Richard Chamberlain dies at 90: star of ‘Shōgun’ and ‘The Thorn Birds’ leaves behind an unforgettable legacy
Born on “the wrong side of Wilshire Boulevard,” he nevertheless made his mark on Hollywood and earned the title of “King of the Miniseries.”
Richard Chamberlain, perhaps best-known for his roles in ‘Shogun’ and ‘The Thorn Birds’, passed away at the age of 90 of complications following a stroke. The California native came to fame in the 1960s as the star on the TV show ‘Dr. Kildare’.
His role in that series, where he also sang the theme ‘Three Stars Will Shine Tonight’, earned him his first of three Golden Globes. The other two came from his performances in the 1980s miniseries ‘Shogun’ and ‘The Thorn Birds’ that also earned him the title of “King of the Miniseries.”
Richard Chamberlain: “King of the Miniseries.”
Born George Richard Chamberlain on 31 March 1934 in Los Angeles, California. He often said that he grew up on “the wrong side of Wilshire Boulevard, the wrong side of Beverly Drive, in an extremely normal neighborhood” in Beverly Hills.
After graduating from Beverly Hills High School, Chamberlain attended Pomona College in Claremont pursuing an art degree. However, while there he joined a student theater group and by his senior year decided to dedicate himself to acting.
Chamberlain was spotted by a talent scout from Paramount Pictures while performing in a school production, but during contract negotiations he was drafted into the Army. He served for two years, most of that time spent in Korea. Upon returning to California Chamberlain pursued his acting career in full.
His first feature debut came with his role in the 1960 film ‘The Secret of the Purple Reef’. The following year, thanks to a former high school classmate, Chamberlain landed the titular role in ‘Dr. Kildare’, which ran from 1961 to 1966.
While his stage career got off to a bumpy start on Broadway in 1966 with a musical adaptation of ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ which never opened, Chamberlain moved to England to become a “serious actor.” There the California-blonde heartthrob surprised the British critics with his performance in Hamlet in 1969.
After his stint in the United Kingdom, he returned to the United States to take on roles on stage and the silver screen. But its was his roles in miniseries, beginning in 1978 with the 12-part “Centennial” that Chamberlain gained his greatest fame. He appeared in ‘Shogun’ in 1980 and ‘The Thorn Birds’ in 1983 and earned the title “King of the Miniseries.”
In 2003, Chamberlain published his autobiography ‘Shattered Love’ in which the then-69-year-old revealed that was gay.
Chamberlain died in Waimanalo, Hawai’i, a state that he had called home since the late 80s, two days shy of his 91st birthday. He is survived by his longtime partner, actor-writer-producer Martin Rabbett.
“Our beloved Richard is with the angels now,” Rabbett said in a statement reported Variety. “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.”
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