Dr. Kildare  (1961)                             Shogun  (1980)                        The Thorn Birds (1983)
                                 
George Richard Chamberlain (born March 31, 1934) is an American actor of stage
and screen who became a teen idol in the title role of the television show Dr. Kildare
(1961-1966). Richard is English-American. Chamberlain was born in Beverly Hills,
California to salesman Charles and Elsa Chamberlain née Matthews. Chamberlain's
father was well known within Alcoholics Anonymous, having traveled for years
speaking at A.A. conventions. In 1952 Richard Chamberlain graduated from Beverly
Hills High School and later attended Pomona College.

A popular and versatile actor with a 40-year career spanning film, stage, pop music
and television, Richard Chamberlain overcame the “handsome face” label that dogged
him during his stint on TV’s “Dr. Kildare” (NBC, 1961-66) appearing in some of the
most widely-seen projects in entertainment history, including the epic miniseries “Shogun,”
“Centennial,” and most memorably, “The Thorn Birds.” At the same time, he won the
acceptance of the theater world with performances in acclaimed productions on both sides
of the Atlantic. Additionally, he triumphed in his personal life as well by, not only launching a
successful second career as an artist, but by revealing his struggles as a gay man forced to
conceal his sexuality in Hollywood for the past four decades. Between his periodic TV
appearances, Chamberlain shared his life and home in Hawaii with his longtime companion
and business partner, producer/director Martin Rabbett, and maintained a successful second
career as a watercolor artist.