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Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Obituary: Richard Chamberlain, actor
Toshiro Mifune (1920-1997, left), as Yoshi Toranaga, and American actor Richard Chamberlain as John Blackthorne, examine a samurai sword in the TV miniseries Shogun, 1980. Soap star turned king of the mini series, Richard Chamberlain was an actor whose craft was perhaps never fully recognised. The Beverly Hills-born Chamberlain served in the army in Korea before studying voice and drama. After guest roles in a handful of TV shows and a feature film role, Chamberlain landed the part of compassionate medic James Kildare in Dr Kildare. Driven in part by its star's good looks, Dr Kildare was a massive hit but it also typecast its main actor. Soon after the show ended in 1966, Chamberlain moved to England and was a regular on stage and screen. He returned to prominence on US screens in 1978, starring in the epic Centennial, based on James Michener's novel. Chamberlain followed that by starring in a hit adaptation of James Clavell's novel Shogun. His third and biggest mini-series hit came in 1983 in The Thorn Birds. The adaptation of Colleen McCullough's novel attracted more than 100 million viewers each episode. As the mini series ceased to be a staple of US TV, Chamberlain returned to theatre, showcasing a fine singing voice. In his 2003 autobiography Shattered Love Chamberlain confirmed Hollywood's worst-kept secret, that he was gay. Chamberlain continued to act, appearing in shows such as Will & Grace, The Drew Carey Show and Touched by an Angel. Richard Chamberlain died on March 29, aged 90. — APL/agencies
Express Tribune
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Richard Chamberlain, star of ‘Shogun' and ‘Dr Kildare', dies at 90
Richard Chamberlain, the American actor best known for his roles in the 1960s medical drama Dr Kildare and the 1980s mini-series Shogun and The Thorn Birds, has died at the age of 90, his publicist Harlan Boll confirmed to the BBC. Chamberlain passed away late Saturday night at his home in Waimanalo, Hawaii, from complications related to a stroke. He died just hours before what would have been his 91st birthday. The actor rose to fame in 1961 when he was cast as Dr James Kildare, a role that turned him into a teen heartthrob and household name. The show's popularity led to Chamberlain being named the most popular male star by Photoplay magazine for three consecutive years from 1963 to 1965. Following his early success, Chamberlain found renewed fame in the 1980s as the 'king of the mini-series,' with critically acclaimed lead roles in Shogun and The Thorn Birds. The latter drew 60% of the US television audience and received 16 Emmy nominations. Chamberlain's long-time partner, actor-director Martin Rabbett, paid tribute to him in a statement, describing him as an 'amazing and loving soul.' He added, 'Love never dies. And our love is under his wings, lifting him to his next great adventure.' Despite his fame as a romantic lead, Chamberlain kept his personal life private until much later. In 2003, he publicly came out as gay in his memoir Shattered Love, revealing he had long feared that being open about his sexuality would damage his career. Born in Beverly Hills on March 31, 1934, Chamberlain served in the US Army before studying acting. He later opened up about the psychological abuse he endured during his childhood, describing the emotional toll of his father's behaviour. In his later years, he spoke of the relief that came with living openly—a journey that shaped his legacy as much as his on-screen roles.
Euronews
31-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Euronews
Award-winning 'king of the miniseries' Richard Chamberlain dies aged 90
ADVERTISEMENT American actor Richard Chamberlain has died at age 90 after complications following a stroke, according to his publicist Harlan Boll. The veteran actor passed away on Saturday night in Waimanalo in Hawaii. Known for playing in the 1960s television series "Dr Kildare", he later earned the nickname "king of the miniseries" as he took on leading roles in "Centennial," a 24-hour-long production based on James Michener's sprawling novel, "Shōgun" and "The Thorn Birds". Born George Richard Chamberlain in Beverly Hills on 31 March 1934, the actor initially studied painting at Pomona College. However, after returning from his military service as an infantry clerk during the Korean War, he decided to pursue a career in acting. Related Vampire Diaries author LJ Smith dies aged 66 Gene Hackman and wife's bodies remain unclaimed a month after deaths His lifelong partner Martin Rabbett said in a statement: "Our beloved Richard is with the angels now. 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 was known for his good looks and romantic style, becoming known as a heartthrob for teenage girls who knew him as the empathetic doctor in "Dr Kildare" which ran from 1961 to 1966. He was named by Photoplay magazine as the most popular male star for three years in a row, from 1963 to 1966. Richard Chamberlain, left, portraying King Edward II, and Faye Dunaway, portraying Wallis Simpson, in "For the Women I Love," Jan. 10, 1972. AP/AP Chamberlain also played in many films, such as "The Music Lovers" (as Tchaikovsky), "The Madwoman of Chaillot", "The Towering Inferno" as well as "The Three Musketeers" and its sequels. Later on in life, Chamberlain turned to theatre, where he demonstrated a fine singing voice. In 1994, he played as Henry Higgins in a Broadway revival of "My Fair Lady" and as Captain von Trapp in a 1999 revival of "The Sound of Music". In 2003, at age 69, Chamberlain came out to the public as gay in his autobiography "Shattered Love". In the book, Chamberlain described how he had to hide his sexuality. At the request of studio executives, he would take glamorous actresses to movie premieres and other public events, and when reporters asked why he was still single, he would brush it off with his typical response: "Getting married would be great, but I'm awfully busy now." "When I grew up, being gay, being a sissy or anything like that was verboten ," he said in an NBC interview. "I disliked myself intensely and feared this part of myself intensely and had to hide it." Chamberlain won Golden Globes for his work in 'Shōgun" and 'The Thorn Birds", as well as 'Dr Kildare".
