Richard Chamberlain, TV actor who starred in ‘Dr. Kildare,’ dies at 90

LOS ANGELES — Richard Chamberlain, the handsome hero of the 1960s television series “Dr. Kildare” who found a second career as an award-winning “king of the miniseries,” has died. He was 90.

Chamberlain died Saturday night in Waimanalo, Hawaii of complications following a stroke, according to his publicist, Harlan Boll.

“Our beloved Richard is with the angels now. He is free and soaring to those loved ones before us,” Martin Rabbett, his lifelong partner, said in a statement. “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.”

Tall, with classic good looks and romantic style, Chamberlain became an instant favorite with teenage girls as the compassionate physician on the TV series that aired from 1961 to 1966. Photoplay magazine named him most popular male star for three years in a row, from 1963-65.

Not until 2003 did he acknowledge publicly what Hollywood insiders had long known, that he was gay. He made the revelation in his autobiography, “Shattered Love.”

The actor became known as “king of the TV miniseries” in 1978 when he landed the starring role in “Centennial,” an epic production 24 hours long and based on James Michener’s sprawling novel. He followed that in 1980 with “Shogun,” another costly, epic miniseries based on James Clavell’s period piece about an American visitor to Japan.

He scored his greatest miniseries success in 1983 with another long-form drama, “The Thorn Birds,” based on Colleen McCullough’s best-seller. He played Father Ralph de Bricassart, a Roman Catholic priest in Australia who falls in love with beautiful Meggie Cleary (Rachel Ward). The ABC production, which also starred Barbara Stanwyck, reportedly attracted 100 million viewers.

Chamberlain won Golden Globes for his work in “Shogun” and “The Thorn Birds.” Years earlier, he received one for “Dr. Kildare.”

When the public began to lose interest in miniseries, Chamberlain turned to the theater, where he displayed a fine singing voice. He appeared as Henry Higgins in a 1994 Broadway revival of “My Fair Lady” and as Captain von Trapp in a 1999 revival of “The Sound of Music.”

He reprised his role of de Bricassart in the 1996 TV movie “The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years.”

He also appeared in numerous films, including “The Music Lovers” (as Tchaikovsky), “The Madwoman of Chaillot,” “The Towering Inferno” and “The Three Musketeers” and its sequels.

The “Kildare” series was based on a string of successful 1930s and ’40s films that had starred Lew Ayres in the title role.

Chamberlain’s hunky, All-American appearance made him an overnight star. Another medical show that debuted the same season, “Ben Casey,” also was a smash and made its leading man, the darkly handsome Vince Edwards, a star, too.

The “Ben Casey shirt” became a fashion item, both shows’ theme songs made the pop Top 40 (the Kildare song performed by Chamberlain himself) and there was even a pop song called “Dr. Kildare! Dr. Casey! You Are Wanted for Consultation.”

But in his book, Chamberlain recounted how he was forced to hide his sexuality. He would escort glamorous actresses to movie premieres and other public events at the request of studio executives and dodge reporters’ questions about why he had never married with a stock reply: “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.”

The book also described a troubled childhood and an alcoholic father, and Chamberlain said that writing it finally lifted a heavy emotional burden. He also expressed relief that he was no longer hiding his sexuality.

“I played a cat-and-mouse game with the press. Game over,” said Chamberlain, who for years was involved with fellow actor Martin Rabbett.

Born George Richard Chamberlain in Beverly Hills on March 31, 1934, the actor originally studied at Pomona College to be a painter. But after returning from the Army, where he had served as an infantry clerk in the Korean War, Chamberlain decided to try acting.

He studied voice and drama, and after appearing in guest roles in a handful of TV shows and in the 1960 film “The Secret of the Purple Reef,” he won the Dr. Kildare role.

When “Dr. Kildare” was canceled he initially found it difficult to shake the image of the handsome young physician.

He moved to England for a time to find work and hone his acting skills. While there, he appeared in three of director Richard Lester’s films, “Petulia” (1968), “The Three Musketeers” (1973) and “The Four Musketeers” (1974). He reunited with Lester in 1989 for “The Return of the Musketeers,” once more playing Aramis.

In 1969, Chamberlain played the title role in “Hamlet” at England’s Birmingham Repertory Company and repeated it in a TV adaptation that appeared on NBC in the United States. He also appeared as Octavius in a film version of “Julius Caesar,” which co-starred Charlton Heston and Jason Robards.

He continued to act well into the 21st century, appearing on such television shows as “Will & Grace,” “The Drew Carey Show” and “Touched by an Angel.”