Robert Carradine, ‘Revenge of the Nerds,’ ‘Lizzie McGuire’ star, dies at 71

Actor Robert Carradine, who starred in the 1984 cult classic “Revenge of the Nerds” and in the 2000s television series “Lizzie McGuire,” has died, his family announced on Monday. He was 71.

In a statement to Deadline, the actor’s family said that Carradine died by suicide after struggling with bipolar disorder for nearly two decades.

“It is with profound sadness that we must share that our beloved father, grandfather, uncle, and brother Robert Carradine has passed away,” the family said, according to Deadline, which was the first outlet to report his death. “In a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon of 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 actor’s brother, Keith Carradine, said the family wanted people “to know about” bipolar disorder, Rolling Stone reported.

“There is no shame in it. 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,” Keith Carradine said, according to Deadline. “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.”

Actress Hilary Duff, who played Carradine’s daughter and the title role in the “Lizzie McGuire” series, reacted to Carradine’s death with a tribute on Instagram, according to Variety.

“This one hurts,” Duff wrote. “It’s really hard to face this reality about an old friend. There was so much warmth in the McGuire family and I always felt so cared for by my on-screen parents. I’ll be forever grateful for that.

“I’m deeply sad to learn Bobby was suffering. My heart aches for him, his family and everyone who loved him.”

Robert Carradine was born on March 24, 1954, and was part of an acting family that included his father, John Carradine, and older brothers David Carradine and Keith Carradine, CNN reported.

He was also the brother of Christopher Carradine, a former vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering, according to the cable news network.

Robert Carradine made his film debut in the 1972 film, “The Cowboys,” and then had parts in “Mean Streets” (1973) and “Coming Home” (1978), The Guardian reported.

In 1980, Robert Carradine appeared with David and Keith as the Younger brothers in “The Long Riders,” according to Rolling Stone. The Carradines were one of three sets of real-life siblings: Randy and Dennis Quaid, along with Stacy and James Keach, also played brothers in the movie, the magazine reported.

Robert Carradine’s signature role in films came in “Revenge of the Nerds,” where he played the head nerd, Lewis Skolnick, Deadline reported.

He initially did not want to do the role, he said on the "Brett Allan Show" podcast in November 2025, according to Rolling Stone.

“I did not want to be in a movie with the name nerd in the title,” he said.

But after some prompting by his agent, Carradine cut his long hair short and found a “nerdy shirt” and glasses engineers “wore on ‘Apollo 13,’” Rolling Stone reported.

That got him the part, according to the magazine. He would return for sequels in 1987, 1992 and 1994, The Guardian reported.

From 2001 to 2004, the actor appeared as Sam McGuire, Duff’s father, in 65 episodes of the Disney Channel series, “Lizzie McGuire.”

Another “Lizzie McGuire” co-star, Jake Thomas, called Carradine “one of the coolest guys you could ever meet. Funny, pragmatic, sometimes cranky, always a little eccentric.”

Robert Carradine’s daughter, Ever Carradine, paid tribute on Instagram, telling her father to “rest easy.”

“My sweet, funny dad, who’s only 20 years older than I am, who never missed an opportunity to drive me to the airport or tell me how much he loved my homemade salad dressing, is gone,” she wrote. “Whenever anyone asks me how I turned out so normal, I always tell them it’s because of my dad. I knew my dad loved me, I knew it deep in my bones, and I always knew he had my back.”

Ever Carradine was the daughter of the actor and Susan Snyder, Deadline reported. He raised her as a single father until 1990, when he met Edith Mani. The couple shared two children, Marika and Ian.

Note: If you or someone you know is thinking of harming themselves, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides free support via the Lifeline by dialing 988. For more about risk factors and warning signs, visit the organization’s official website.

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