Early life

Chamberlain was born in 1934 in Beverly Hills, California, the son of Elsa Winnifred (née von Benzon; later Matthews) and Charles Axiom Chamberlain, who was a salesman. In 1952, Chamberlain graduated from Beverly Hills High School and later attended Pomona College (class of 1956).

Career

Chamberlain co-founded a Los Angeles-based theatre group, Company of Angels, and began appearing in television series in the 1950s. He was cast as Lt. Dave Winslow in "Chicota Landing", a 1960 episode of the NBC western series, Riverboat. In the story line, Juan Cortilla, a Mexican bandit played by Joe De Santis, is stormed from jail. Chamberlain, as United States Army Lieutenant Winslow, asks Grey Holden (lead series character played by Darren McGavin) to transport Cortilla and his men to a military garrison. Instead, Cortilla takes over Holden's vessel, the Enterprise, and its gunpowder. Connie Hines appears with Chamberlain as Lucy Bridges, and Ted de Corsia is cast as another bandit.

Less than a year later, in 1961, Chamberlain gained widespread fame as the young intern, Dr. Kildare, in the NBC/MGM television series of the same name, co-starring with Raymond Massey. Chamberlain's singing ability also led to some hit singles in the early 1960s, including the "Theme from Dr. Kildare" entitled "Three Stars Will Shine Tonight", which struck No. 10 according to the Billboard' Hot 100 Charts. Dr. Kildare ended in 1966, after which Chamberlain began performing on the theatre 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 and The Sound of Music.

At the end of the 1960s, Chamberlain spent a period of time in England where he played in repertory theatre and in the BBC's Portrait of a Lady adaptation, becoming recognized as a serious actor. In 1969, he starred opposite Katharine Hepburn in the film The Madwoman of Chaillot. 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 1929. He received excellent notices and reprised the role for television in 1970 for the Hallmark Hall of Fame.

In the 1970s, Chamberlain enjoyed success as a leading man in films: The Music Lovers (1970), Lady Caroline Lamb (playing Lord Byron, 1973), The Three Musketeers (1973), The Lady's Not for Burning (1974), The Towering Inferno (in a villainous turn as a dishonest engineer, 1974), and The Count of Monte Cristo (1975). In The Slipper and the Rose (1976), 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), followed. That same year, he starred in Peter Weir's film The Last Wave.

Chamberlain later appeared in several popular television mini-series (earning him a nickname of "King of the Mini-series"), including Centennial (1978-79), Shōgun (1980), and The Thorn Birds (1983) as Father Ralph de Bricassart with Rachel Ward and Barbara Stanwyck co-starring. In the 1980s, he appeared as leading man with King Solomon's Mines (1985) opposite newcomer Sharon Stone, and also played Jason Bourne/David Webb in the television film version of The Bourne Identity (1988).

Since 1990

Since the 1990s, Chamberlain has appeared mainly in television movies, on stage, and as a guest star on such series as ABC's The Drew Carey Show and Will & Grace. He starred as Henry Higgins in the 1993-94 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 as well as season 4 of 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. In 2008 and 2009, he appeared as King Arthur in the national tour of Monty Python's Spamalot. In 2010, he appeared as Archie Leach in season 3, episode 3 of the series Leverage, as well as two episodes of season 4 of Chuck where he played a villain known only as The Belgian. Chamberlain has also appeared in several episodes of Brothers & Sisters, playing an old friend and love-interest of Saul's. 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.

Personal life

Chamberlain was romantically involved with television actor Wesley Eure in the early 1970s. In 1977, he met actor-writer-producer Martin Rabbett, with whom he began a long-term relationship. This led to a civil union in the state of Hawaii, where the couple resided from 1986 to 2010 and during which time Chamberlain legally adopted Rabbett to protect his future estate. Rabbett and Chamberlain starred together in, among others, Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold, in which they played brothers Allan and Robeson Quatermain. In the spring of 2010 Chamberlain returned to Los Angeles to pursue career opportunities, leaving Rabbett in Hawaii, at least temporarily. Chamberlain was outed, at the age of 55, by the French women's magazine Nous Deux in December 1989, but it was not until 2003 that he confirmed his homosexuality, in his autobiography, Shattered Love (ISBN 0060087439).

Honors and awards

In 1962, Chamberlain won the Golden Apple Award for Most Co-operative actor. In 1963 he won a Golden Globe award for Best TV Star - Male for: Dr. Kildare (1961). He won the Photoplay Award for Most Popular Male Star for three consecutive years, including 1962, 1963, and 1964.

In 1980 he won the Golden Apple award for Male Star of the Year. In 1981 he won a Golden Globe award for Best Performance by an Actor in a TV-Series - Drama for: Shogun (1980). In 1982 he won the Clavell de Plata award at the Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival as Best Actor for The Last Wave (1977). In 1984 he won a Golden Globe award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV for: The Thorn Birds (1983). In 1985 he won the Aftonbladet TV Prize (Sweden) for Best Foreign TV Personality - Male.

