At 90 'Dr. Kildare' Actor Richard Chamberlain Still Looks Striking

Mar 29, 2021

Richard Chamberlain was a star of the screen in his younger days when he got his big break playing Dr. Kildare on the titular show in the 1960s. An attractive young man with talent to boot, the actor had success in both film and television, before turning his attention to focus on the theater. He still continues to perform in all three mediums, proving that he's a well-rounded performer. He was even the first actor to portray the action hero Jason Bourne in the 1988 made-for-TV movie "The Bourne Identity."

Belonging to an earlier period of Hollywood history, Chamberlain has managed to keep up his career in today's modern industry, with appearances in movies and TV shows in the 1990s and 2000s such as "The Drew Carey Show," "Will & Grace," "Desperate Housewives," "Chuck," "Brothers & Sisters," and "Justice League: Gods and Monsters."

But despite his storied acting career, Chamberlain was plagued with a big secret for much of his life. In 1989, at the age of 55, Chamberlain was outed for being gay by a French magazine, but it wasn't until 14 years later when he was 69 that he confirmed his homosexuality. Keeping a secret like that for the majority of his life must not have been easy, but since then the actor has spoken out about why he kept it from the public for so long.

Now 90, Chamberlain is still going strong — he not only looks fantastic but he's still taking on occasional acting work. His life and career are incredibly impressive — let's take a look. 

Born in Beverly Hills, California, on March 31, 1934, Richard Chamberlain grew up listening to the radio, especially radio show mysteries and dramas. Chamberlain was a bit of a withdrawn and shy child, so he didn't enjoy being in school. He graduated from Beverly Hills High School and enrolled in Pomona College in Claremont, California.

While at college, he studied painting and art history, while also getting involved in student drama productions. It was in his senior year of college while performing George Bernard Shaw's "Arms and the Man" that Chamberlain had a moment of realization. He wrote in his 2003 memoir, "Shattered Love" that he had, "a life-changing breakthrough as a neophyte actor" as he realized, "maybe [he] could embrace [his] first love and actually become an actor!"

Shortly after attending college, he began looking for work at the large production studios. Paramount Pictures was interested in hiring the good-looking young man with buttery blonde hair. However, something serious would put his career on hold. Unfortunately, the Korean War broke out and Chamberlain was drafted to serve in the Army in December 1956. He would be overseas for 16 months. He later told "The Advocate" that he didn't enjoy his time there, saying:

"I hated being in the Army. . . . I don't like being ordered around. I don’t like ordering people around. I came out a sergeant. It was all just another role for me."

Regardless, his time away didn't stop his ambitions. He knew exactly where he wanted to go as soon as he returned to the United States.

Hollywood was calling, and so Chamberlain answered. He was cast in a few productions, but it wouldn't be until 1961 that his big break would come. He scored the lead role of Dr. Kildare in the medical show entitled "Dr. Kildare." Chamberlain's fan base grew exponentially and he was praised by critics everywhere. Suddenly, Richard Chamberlain had reached Golden Boy status in the 1960s.

He loved the fame and adoration of the public because his self-esteem was low. He said that it felt like a "wonderful medicine." We can imagine. Still, something wasn't quite right with Chamberlain. As the success of "Dr. Kildare," a medical drama based upon a young intern and his relationship with his mentor soared, Chamberlain was loving life. He recalls being chased around supermarkets by adoring women. He also remembers driving his convertible stingray, and fans would follow him through the hills. One time, a fan even approached Chamberlain high atop a mountain in Switzerland for an autograph. This is when his father revealed to him that he could tell he "had made it."

More recently, Chamberlain opened up about being a teen idol in his youth. Saying that he really appreciated the adulation and being regarded as attractive, he revealed that he used to receive so much fan mail — up to 12,000 letters a week! — that there was no chance of responding to everyone. However, he did sign a lot of things for his fans, and when he received a particularly moving letter or a special handmade gift, he took the time out of his incredibly busy schedule to reply.    

Though Chamberlain loved working on "Dr. Kildare" and thought the opportunity to do so was an amazing stroke of luck, he never seemed to have any time off. He was under contract with MGM at the time. MGM saw what they had in Chamberlain and cast him in other productions in the off-season of "Dr. Kildare." If he did get a week off, it seemed he was always being sent somewhere to work on publicity. However, Chamberlain managed to take singing lessons and ballet classes after work on most days. It was his own personal escape from work.

Alongside his work on "Dr. Kildare," Chamberlain also appeared in movies. But he soon grew tired of playing what he described as "Prince Charming" characters all the time. He wanted to expand his horizons and so he was cast in both "Twilight of Honor" (1963) and "Joy in the Morning" (1965). Unfortunately, fans were not impressed. Was Chamberlain doomed to play Prince Charming forever?

This is when he decided to leave the world of cinema and work in the theater instead. Years later he recalled how actor Cedric Hardwicke had told him that he'd become a star before he learned to act, with the best of intentions. Chamberlain understood this and led by his desire to become a better actor, he went to England to deeply learn his craft by acting in the theater. He starred in various productions including "Private Lives," "The Philadelphia Story," and took on the role of Tony in "West Side Story." In England, he performed in classic productions like "Hamlet" in 1969 and "Richard II" in 1971. Still, Hollywood called to him and he eventually returned.   

