Actor Richard Chamberlain dies at 90

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.

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.

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 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 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.

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.



(Photo Matt Sayles, Invision/AP)