Robert Carradine, the actor known for the Revenge of the Nerds films of the ’80s and the Lizzie McGuire TV show and movie, has died. He was 71.
“It is with profound sadness that we must share that our beloved father, grandfather, uncle, and brother Robert Carradine has passed away,” his family said in a statement provided to Deadline. “In 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’s 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.”
The outlet noted that Carradine died by suicide and that his brother and fellow actor, Keith Carradine, wanted people to know about Robert’s mental health condition.
20th Century Fox Film Corp./ Everett
“There is no shame in it,” he said. “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. 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’s who my baby brother was.”
Robert, he explained to Deadline, was the bedrock of his family, which also included Disney Imagineer Christopher Carradine and their late brother, Kill Bill actor David Carradine, who died in 2009.
Entertainment Weekly has reached out for comment.
Robert Carradine was born in 1954, who began his professional acting career as a teenager, with appearances on TV in series such as The Cowboys (1974) and the TV movie The Hatfields and the McCoys (1975). He was in movies including Coming Home, Mean Streets, and The Long Riders, which became a family affair because it also featured his brothers Keith and David.
He starred in the 1984 movie Revenge of the Nerds, which was such a hit that it spawned several sequels. Carradine portrayed Lewis Skolnick again throughout the ’90s.
In 2001, he began two seasons as the father of Hilary Duff’s beloved Lizzie McGuire character on the popular Disney show of the same name. He also played the role on the big screen when Duff and co. made a movie in 2003, and he worked on the TV revival in 2020.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.