BBC News
30-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Richard Chamberlain, Shogun star, dies aged 90
Richard Chamberlain, the actor best known for his role in the 1960s medical drama Dr Kildare and leading role in Shogun, has died aged 90, his publicist has confirmed to the BBC. Chamberlain earned the title "king of the mini-series" for his leading roles in Shogun and The Thorn Birds. He died late on Saturday night local time (10:15 GMT Sunday) in Waimanalo, Hawaii, after suffering complications from a stroke, his publicist Harlan Boll confirmed - just hours before he would have turned 91. Martin Rabbett, Chamberlain's longtime partner, called him an "amazing and loving soul" in a statement. The Heartthrob king of the TV mini-series He said: "Our beloved Richard is with the angels now. He is free and soaring to those loved ones before us." Rabbett added: "Love never dies. And our love is under his wings, lifting him to his next great adventure." Chamberlain's big break came in 1961, when he became a household name as Dr James Kildare in Dr Kildare. The show, based on a popular 1930s and 40s film series, attracted millions of viewers, turning Chamberlain into a beloved leading man and a teen idol. The popularity Dr Kildare earnt Chamberlain meant that, for three consecutive years between 1963 and 1965, he was named the most popular male star by Photoplay magazine. He went on to become the king of the 1980s TV mini-series, playing a western prisoner in Shogun and a catholic priest tempted by love in The Thorn Birds. The latter won 60% of the US television audience and earned 16 Emmy nominations. Though widely recognised as a romantic leading man, Chamberlain's private life remained largely a mystery until later in his life. He did not publicly address his sexuality until the release of his memoir, Shattered Love, in 2003, where he revealed that he was gay. Throughout his 30-year relationship with actor-director Rabbett, they had kept their private life secret. In his memoir, he recalled escorting glamorous actresses to premieres, explaining that he had been "desperately afraid" his sexuality would derail his career. "I used to get chased by hot teenage girls," he once told TV Guide. "I got 12,000 fan letters a week. And I felt somewhat besieged." Rabbett and Chamberlain separated in 2010 but remained close. Born on 31 March 1934 in Beverly Hills, California, Chamberlain grew up on what he called "the wrong side of Wilshire Boulevard" - far from the wealth of Hollywood's star-studded district. The younger of two boys, his father, Charles, was a salesman who struggled with alcoholism and became a prominent figure in Alcoholics Anonymous, travelling the world to speak at conventions. His mother, Elsa, was a homemaker. He initially studied painting at Pomona College, but a student theatre performance inspired him to pursue acting. Interest from a Hollywood scout was put on hold as he was drafted into the US Army, where he rose to the rank of sergeant while stationed in South Korea. Upon returning to California, Chamberlain took acting classes, landing several small TV roles before his breakout role as Dr Kildare. Years later, Chamberlain recounted the psychological abuse he endured during his childhood. He described how his father's "lethal sneer" and emotionally abusive behaviour made him feel as if he were being "slashed with a machete". Chamberlain also spoke about the relief he experienced in finally not having to hide his sexuality later in life. Film
Telegraph
30-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Richard Chamberlain's 10 greatest roles
The death of the actor Richard Chamberlain at the age of 90 deprives his many admirers of the man once known as 'the king of the miniseries'. Over the course of a decades-spanning career, the suave and charismatic Chamberlain excelled at playing heroic and sensitive figures, albeit often with a dark side or concealed secrets. His success at portraying these demanding roles presumably came from his own closeted homosexuality, which would have destroyed his mainstream career had it been exposed in his Sixties and Seventies heyday. Like an American Dirk Bogarde, Chamberlain's career became more interesting as he cast off his matinee idol trappings in favour of more challenging roles, which, in retrospect, seem clearly designed to indicate to those in the know that there was more to him than the white-bread wholesomeness of Dr Kildare. In the last years of his life and career, after he confirmed he was gay in his 2003 autobiography Shattered Love, Chamberlain seemed more comfortable embracing a camper and more relaxed side on screen, his leading man days long behind him. Yet he continued to surprise, not least in his final television appearance, which was not some piece of stunt casting in a sitcom but a knowing cameo in David Lynch's 2017 Twin Peaks redux as Billy Kennedy, a high-ranking FBI supremo: proof that, even in his eighties, this versatile and always interesting actor was beloved by the best. Here are 10 of his most varied roles, from Tchaikovsky to Edward VIII – to say nothing, of course, of Dr Kildare and Father Ralph. 