Chamberlain's time in the UK paid off, as he earned rave reviews for his acting. He returned back to the United States and continued his career playing leading man roles throughout the '70s including in "The Music Lovers," "The Three Musketeers," "The Towering Inferno," "The Count of Monte Christo" and "The Slipper and the Rose." By the time the 1980s rolled around, he appeared in a number of popular TV mini-series such as "Centennial," "Shōgun," and "The Thorn Birds." This earned him the nickname "king of the mini-series." It was also in 1988 that he originated the character of Jason Bourne in the TV movie "The Bourne Identity." 

From this point on, Chamberlain continued to act, but mostly in smaller roles in movies and television, as well as theater. He was in his 50s by then and he had already proven his talents as an actor and leading man, allowing himself to enjoy more relaxed roles. He appeared in many series throughout the '90s and '00s including "The Drew Carey Show," "Will & Grace," "Desperate Housewives," "Nip/Tuck," "Chuck," and "Brothers & Sisters," among others. He still continues to take on small parts, although much less frequently than in the previous decades.

In his incredible career, Chamberlain has not only shown the world his skills as an actor, but he's been rewarded for his work too. Having been nominated for Emmys and Golden Globes, among other honors, he's won three times at the Golden Globes for his work on television. However, despite his wins, he doesn't necessarily believe in the system of awarding actors for their craft. 

In an intimate interview with the Television Academy, Chamberlain gave his thoughts on why acting awards don't make sense in his opinion:

"Winning things is great. I happen to disapprove of treating acting or any kind of art as a horse race. To say like this year, so-and-so is better than so-and-so, with these fabulous performances is just dumb. But it's necessary commercially and all that . . . But on the other hand, when you're in that atmosphere and you win, it feels great."

In 2000, Chamberlain was honored for his work once again, this time as he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His influence on the stage and screen would be immortalized forever, but for the majority of his life, it wasn't always easy. For years, Chamberlain carried a secret that had the potential to devastate his career. 

It wasn't until 2003 that Richard Chamberlain would finally relieve himself of the secret he had been keeping all of his life. He was gay. He felt like being a gay man in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s was not just hard, it was impossible. So, he chose to live with his secret. He was 69 when he came out as being gay in his book "Shattered Love."

We can't help but feel both proud of him for coming out, but also sorry he lived so much of his life feeling the insecurities that being gay caused him. After years of therapy, he finally had the courage and confidence to be who he truly was. 

Unfortunately, his secret wasn't first revealed to the public when he chose to do so — 14 years before he felt comfortable coming out, he was outed in the press by a French women's magazine named "Nous Deux" in December 1989. It's not fair that Chamberlain wasn't able to come out on his own terms, or even that he felt that he couldn't come out for the majority of his career. Speaking with "The Advocate" in 2010, he talked about Hollywood's complicated relationship with openly gay actors:

"It’s complicated. There’s still a tremendous amount of homophobia in our culture. It’s regrettable, it’s stupid, it’s heartless, and it’s immoral, but there it is. For an actor to be working is a kind of miracle, because most actors aren’t, so it’s just silly for a working actor to say, “Oh, I don’t care if anybody knows I’m gay” — especially if you’re a leading man. Personally, I wouldn’t advise a gay leading man–type actor to come out."

Asked when it is safe for an actor to come out, he replied: 

"I have no idea. Despite all the wonderful advances that have been made, it’s still dangerous for an actor to talk about that in our extremely misguided culture. Look at what happened in California with Proposition 8. Please, don’t pretend that we’re suddenly all wonderfully, blissfully accepted."

Despite having to wait 69 years until he felt it was safe for him to come out in Hollywood, by being honest with the public, Chamberlain is helping to push boundaries and help foster a culture in Hollywood where one's sexual preference is not of any importance. 

In 2003, he spoke with "Dateline NBC" about his decision to come out, as reported by "The Advocate":

"I'm not a romantic leading man anymore, so I don't need to nurture that public image anymore. I can talk about it now because I'm not afraid anymore." 

He revealed how being gay at a time when it wasn't publically discussed affected his self-image:

"When I grew up, being gay, being a sissy or anything like that, was verboten. I disliked myself intensely and feared this part of myself intensely and had to hide it."

While he might not have been out to the public, Chamberlain did find love in private. In the early '70s, he was linked to fellow actor Wesley Eure. Then in 1977, he began a long-running relationship with actor-writer-producer Martin Rabbett, who was 20 years his junior. The two ended up living in Hawaii from 1986–2010 where they had a civil union in the state before Chamberlain moved back to Los Angeles in 2010 due to work. In 2014, he told the "New York Times" that they "don't live together anymore, and [they're] much better friends than [they've] ever been.”

In the same "Dateline NBC" interview reported by "The Advocate," Chamberlain also commented on his then-relationship, saying: "I'm proud of my relationship. I'm actually proud of myself." He added:

"I love my life just the way it is."

Chamberlain has had a long and full life and is now living authentically. It's no surprise then that his best piece of advice is, "when you can just be yourself." He is relaxing in the freedom now of being who he truly is and it's wonderful to see. At 90, Chamberlain is still sitting pretty in our opinion, retaining the charm and sophistication that made fans swoon back in the day.   

What an incredible man! What do you think of Richard Chamberlain's story? If you found this inspiring, be sure to pass it on to your friends!