Richard Chamberlain

George Richard Chamberlain was born on March 31, 1934, at the now-closed Angelus Hospital on Washington Boulevard in Los Angeles,^[1] the second son of Elsa Winnifred (née von Benzon; later Matthews) and Charles Axion "Chuck" Chamberlain, who was a shop equipment salesman from Indiana.^[2][3][4] His mother was of part German descent. Charles worked in real estate and the supermarket business before running a refrigerator business from 1956 to 1970 and, later, authoring the book "A New Pair of Glasses". Chamberlain had a brother William, who worked alongside their father in the family business.^[5] In 1952, Chamberlain graduated from Beverly Hills High School,^[6] and later attended Pomona College ('56) where he received a bachelor's degree in art history and painting.^[7][8][9] Chamberlain was drafted into the United States Army and served from 1956 to 1958. He attained the rank of sergeant while stationed in post-war Korea.^[6][10][11]

Chamberlain co-founded a Los Angeles–based theater group Company of Angels, and began appearing on television in guest roles in the early 1960s. In 1961, he gained widespread fame as the young intern Dr. James Kildare in the NBC/MGM television series of the same name, co-starring with Raymond Massey.^[6][9] Chamberlain's singing ability also led to some hit singles in the early 1960s, including the "Theme from Dr. Kildare (Three Stars Will Shine Tonight)," which reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts.^[12] Dr. Kildare ended in 1966, after which Chamberlain began performing on the theater circuit. In 1966, he was cast opposite Mary Tyler Moore in the ill-fated Broadway musical Breakfast at Tiffany's, co-starring Priscilla Lopez, which, after an out-of-town tryout period, closed after only four previews. Decades later, he returned to Broadway in revivals of My Fair Lady^[13] and The Sound of Music.^[14]

At the end of the 1960s, Chamberlain spent a period of time in England, where he played in repertory theater and in the BBC's Portrait of a Lady (1968),^[15] becoming recognized as a serious actor. The following year, he starred opposite Katharine Hepburn in the film The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969).^[15] While in England, he took vocal coaching and in 1969 performed the title role in Hamlet for the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, becoming the first American to play the role there since John Barrymore in 1925. He received excellent notices^[16] and reprised the role for television in 1970 for the Hallmark Hall of Fame. A recording of the presentation was released by RCA Red Seal Records and was nominated for a Grammy Award.^[12]

In the 1970s, Chamberlain appeared in The Music Lovers (1970),^[17] Lady Caroline Lamb (playing Lord Byron; 1973),^[17] The Three Musketeers (1973) and its sequel The Four Musketeers (1974) playing Aramis,^[6] The Lady's Not for Burning (made for television, 1974), The Towering Inferno (1974),^[6] (in a villainous turn as a dishonest engineer), and The Count of Monte Cristo (1975).^[18] In The Slipper and the Rose (1976),^[15] a musical version of the Cinderella story, co-starring Gemma Craven, he displayed his vocal talents. A television film, William Bast's The Man in the Iron Mask (1977),^[6] followed. The same year, he starred in Peter Weir's film The Last Wave (1977).^[17]

Chamberlain later appeared in several popular television mini-series (earning him a nickname of "King of the Mini-Series"),^[19] including Centennial (1978–79),^[17] Shōgun (1980),^[18] and The Thorn Birds (1983),^[18] as Father Ralph de Bricassart with Rachel Ward and Barbara Stanwyck co-starring. In the 1980s, he appeared as leading man, playing Allan Quatermain in King Solomon's Mines (1985) and its sequel Lost City of Gold (1986),^[17] and played Jason Bourne/David Webb in the television film version of The Bourne Identity (1988),^[15] and reprised the role of Aramis in the last of the trilogy The Return of the Musketeers (1989).

From the 1990s to his death in 2025, Chamberlain appeared mainly in television films, on stage, and as a guest star on such series as The Drew Carey Show and Will & Grace.^[15] in 1991, he appeared in a TV movie version of Davis Grubb's The Night of the Hunter that received mixed reviews. He starred as Henry Higgins in the 1993–1994 Broadway revival of My Fair Lady. In the fall of 2005, Chamberlain appeared in the title role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the Broadway National Tour of Scrooge: The Musical. In 2006, Chamberlain guest-starred in an episode of the British drama series Hustle,^[15] as well as season 4 of Nip/Tuck.^[15] In 2007, Chamberlain guest-starred as Glen Wingfield, Lynette Scavo's stepfather in episode 80 (Season 4, Episode 8, "Distant Past") of Desperate Housewives.^[15]

In 2008 and 2009, Chamberlain appeared as King Arthur in the national tour of Monty Python's Spamalot. In 2010 and 2012, he appeared as Archie Leach in season 3, episode 3 and season 4, episode 18 of the series Leverage,^[20] as well as two episodes of season 4 of Chuck where he played a villain known only as The Belgian.^[21] Chamberlain also appeared in several episodes of Brothers & Sisters, playing an old friend and love-interest of Saul's.^[22] He also appeared in the independent film We Are the Hartmans in 2011. In 2012, Chamberlain appeared on stage in the Pasadena Playhouse as Dr. Sloper in the play The Heiress.^[23]

In 2017, Chamberlain appeared in Twin Peaks: The Return as Bill Kennedy.^[15]

Chamberlain never married and had no children. He was not open about his homosexuality for most of his career, to protect his privacy and his acting opportunities.^[24] He was outed as a gay man by the French women's magazine Nous Deux in December 1989, but did not confirm that he was gay until the publication of his 2003 autobiography Shattered Love: A Memoir.^[25]

Chamberlain was romantically involved with actor Wesley Eure in the 1970s.^[26]

In 1977, Chamberlain began a long-term relationship with actor and producer Martin Rabbett.^[24] Rabbett played the brother of Chamberlain's lead character in the 1986 film Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold. They began living together in Hawaii in 1986 and had a private commitment ceremony.^[24] The couple separated amicably (but temporarily) in 2010, with Chamberlain moving to Los Angeles.^[27] In a 2014 interview, Chamberlain said that while he and Rabbett were not intimately involved, they remained close friends.^[28] According to Chamberlain's obituary in The New York Times, Rabbett and Chamberlain had resumed living together in Hawaii when he died. Rabbett was considered to be his "only immediate survivor".^[9]

Chamberlain died of complications from a stroke in Waimānalo, Hawaii, on March 29, 2025, at the age of 90.^[29]

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From Haleakala: How Maui Snared The Sun/Clarinet Concerto

• "Haleakala: How Maui Snared The Sun (Tone Poem) (1991), composed by Dan Welcher, performed with the Honolulu Symphony"

• Chamberlain, Richard (June 3, 2003). Shattered Love: A Memoir. New York: Regan Books. ISBN 0-06-008743-9. OCLC 52178565.