10. Dr James Kildare, Dr Kildare (1961 – 1966) After a series of undistinguished early roles, the handsome Chamberlain first achieved household name status in the immensely popular NBC medical drama which aired for five years in the Sixties. It saw him receive 12,000 fan letters a week, many of them asking for medical advice. Such was the popularity of both actor and character that he even recorded its theme as a single – The Stars Will Shine Tonight – which duly reached the top 10 in the US charts. It was not, in truth, the most demanding role that Chamberlain ever took on, although the much-parodied series should be given credit for attempting to deal with some reasonably serious issues – it was the first American show ever to explore epilepsy, for instance – and the actor's smooth bedside manner meant that the Golden Globe he eventually won was much deserved. 9. Jason Bourne, The Bourne Identity (1988) Two-and-a-half decades before Matt Damon and Doug Liman created one of the most iconic action heroes of the 21st century, Chamberlain, by then nearing the end of his leading man career, took the first stab at playing Robert Ludlum's amnesiac spy. He was nominated for a Golden Globe for his now little-seen attempt at playing Jason Bourne, although this three-hour miniseries comes up short when compared to the subsequent Paul Greengrass-directed pictures. It's far closer to the original novels than the films were, and reflects the Cold War era in which they were written, and the now 55-year old Chamberlain is a more sombre, stately figure than Damon ever was. Still, he's always watchable, if never exactly magnetic (you can't imagine him engaging in a spot of parkour, for instance) and, as usual, Chamberlain conveys a chilly sense of reserve that marks him out as a natural spy. 8. David Danner, Petulia (1968) Richard Lester's romantic drama Petulia is a film entirely of its time, in its focus on an unhappy but glamorous late Sixties socialite – played, inevitably but superbly, by Julie Christie – and her burgeoning relationship with a progressive doctor played by George C Scott. Yet much of the film's interest and appeal comes from Chamberlain's cast-against-type performance as Christie's violently abusive husband, an architect named David Danner. It was clear that, after several years of being associated with the near-saintly Dr Kildare, Chamberlain wanted to take on more testing roles, and although he does not have a leading role here, his ability to delve convincingly into his dark side precipitated far more interesting parts in the early Seventies, and beyond. 7. Edward VIII, The Woman I Love (1972) Chamberlain spent a considerable part of his career working in the United Kingdom, where he played some of his greatest roles. It may have been seen as acclamation of his talent that he was cast as the country's most controversial 20th-century monarch, the spoilt, petulant Edward VIII. Although this television film prefers to present his love for Faye Dunaway's Wallis Simpson as a grand amour, rather than the selfishly destructive (and constitutionally damaging) disaster that it really was, Chamberlain manages to make Edward a sympathetic and glamorous figure, with his love for Mrs Simpson seeming wholly believable rather than (as in real life) the display of an obsessive masochism. Not until Guy Pearce in The King's Speech did anyone play this most inessential of monarchs better. 6. Roger Simmons, The Towering Inferno (1974) The Seventies was the peak time for big-budget, star-studded disaster pictures, and The Towering Inferno is fondly remembered by many as the peak example of the genre, not only for its then-groundbreaking visual effects but for the on and off-screen machismo that was brought about by the casting of the two biggest stars in Hollywood, Paul Newman and Steve McQueen. It was typical of Chamberlain, cast in the villainous role of Roger Simmons, a slimy electrical subcontractor whose cost-cutting leads to the eponymous conflagration in the film's San Francisco skyscraper, to come between the two main actors and waltz away with the picture. Although he did not win the critical plaudits – those, and the awards, went to Fred Astaire's sprightly conman – Chamberlain yet again revealed his ability to play a dark side in a charismatic yet deeply nefarious fashion, which would stand him in great stead for his most famous roles. 