Personal Life
Carson was the son of Western actor Aldrich "Kit" Carson and Rosamonde "Boots" James Carson, a fashion model, and was of Irish and Cherokee ancestry. He entered Hollywood from a theater background; at the time of his arrival on the motion-picture scene, he had already undergone several traumatic incidents. His parents had split up; furthermore, he had been involved in a serious motorcycle accident which left him almost completely deaf in his left ear, according to an interview in Interview Magazine. At only 17 years old, Carson was quite overwhelmed by these personal issues and by the pressure he felt in his acting career. He turned to LSD to attempt to gain some self-realization. By his own admission, "it provided a catharsis" for him, but also left him frequently confused.
In this same interview he complained of sexual advances towards him by male directors of films and theater productions. In his own words - "I don't care about anybody's sexual preferences - I really don't; I wouldn't want anyone to object to my sexual preferences. But when it's forced on you, for reasons of personal gain - when they say it's going to be the end of your career if you don't comply with their wishes - I think it's low, it's cheap." Carson attributed some of his lack of success in theater to this issue.
Carson was raised as a Christian Scientist, which he claimed to still practice on a day to day basis. In the interview he also expressed an interest in Scientology and astrology.
He was passionate about acting, but decided to retire from the business, citing his desire not to be "a pawn in Hollywood."
Carson was romantically involved with actress Kim Darby. He was also briefly married to model Vicki Morgan, who was later murdered in a very high-profile case, from 1976 to 1977.
He died on October 27, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was survived by his long-time girlfriend and wife of 3 years, Diana Carson, and their daughter.
Read more about this topic: John David Carson
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