John Wayne estate pays tribute to Robert Carradine – Duke ‘reduced him to tears’ | Films | Entertainment

Robert Carradine, who died on Monday aged 71, was part of a family full of actors, from his father John to his brothers Keith, Bruce and David. Originally, he didn’t want to follow in their footsteps, but at age 18, he found himself cast opposite John Wayne. Duke’s estate posted a tribute to Robert following his sudden death on Instagram: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Robert Carradine, who shared the screen with John Wayne in The Cowboys (1972) and was a special part of Duke’s cinematic history. He was a member of a remarkable acting family and carved out his own path in Hollywood over the decades. We send our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and fans. Rest in peace.”

Speaking at MidSouth Nostalgia Festival in June 2025, Robert recalled: “I auditioned for [the part of] a kid named Slim who was scared to death in the scene. Luckily, Robert Carradine was also scared to death. So, I nailed it; and that’s how I got in the movie. That’s how it started. I don’t even think we’d even been there a week. And we were shooting the scene where the cowboys start duking it out and I jump off the corral fence to save this kid.” That’s when the young actor realised he had gotten too big for his boots with Wayne.

Robert continued: “John Wayne breaks us up and tells me to ‘… get back on that fence where you belong.’ And me, with my week’s worth of experience in motion pictures, I say, ‘Hold on a second, Mr. Wayne. I don’t think you should tell me to get back on the fence where I belong. I think you should just tell me to get back on the fence because I’m the head kid.’” It turns out Duke didn’t like taking orders from the least experienced actor on set. Robert added, “He reduced me to tears. That’s how bad he chewed me out.”