He leaps to fame in 1972 playing the role of Kwai Chang Caine , in TV series Kung Fu . Kwai Chang Caine is a Shaolin monk fugitive who fled to America to escape the Emperor to put a price on his head , for the crime of his father 63 episodes were filmed between ( 1972 - 1975 ) . For three seasons , David Carradine starred as a half-Chinese , half-Caucasian Shaolin monk , Kwai Chang Caine , on the ABC hit TV series Kung Fu ( 1972 â `` 1975 ) and was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for the role .