The Late Great Richard Chamberlain

Today would have been Richard Chamberlain's 91st birthday. He remains best known as the title character on the popular medical drama Dr. Kildare. He was also the undisputed "King of Miniseries," having appeared in Centennial,  Shōgun, and The Thorn Birds. He also had a movie career, playing Aramis in director Richard Lester's  The Three Musketeers (1973), The Four Musketeers (1974), and The Return of the Musketeers (1989); and playing Allan Quatermain in  both King Solomon's Mines (1985) and Lost City of Gold (1986). Sadly, Mr. Chamberlain died on March 29 2025 at the age of 90 of complications from a stroke.

Richard Chamberlain was born on March 31 1934 in Beverly Hills. Although he grew up on Beverly Hills, it was, in his own words, on the"...wrong side of Wilshire Boulevard, the wrong side of Beverly Drive, in an extremely normal neighborhood." He went to Beverly Hills High School. There he lettered in track and also took part in school plays such as I Remember Mama. He majored in art at Pomona College, but decided to pursue acting in his senior year. Richard Chamberlain attracted the attention of Paramount, bu the was drafted into the United States Army while he was discussing a contract with the studio. He served in Korea and attained the rank of sergeant.

Following his service, Robert Chamberlain studied acting under character actor Jeff Corey. He signed with legendary agent Monique James of MCA. He made his television debut in 1959 in the Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode "Road Hog." In 1960 he guest starred on the TV shows Rescue 8, Bourbon Street Beat, Gunsmoke, Mr. Lucky, Thriller, and Riverboat. He made his film debut in 1960 in The Secret of the Purple Reef.

It was in 1961 that Richard Chamberlain began playing Dr. James Kildare on the hit TV show Dr. Kildare on NBC, based on the character created by Max Brand later adapted into a series of MGM movies. The show proved to be a major hit, and ultimately ran for five seasons. He also played Dr. Kildare in an episode of the TV show The Eleventh Hour. In the Sixties he later starred in the British series The Portrait of a Lady.He guest starred on the shows The Deputy and Whispering Smith. He appeared in the movies A Thunder of Drums (1961), Twilight of Honor (1963), Joy in the Morning (1965), Petulia (1968),  The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969), and Julius Caesar (1970).

In the Seventies Richard Chamberlain played in The Music Lovers (1971), Lord Byron in Lady Caroline Lamb (1972), and Armais in both The Three Musketeers (1973) and The Four Musketeers (1974). He also appeared in the movies The Towering Inferno (1974), The Slipper and the Rose (1976), The Last Wave (1977), and The Swarm (1978). On television he appeared in the TV movies F. Scott Fitzgerald and '"he Last of the Belles," The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Man in the Iron Mask. He appeared in the mini-series Centennial and Shōgun.

In the Eighties Richard Chamberlain starred in the mini-series The Thorn Birds, The Bourne Identity, and Dream West. He starred on the short lived series Island Son and the TV movie Casanova. He appeared in the movies Murder by Phone (1982), King Solomon's Mines (1985), Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1986), and The Return of the Musketeers (1989).  In the Nineties he appeared in the mini-series The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years and Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke. He guest starred on Touched by an Angel. He appeared in the movie Bird of Prey (1995) and, A River Made to Drown In (1997).

In the Naughts Richard Chamberlain guest starred on the shows The Drew Carey Show, Will & Grace, Hustle, Nip/Tuck, Desperate Housewives, Chuck, and Leverage. He had a recurring role on the short-lived shows Brothers and Sisters. He appeared in the TV movie Blackbeard. He appeared in the movies The Pavilion (2004), Strength and Honor (2005), and I Now Pronounce Your Chuck & Larry (2007).

In the Teens Richard Chamberlain guest starred on the TV shows Leverage and Chuck. He was a guest voice on the animated series Thundercats. He appeared in the movies The Perfect Family (2011), We Are the Hartmans (2011), and Nightmare Cinema (2018). He was the voice of Highfather in the animated movie Justice League: Gods and Monsters (2015).

Richard Chamberlain was an versatile actor capable of playing  a wide array of roles. For many he will always be best remembered as the earnest, idealistic Dr. James Kildare. Others might remember him best as the charming, somewhat hot-tempered Armais in the Three Musketeers movies. Still others might remember him best as John Blackthorne, the pragmatic and individualistic English pilot, in Shōgun. Over the years Richard Chambelain played a number of heroes, including Edmond Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo and Jason Bourne in The Bourne Identity (the first actor to do so). He could also play villains. He was David Danner, the brutally abusive husband of the title character (Julie Christie) in Petulia. In The Towering Inferno he played the dodgy electrical subcontractor whose cutting corners causes the title fire of The Towering Inferno. On Leverage he fell somewhere in between, playing the greatest thief in the world, Archie Leach, who was Parker's mentor. Richard Chamberlain was quite simply an iconic actor with an incredible amount of talent who appeared in a number of memorable roles.