At 90, Richard Chamberlain Lives Freely And Looks Like The Same Dashing Heartthrob He Was In The 60s

Nov 24, 2023

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 he turned his attention to focus on the theater. He's continued to act 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. To keep 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.

At 90, Chamberlain is still going strong — he not only looks fantastic but he's still taking on occasional acting work. Let's take a look at his incredibly impressive life and career and what he looks like three decades since he shot to fame. 

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 Chamberlain was a bit of a withdrawn and shy child, so he didn't enjoy being in school.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 he also got involved in student drama productions. It was in his senior year of college when he performed 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 he attended college, he began looking for work at the major 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 Dec. 1956. He ended up being overseas for 16 months. He later told The Advocate that he didn't enjoy his time there. He said:

"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 called 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 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 for Chamberlain. As the success of "Dr. Kildare," a medical drama based upon a young intern and his relationship with his mentor soared, Chamberlain loved life. He recalled being chased around supermarkets by adoring women. He also remembered driving his convertible stingray, while 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. He said that he really appreciated the adulation and being regarded as attractive, but 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. It seemed like Chamberlain was doomed to play Prince Charming forever.

However, that was 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 he also 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, which allowed him 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. To this day, 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. He has been nominated for Emmys and Golden Globes, among other honors, and 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 when he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in California. 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 finally relieved himself of the secret he had kept 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."

There's a strong feeling of pride that he eventually came out, but also sadness that he had to live 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 Dec. 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. In an interview 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 the fact he had to wait 69 years until he felt it was safe for him to come out in Hollywood, by being honest with the public, Chamberlain has helped to push boundaries and foster a culture in Hollywood where one's sexual preference is not of any importance.

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.  

In 1977, Chamberlain entered into a long-term relationship with actor Martin Rabbett. They began living together in 1986 and held a private commitment ceremony. However, in 2010, the couple split amicably. Four years later, he spoke to The New York Times and revealed that while they’re no longer together, they remained close friends. 

”We don’t live together anymore, and we’re much better friends than we’ve ever been,” Chamberlain revealed. ”So I’m in the business of advising people who are married, etc., to get another house.”

Despite everything he has been through in the past, Chamberlain has remained optimistic as he embraced his true self. 

Reflecting on his journey, Chamberlain told Palm Springs Life in 2019 that he’s enjoying being himself.

”I’m discovering in my later days what it’s like to just be myself. I came from a family where we were all pretending to be perfect. We played into each others’ game of perfection. But just in the last couple of years, I’ve felt this wonderful freedom to really … just be myself,” he concluded. 

Chamberlain has laid low in the entertainment industry. His last acting credits were in “Finding Julia” in 2019, “Nightmare Cinema” in 2018, “Twin Peaks” in 2017, and the 2021 film “Echoes of the Past.” 

Are you a fan of Richard Chamberlain? What can you say about his journey? What was your favorite performance of him? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends, and other Richard Chamberlain fans!