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U.S. actor Randy Quaid and his wife Evi are seeking refugee status in Canada, telling an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing in Vancouver that they fear for their lives in the U.S.

The Quaids told the hearing Friday that eight of their close friends had been killed in recent years and they now felt endangered themselves.

Evi Quaid said friends such as actors David Carradine and Heath Ledger were "murdered" under mysterious circumstances and she's worried something will happen to her husband.

"We feel our lives are in danger," she said.

"Randy has known eight close friends murdered in odd, strange manners ... We feel that we're next."

Ledger was nominated for an Oscar for his lead role in the movie Brokeback Mountain. He died in January 2008 from an accidental overdose.

Actor Randy Quaid leaves an immigration hearing in Vancouver after saying he is seeking refugee status in Canada.Actor Randy Quaid leaves an immigration hearing in Vancouver after saying he is seeking refugee status in Canada. (CBC) Carradine was star of the hit 1970s television series Kung Fu and also had a movie career before he hanged himself in Thailand last year. He was 72.

The Quaids were released late Friday after posting bonds of $10,000 each.

The couple were arrested Thursday after Vancouver police were called for assistance concerning an incident near West 41st Avenue and Yew Street.

"While checking the identity of a man and a woman at that location, they learned that the two were wanted on outstanding warrants from the United States," said police in a statement issued on Friday morning.

"The pair were held for CBSA in the Vancouver jail, and they were turned over to [the] Canada Border Services Agency this morning at 10:30. As there are no Canadian charges or offences committed, the names of the two individuals cannot be released."

Wanted on $500,000 warrants

The Quaids are facing felony burglary charges and misdemeanour counts in the U.S. for allegedly moving back into and vandalizing a home they once owned in Santa Barbara, Calif. Both are wanted on $500,000 bench warrants issued by judge Donna Geck in Santa Barbara.

Randy Quaid won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Emmy for his portrayal of U.S. President Lyndon Johnson in LBJ: The Early Years, but he's perhaps best known for his roles in the National Lampoon's Vacation movies as well as Brokeback Mountain and Independence Day.

He is the older brother of actor Dennis Quaid.

With files from The Canadian Press