Hollywood veteran actor Richard Chamberlain who won a Golden Globe for playing Dr. Kildare in the classic medical series ‘Dr. Kildare’ has died at 90.
The ‘Shogun’ star, who would have been 91 on Monday, died from complications after suffering a stroke.
Chamberlain is one of the few Hollywood stars who have managed to stay in the game for five decades. Before going into acting, Chamberlain was in the US Army.
He had stints in Korea before he retired. From the beginning making, he knew he also wanted to be in for of the big screen. He loved storytelling and he knew acting was his calling.
At the beginning of his acting quest, Chamberlain would feature as a guest actor in the series. He appeared in ‘Gunsmoke’ and even ‘Riverboat’. Then in 1961, his journey to becoming a name on the top shelf started. Chamberlain grabbed his first lead role, playing Dr. Kildare in the series ‘Dr. Kildare’ and it is only up from there.
In 1980, Chamberlain landed his biggest role yet, playing John Blackthorne in the original and widely watched classic miniseries, ‘Shogun’. It was a dream come true, but it was also a reflection of his talent and hard work over the years.
He also played in notable films like The Count of Monte Cristo,” and series like”The Thorn Birds.” Chamberlain grabbed four Emmy nominations, three Golden Globes and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame throughout his career. However, his career was not without its ups and downs.
For most of his life, Chamberlain kept a secret about himself that he was itching to get out. He kept this secret because he was afraid the truth coming out was not going to land him any role in Hollywood again.
But when he was 68 years old, he let go of his fear, regardless of what anyone would say. Richard came out as gay and reiterated how the world was brutal in the 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s. But he was glad he finally got to be his authentic self instead of continuously pretending he was someone else.
