David Carradine was an actor.
David Carradine ( born John Arthur Carradine ; December 8 , 1936 -- June 3 , 2009 ) was an American actor and martial artist . He was also known for playing Frankenstein in the original Death Race movie and Bill in both Kill Bill films . Carradine 's acting career , which included major and minor roles on stage and television , and in cinema , spanned over four decades . His final nomination came in the category of Best Supporting Actor for portraying the titular character in Quentin Tarantino 's Kill Bill : Volume 2 ( 2004 ) .