5. Lord Byron, Lady Caroline Lamb (1972) Lawrence of Arabia screenwriter Robert Bolt only directed one film, this biopic of Byron's most famous lover Lady Caroline Lamb. She was the one who famously described the aristocratic poet as 'mad, bad and dangerous to know', and so it was vital to cast an actor who could simultaneously convey seductive charisma and saturnine menace. Step forward Chamberlain, who said of his casting that 'I've been playing zanies and eccentrics for the past few years, so Byron is new for me. He was like this incredible pop star.' He steals the show entirely, both from cameo players like Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson and from the rather colourless Sarah Miles in the lead role; he makes you wish that the film had simply been called 'Byron' instead. Bolt subsequently disowned the unsuccessful picture, and understandably so, but Chamberlain's dashing poet-meets-pop star is worth the watch. 4. Tchaikovsky, The Music Lovers (1971) Chamberlain had repressed his homosexuality since the beginning of his career, so in retrospect it was a bold move to play the similarly closeted composer in Ken Russell's avant-garde musical drama, which explores his compromising marriage to his wife Nina (as played by Glenda Jackson) as well as his forbidden passion for Christopher Gable's Count Anton Chiluvsky. Even by Russell's standards, The Music Lovers is challenging stuff – largely devoid of dialogue, it regards instead on Tchaikovsky's music juxtaposed with Russell's signature surrealist, often highly sexualised imagery – which is why Chamberlain's dignified and charismatic performance, which stands in contrast to Jackson's atypically OTT work opposite him, remains some of his most underrated work in cinema. 3. John Blackthorne, Shōgun (1980) Now that the recent adaptation of James Clavell's Shōgun has won virtually every award going, there has been a tendency to regard the first version of it as something of an inferior dry run, which lacks the complexity and nuance (as well as extreme bloodshed) of the newer miniseries. This is fair, but there are many strengths to the earlier series too – it did not win a Golden Globe and Emmy for Best Limited Series for nothing – although its greater emphasis on the white character of Blackthorne rather than the true lead, Toshiro Mifune's Toranaga, reflects changing audience expectations over the past few decades. Chamberlain is, however, terrific in the beefed-up central role, conveying charisma, decency and heroism in equal measure. He deservedly won a Golden Globe, and the show's success would lead to his greatest role a few years later, as well as his more regrettable appearance as the adventurer Allen Quartermain in two B-movies that decade. 2. Aramis, The Three Musketeers/The Four Musketeers (1973/1974) If it is hard to distinguish Richard Lester's two Alexandre Dumas adaptations from one another, there is a simple reason for that: the pictures were filmed together, intended as one three-hour film, and then the producers Alexander and Ilya Salkind decided to release them as two features instead, thereby doubling the box office gross. If this was a commercially rather than artistically driven decision, it did at least allow audiences to savour more of Chamberlain's most successful cinematic performance, the poetic and debonair Aramis, whose refined and gentlemanly sensibilities are only equalled by his deadliness in a duel. Despite his American birth, Chamberlain was occasionally half-seriously discussed as a potential James Bond, and this (rather than his later Bourne) is the best indication of what he would have been like had he been (to date) the first gay actor to play 007. 1. Ralph de Brissecart, The Thorn Birds (1983) There could never be any serious doubt, however, as to which Chamberlain's most iconic and beloved role is, and his priest Ralph de Brissecart, who falls helplessly in forbidden love with Rachel Ward's Meggie Clearly, remains his most famous part. The Thorn Birds miniseries, based on Colleen McCullough's bestseller, was immensely successful on its initial broadcast, and although it may seem overblown and almost comically eventful to contemporary viewers, retains much of its guilty-pleasure appeal thanks to Chamberlain's Golden Globe-winning star role. The character of the priest tormented by all-too-human desires is hardly an original conception, but Chamberlain, perhaps mindful of his own secrets that he had kept throughout his life, makes Ralph sympathetic and even heroic in his forbidden passion. He reprised his role in another miniseries 16 years later, subtitled The Missing Years, but it is the original that will continue to endure for audiences.
