John Carradine

JOHN CARRADINE d1988. American actor best known for his roles in horror films and westerns of the 1940-60s. A member of Cecil B Demilles stock company and later John Fords company, he was one of the most prolific character actors in Hollywood history. He lost out to horror legends Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff when going for both of the monster lead parts in the 1931 film classics ; Dracula and Frankenstein. He did however get to play Count Dracula in later Universal Studios productions of House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945). Other of his notable film credits include ; Stagecoach (1939) / The Grapes of Wrath (1940) / The Ten Commandments (1956) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). Married four times, he had four children and was the patriarch of the later famous Carradine family acting dynasty. In later life he was crippled by arthritis and died from mulitple organ failure in Italy aged 82 in 1988.