Everything about Richard Chamberlain totally explained
George Richard Chamberlain (born
March 31,
1934) is an
American actor of
stage and
screen who became a
teen idol in the title role of the television show
Dr. Kildare (1961-1966).
Biography
Chamberlain was born in
Beverly Hills, California to salesman Charles and Elsa Chamberlain
née Matthews. Chamberlain's father was well known within
Alcoholics Anonymous, having traveled for years speaking at A.A. conventions. In 1952 Richard Chamberlain graduated from
Beverly Hills High School and later attended
Pomona College.
Career
Coinciding with his rise to fame on
Kildare, Chamberlain also had a brief but moderately successful career as a pop singer. He subsequently became disenchanted with
Hollywood and turned to the theater, finding success in England among British audiences. In 1966, Chamberlain was cast opposite
Mary Tyler Moore in the ill-fated
Broadway musical Breakfast at Tiffany's which, after a torturous out-of-town tryout period, closed after only four previews. It is considered one of the most notorious flops in theater history. Decades later he returned to Broadway in revivals of
My Fair Lady and
The Sound of Music.
In the first half of the 1970s, Chamberlain enjoyed some success as a leading man in films such as
The Towering Inferno,
The Last Wave,
The Three Musketeers and sequels and
The Count of Monte Cristo. In
The Slipper and the Rose, a musical version of the
Cinderella story, co-starring
Gemma Craven, he displayed his vocal talents, which had already resulted in a hit single during his days as
Dr. Kildare.
Chamberlain later appeared in several popular television
miniseries (earning him the sobriquet of "King of the Miniseries"), including
Centennial,
William Bast's
The Man in the Iron Mask,
Shogun, and
The Thorn Birds playing
Father Ralph de Bricassart opposite
Rachel Ward. In the late 1980s he experienced a belated breakthrough as a leading man with
King Solomon's Mines opposite newcomer Sharon Stone, and also played Jason Bourne in the original 1988 version of
The Bourne Identity.
Since the 1990s, Chamberlain has mostly appeared in television movies and as a guest star on series including
The Drew Carey Show and
Will & Grace. 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 hit BBC drama series
Hustle as well as season 4 on
Nip/Tuck.
In 2007, Chamberlain guest starred in episode 80 (Season 4, Episode 8, "Distant Past") of
Desperate Housewives as Glen Wingfield, Lynette Scavo's stepfather.
Personal life
Chamberlain resides in
Hawaii, with his partner since the mid-1970s, agent-producer-director Martin Rabbett.
Although it was generally known that Chamberlain was gay, having been
outed by the French women's magazine
Nous Deux in December 1989, it wasn't until 2003, at age 69, that he
came out as such in his
biography,
Shattered Love (ISBN 0060087439), which describes how he felt obliged to hide his sexuality in order to have an acting career.
Filmography
Discography
From Richard Chamberlain Sings:
"Theme From Dr. Kildare (Three Stars Will Shine Tonight)" (1962)
"Love Me Tender" (1962)
"All I Have to Do Is Dream" (1963)
"Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo" (1963)
"I Will Love You" (1963)
"True Love" (1963)
From Twilight of Honor:
"Blue Guitar" (1963)
From Richard Chamberlain (aka Joy in the Morning):
"Rome Will Never Leave You" (1964)
From The Slipper and the Rose:
"Secret Kingdom" (1976)
"She Danced With Me" (1976)
"What a Comforting Thing to Know" (1976)
"Why Can't I Be Two People?" (1976)
"Bride-Finding Ball" (1976)Further Information
Get more info on 'Richard Chamberlain'.
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