Actor Richard Chamberlain dies at 90

Actor Richard Chamberlain has died at 90 of complications following a stroke just days before his 91st birthday. Chamberlain became an overnight sensation with the 1961-1966 TV series Dr. Kildare, and became iconic for his roles as John Blackthorne in the original Shogun miniseries, and as Ralph de Bricassart in miniseries The Thorn Birds.

Chamberlain's early life took him from Beverly Hills, where he was born, to Korea where he served in the U.S. Army from 1956 to 1958, achieving the rank of sergeant. Returning to the U.S., Chamberlain formed the Company of Angels theatre group in 1959, and made his TV debut the same year in an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Chamberlain continued to make TV guest appearances on such shows as Gunsmoke, Mr. Lucky, Thriller and Riverboat -- and appeared in a handful of films including The Secret of the Purple Reef and Twilight of Honor -- before landing the title role of Dr. Kildare, which earned him a Golden Globe award. He won two more Globes for his work in Shogun and The Thorn Birds.

After the end of his series, Chamberlain divided his time between the big and small screens, earning the title 'King of the Miniseries', with appearances on The Red Skelton Hour, The Portrait of a Lady, The Lady's Not for Burning, The Count of Monte-Cristo, The Christmas Messenger, The Man in the Iron Mask, Centennial, Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1986 revival), Casanova, The Bourne Identity (minseries), Island Son, Night of the Hunter (TV movie), The Lost Daughter, Too Rich: The Secret Life of Doris Duke, Touched by an Angel, The Drew Carey Show, Will & Grace, Hustle, Blackbeard, Nip/Tuck, Desperate Housewives, Chuck, Brothers & Sisters, Leverage, and Twin Peaks: The Return.

Films include Petulia, The Madwoman of Chaillot, Julius Caesar, The Music Lovers, Lady Caroline Lamb, The Three Musketeers, The Four Musketeers, The Towering Inferno, The Slipper and the Rose, The Last Wave, The Swarm, Murder by Phone, King Solomon's Mines, Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold, The Return of the Musketeers, The Pavillion, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, The Perfect Family, We Are the Hartmans and Nightmare Cinema. Chamberlain's last film role was in 2019's Finding Julia.

Chamberlain had a brief singing career, earning a Number 10 hit with 'Three Stars Will Shine Tonight', the theme song from Dr. Kildare. He also appeared on stage, infamously in a musical adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany's, opposite Mary Tyler Moore, which closed after four performances during a pre-Broadway run. He eventually made it to Broadway in revivals of My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music. He also toured in 2005 with Scrooge: The Musical, and in 2008-2009 in Monty Python's Spamalot as King Arthur. He returned to the stage in 2012 in a production of The Heiress at Pasadena Playhouse.

Chamberlain's personal life was exposed by the French magazine Nous Deux which outed him as gay in 1989, however he did not confirm the story until the release of his 2003 autobiography, Shattered Love: A Memoir. Chamberlain had been romantically involved with actor Wesley Eure, best known for his role on Saturday morning series Land of the Lost, in the 1970s. In 1977 he began a long-term relationship with actor-producer Martin Rabbett, who had played the brother of Chamberlain's Allan Quatermain character, making their home in Hawaii. The two separated amicably in 2010, but had apparently reconciled and were living together again at the time of Chamberlain's death. Rabbett is considered to be his only immediate survivor.