On 12 March 2011, Chamberlain received the Steiger Award (Germany) for accomplishments in the arts.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1960	The Secret of the Purple Reef	Dean Christopher
1960	Rescue 8	Unknown	Episode: "High Explosive"
1960	Bourbon Street Beat	Dale Wellington	Episode: "Target of Hate"
1960	Gunsmoke	Pete	Episode: "The Bobsy Twins"
1960	Thriller	Larry Carter	Episode: "The Watcher"
1961-1966	Dr. Kildare	Dr. James Kildare	191 episodes Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Drama
1961	A Thunder of Drums	Lt. Porter
1961	The Deputy	Jerry	Episode: "Edge of Doubt"
1961	Whispering Smith	Chris Harrington	Episode: "Stain of Justice"
1963	Twilight of Honor	David Mitchell
1965	Joy in the Morning	Carl Brown
1967	The Portrait of a Lady	Ralph Touchett	8 episodes
1968	Petulia	David Danner
1969	The Madwoman of Chaillot	Roderick
1970	Julius Caesar	Octavius Caesar/Augustus
1970	The Music Lovers	Tchaikovsky
1972	The Woman I Love	King Edward VIII	TV movie
1972	Lady Caroline Lamb	Lord Byron
1973	The Three Musketeers	Aramis
1974	The Lady's Not For Burning	Thomas Mendip	TV movie / filmed play
1974	The Last of the Belles	F. Scott Fitzgerald	TV movie
1974	The Towering Inferno	Roger Simmons
1974	The Four Musketeers	Aramis
1975	The Count of Monte Cristo	Edmond Dantes	TV movie Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
1975	The Christmas Messenger	Christmas Messenger	Short film
1976	The Slipper and the Rose	Prince Edward
1977	The Last Wave	David Burton	Nominated—Australian Film Institute Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role
1977	The Man in the Iron Mask	Philippe and Louis XIV	TV movie
1978	The Swarm	Dr. Hubbard
1978-1979	Centennial	Alexander McKeag	12 episodes Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Drama
1980	Shōgun	Pilot-Major John Blackthorne	5 episodes Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Television Series Drama Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
1982	Murder by Phone	Nat Bridger	Aka Bells
1983	The Thorn Birds	Ralph de Bricassart	4 episodes Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
1983	"Cook and Peary: The Race to the Pole"	Frederick Cook	TV movie
1985	King Solomon's Mines	Allan Quatermain
1985	Wallenberg: A Hero's Story	Raoul Wallenberg	TV movie Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
1986	Dream West	John Charles Fremont	TV movie
1987	Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold	Allan Quatermain
1987	Casanova	Giacomo Casanova	TV movie
1988	The Bourne Identity	Jason Bourne/David Webb	TV movie Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Miniseries or Television Film
1989	The Return of the Musketeers	Aramis
1989-1990	Island Son	Dr. Daniel Kulani	19 episodes
1991	Aftermath: A Test of Love	Ross Colburn	TV movie
1991	Night of the Hunter	Harry Powell	TV movie
1993	Ordeal in the Arctic	Captain John Couch	TV movie
1995	Bird of Prey	Jonathan Griffith
1996	The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years	Ralph de Bricassart	TV movie
1997	A River Made to Drown In	Thaddeus MacKenzie
1997	All the Winters That Have Been	Dane Corvin	TV movie
1997	The Lost Daughter	Andrew McCracken	TV movie
2000	Touched by an Angel	Everett/Jack Clay	Episode: "The Face on the Bar Room Floor"
2002	The Drew Carey Show	Maggie Wick	2 episodes
2004	The Pavilion	Huddlestone
2005	Will & Grace	Clyde	Episode: "Steams Like Old Times"
2006	Blackbeard	Governor Charles Eden	TV movie
2006	Hustle	James Whittaker Wright III	Episode: "Whittaker Our Way Out"
2006	Strength and Honor	Denis O'Leary
2006	Nip/Tuck	Arthur Stiles	Episode: "Blu Mondae"
2007	I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry	Councilman Banks
2007	Desperate Housewives	Glen Wingfield	Episode: "Distant Past"
2010-2012	Leverage	Archie Leach	2 episodes
2010	Chuck	Adelbert De Smet	2 episodes
2010-2011	Brothers & Sisters	Jonathan Byrold	5 episodes
2011	The Perfect Family	Monsignor Murphy
2011	We Are the Hartmans	Hartman
2011	Thundercats	Zigg	Episode: "Forest of Magi Oar"
2015	Justice League: Gods and Monsters	Highfather	Voice

Discography

From Richard Chamberlain Sings: - UK #8

• "Theme from Dr. Kildare (Three Stars Will Shine Tonight)" (1962) - US #10; UK #12
• "Love Me Tender" (1962) - US #21; UK #15
• "All I Have to Do Is Dream" (1963) - US #14
• "Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo" (1963) - US #64; UK #20
• "I Will Love You" (1963) - US #65
• "True Love" (1963) - US #98; UK #30

From Twilight of Honor

• "Blue Guitar"/"They Long to Be Close to You" (1963) - US #42

From Richard Chamberlain (aka Joy in the Morning)

• "Joy in the Morning" (1964)
• "Rome Will Never Leave You" (1964) - US #99

From The Slipper and the Rose

• "Secret Kingdom" (1976)
• "He Danced With Me/She Danced With Me" (1976)
• "What a Comforting Thing to Know" (1976)
• "Why Can't I Be Two People?" (1976)
• "Bride-Finding Ball" (1976)

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"

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[ Source: Wikipedia ]