://apnews.com/article/5b5b3ee6f40b4a82a37221f04641988f) • [5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/carradine-robert-1954) In 2015 he was cited for a Colorado crash that injured him and his wife.[2](https://apnews.com/article/5b5b3ee6f40b4a82a37221f04641988f)
He died by suicide on 23 February 2026 in Los Angeles, at 71, after living with bipolar disorder for nearly two decades; his family said the illness followed the death of his brother David in 2009. His brother Keith told the news outlet Deadline: "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."[2](https://apnews.com/article/5b5b3ee6f40b4a82a37221f04641988f) • [4](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/24/robert-carradine-dies-aged-71-death-revenge-of-the-nerds-actor) In August 2026 his children filed a wrongful-death lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the governing body of UCLA, alleging that his death at a university-affiliated psychiatric facility, where he had checked in shortly before, was preventable and that the psychiatric care team had been reckless and committed elder abuse and neglect.[8](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-08-15/robert-carradine-family-lawsuit-suing-ucla-wrongful-death)
Alongside his acting work, Carradine played guitar and bass in Southern California club bands and received a Genie Award nomination for *Heartaches* (1982), a CableACE Award nomination for *As Is* (1987), and a Golden Boot Award in 1998.[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/carradine-robert-1954)
## References
1. [Robert Carradine obituary, The Guardian (27 February 2026)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/27/robert-carradine-obituary)
2. [Robert Carradine, 'Revenge of the Nerds' and 'Lizzie McGuire' star, dies at 71, The Associated Press (24 February 2026)](https://apnews.com/article/5b5b3ee6f40b4a82a37221f04641988f)
3. [Robert Carradine, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001019)
4. [Robert Carradine, Revenge of the Nerds and Lizzie McGuire actor, dies aged 71, The Guardian (24 February 2026)](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/feb/24/robert-carradine-dies-aged-71-death-revenge-of-the-nerds-actor)
5. [Carradine, Robert 1954–, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/carradine-robert-1954)
6. [Robert Carradine, AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/217983)
7. [Robert Carradine, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/robert-carradine)
8. ['Revenge of the Nerds' star Robert Carradine's family sues UCLA over his death, Los Angeles Times (15 August 2026)](https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-08-15/robert-carradine-family-lawsuit-suing-ucla-wrongful-death)
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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 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
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