{"id":24619,"date":"2026-02-24T05:44:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T05:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=24619"},"modified":"2026-02-24T05:44:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T05:44:14","slug":"robert-carradine-revenge-of-the-nerds-and-lizzie-mcguire-actor-dies-aged-71-film","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=24619","title":{"rendered":"Robert Carradine, Revenge of the Nerds and Lizzie McGuire actor, dies aged 71 | Film"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

Robert Carradine, a member of the famed acting family who was known for his roles in Revenge of the Nerds and Lizzie McGuire, has died aged 71.<\/p>\n

Carradine killed himself after years of living with bipolar disorder, his family said in a statement which they said they hoped would raise awareness.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is with profound sadness that we must share that our beloved father, grandfather, uncle, and brother Robert Carradine has passed away,\u201d the Carradine family said in a statement to Deadline <\/a>on Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon on light to everyone around him. We are bereft at the loss of this beautiful soul and want to acknowledge Bobby\u2019s valiant struggle against his nearly two-decade battle with bipolar disorder. We hope his journey can shine a light and encourage addressing the stigma that attaches to mental illness. At this time we ask for the privacy to grieve this unfathomable loss. With gratitude for your understanding and compassion.\u201d<\/p>\n

His older brother Keith Carradine, also an actor, told Deadline the family wanted the world to know about his brother\u2019s mental illness.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want people to know it, and there is no shame in it,\u201d he told Deadline. \u201cI want to celebrate him for his struggle with it, and celebrate his beautiful soul. He was profoundly gifted, and we will miss him every day. We will take solace in how funny he could be, how wise and utterly accepting and tolerant he was. That\u2019s who my baby brother was.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Robert Carradine (right) with Ted McGinley and Julia Montgomery in Revenge of the Nerds.<\/span> Photograph: United Archives GmbH\/Alamy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 2009 Carradine\u2019s older brother David died aged 72<\/a> from asphyxiation in a hotel room in Thailand. Carradine later said his mental illness was triggered by the death of his brother, and he was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n

Born in 1954, Carradine was the youngest son of actor John Carradine and the youngest of four actor brothers: his older brothers David, Keith and Christopher. In 1972 Carradine made his film debut alongside John Wayne in The Cowboys, followed in quick succession by the Oscar-winning film Coming Home and a small role in Martin Scorsese\u2019s 1973 film Mean Streets, in which he shot his brother David.<\/p>\n

In 1980 he appeared in The Long Riders with his brothers David and Keith as the Younger brothers, a real outlaw family; meanwhile, Randy and Dennis Quaid played the Miller brothers, Stacy and James Keach played Frank and Jesse James, and Christopher and Nicholas Guest appeared as the Ford brothers.<\/p>\n

Carradine\u2019s biggest hit was the 1984 comedy <\/em>Revenge of the Nerds, in which he played the lead Lewis Skolnick. Carradine spent time undercover at the University of Arizona convincing real students he was an actual nerd. He returned for three sequels in 1987, 1992 and 1994.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>(L-R) Jake Thomas, Hallie Todd, Robert Carradine and Hilary Duff in Lizzie McGuire.<\/span> Photograph: Everett Collection Inc\/Alamy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Later in his life, Carradine became well known to a new generation as Lizzie McGuire\u2019s father Sam, appearing alongside Hilary Duff in 65 episodes of the much-loved children\u2019s show between 2001 and 2004.<\/p>\n

Carradine had a daughter, the actor Ever Carradine, with Susan Snyder. He later married Edith Mani and they had two children, Marika and Ian, before divorcing in 2015 after 25 years of marriage. During the divorce proceedings in 2017, Mani <\/a><\/strong>alleged<\/a> Carradine had attempted to kill them both in a car crash in Colorado in 2015, with Carradine admitting he was in a \u201cpsychotic state\u201d at the time.<\/p>\n