Richard Chamberlain (The Count of Monte Cristo, Shogun) is known for his leading role in Dr. Kildare and starring in the miniseries The Thorn Birds and Shogun. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chamberlain died at the age of 90 on Saturday night in Waimanalo, Hawaii.
Chamberlain’s publicist Harlan Boll told The Hollywood Reporter that Chamberlain passed away due to complications subsequent to a stroke. He was just two days away from his 91st birthday.
“Our beloved Richard is with the angels now,” Chamberlain’s steady partner, Martin Rabbett (All the Winters that Have Been, Bare Essence), said in a statement, via The Hollywood Reporter. “He is free and soaring to those loved ones before us. How blessed were we to have known such an amazing and loving soul. Love never dies. And our love is under his wings lifting him to his next great adventure.”
Chamberlain has a lengthy body of work including Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold, Petulia and King Solomon’s Mines. He also made a name for himself by helping trailblaze the miniseries industry. Chamberlain began his miniseries career with the role of trapper Alexander McKeag in Centennial, author James Michener’s (The Source, Chesapeake) 16 1/2-hour, 12-episode saga that aired on NBC from 1978 to 1979. He later became the first actor to bring Robert Ludlum’s (The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Ultimatum) character Jason Bourne to the screen and starred in an ABC miniseries adaptation in 1988.
Chamberlain made his acting debut in the 1961 NBC Drama Dr. Kildare in which he played James Kildare. The series had a large female following, and according to The Hollywood Reporter, MGM studios received more fan mail than any other actor in the studio’s history. The show ran for five seasons.
In the miniseries The Thorn Birds airing across four nights on ABC in March 1983, Chamberlain took on the role of Father Ralph, a devoted Catholic priest entangled in a heartbreaking romance with the beautiful and spirited Meggie played by Rachel Ward (Against All Odds, Sharky’s Machine). Seeking comfort, Meggie turns to a ranch hand, played by Bryan Brown—who would later become Ward’s husband in real life. At the time it aired, it was the second most-watched miniseries.
Chamberlain released an autobiography in 2003 titled Shattered Love, where he came out as gay. The Hollywood Reporter quoted a 2014 interview Chamberlain did with the New York Times in which he said ,“When you grow up in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s being gay, it not only ain’t easy, it’s just impossible.”
Via The Hollywood Reporter Chamberlain was born in Los Angeles on March 31, 1934, and was the younger of two sons. His father, Charles, worked as a salesman specializing in supermarket fixtures, while his mother, Elsa, was a homemaker with a talent for playing the piano.
Although he grew up in Beverly Hills, his family lived in a more modest area beyond Wilshire Boulevard and Beverly Drive. Chamberlain attended Beverly Hills High School, where he took part in stage productions, including I Remember Mama.
Initially studying art at Pomona College, Chamberlain only fully embraced acting during his senior year after receiving enthusiastic applause for his performance as Bluntschli in George Bernard Shaw’s (Pygmalion, Man and Superman) Arms & the Man.
Just as he was in talks with Paramount about a potential contract, he was drafted into the U.S. Army, serving 16 months in Korea and rising to the rank of sergeant.
After returning home, he honed his craft under blacklisted actor-turned-coach Jeff Corey (True Grit, Little Big Man) and secured representation with powerhouse MCA agent Monique James. One of his earliest paid acting gigs was a 1959 episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, where he portrayed Massey’s son—a role that proved crucial, as it required Massey’s approval for him to later take on the role of Dr. James Kildaire.
According to THR, in an interview with the TV Academy Chamberlain said, “I wasn’t that attracted to real life, I liked fantasy life. I liked role-playing and all that stuff. I was really set up to be an actor, because that was when I was happiest, essentially being someone else.”
In his later years, Chamberlain took on a variety of memorable television roles. He made a guest appearance on Nip/Tuck as a wealthy gay man who pressures his younger partner into undergoing plastic surgery to look like him. He had a recurring role on Brothers & Sisters as a past love interest of Ron Rifkin’s (Alias, Dragonfly) character. Showcasing his comedic side, he humorously played Craig Ferguson’s (The Late Late Show, How to Train Your Dragon) mother, Maggie Wick, on The Drew Carey Show. He also made an appearance in the revival of Twin Peaks.
Donations can be made in his name to the Hawaiian Humane Society or NPR.
