The American actor Richard Chamberlain had a storybook career from a small TV actor to a celebrated superstar. His most famous film titles include “The Flaming Inferno” and “The Count of Monte Cristo”. Richard Chamberlain became known to a broad TV audience in Germany in the role of the priest in the feature films “Shogun” (1980) and “The Thorn Birds”. The paintings of the studied artist are exhibited worldwide and fetch prices of up to 50,000 dollars…
George Richard Chamberlain was born on March 31, 1935, the son of a manufacturer and a singer, in Los Angeles, California.
Chamberlain spent his childhood in prosperous circumstances in Beverly Hills. After high school he went to Panoma College in Claremont to study art and design. He then fought in the Korean War for two years until 1958. Upon his return, Chamberlain resumed painting and studied singing. In 1961 he became a TV star with the feature film “Dr. Kildare”. At the age of 33 he moved to England to study acting. After that, Richard Chamberlain was successful on theater stages, played “Hamlet” and inspired in English film productions such as “Tchaikovsky – Genius or Madness” and “The Three Musketeers”. The actor returned to America and became a world star there. He played on Broadway, chose his TV and film roles conscientiously and accepted engagements in world hits such as “The Flaming Inferno” or “The Count of Monte Cristo”.
However, the great and rapid success also brought problems. Chamberlain had mental disorders and attempted suicide several times. Chamberlain lived a secluded life from the jet set. Although he was said to have had many affairs, he has remained unmarried and childless to this day. He is also said to have had a relationship with his acting partner from the internationally acclaimed TV series “The Thorn Birds” (1983), Rachel Ward. With this series, Chamberlain made a furious comeback in the 1980s. Around 21 million viewers saw him as “Pater de Bricassart” in Germany when it was first broadcast. Chamberlain won a Golden Globe for his role as a loving pastor. In 1985 he starred in the action film Quartermain: In Search of the Kings Treasure. The sequel, Quartermain II: In Search of the Mysterious City, followed two years later.
In 1997, the continuation of the success of “The Thorn Birds” came on television. The series “The Thorn Birds: The Lost Years” was filmed together with Rachel Ward, Bryan Brown and other members of the original cast. Now living in Hawaii, Richard Chamberlain then devoted himself to the musical “My Fair Lady”. Due to its enormous success, he went on a European tour with the piece. In 1996, 1997 and 1999 he was in front of the camera for the productions “The Lost Daughter”, “Dark Moments – In the Face of Death” and “The Pavilion”. Chamberlain published his autobiography, Shattered Love, in 2003, in which he first came out as gay at the age of 69. In 2007 he was in front of the camera in the 8th episode of the 4th season “Desperate Housewives”.
Richard Chamberlain lives in seclusion with his partner in Hawaii.
Filmography
1960 – The Secret Of The Purple Reef
1961 – Massacre at dawn
1963 – character assassination
1965 – Joy In The Morning
1967 – Petulia
1968 – The madman of Chaillot
1970 – Julius Caesar
1970 – Tchaikovsky – Genius and madness
1972 – The great love of Lady Caroline
1973 – The Three Musketeers
1974 – Flaming Inferno
1974 – The Count of Monte Cristo
1974 – The Queen’s Four Scoundrels
1976 – The Man in the Iron Mask
1976 – Cinderella’s Silver Shoe
1977 – The Last Flood
1978 – The Deadly Swarm
1981 – High Current
1983 – Mission North Pole
1984 – TV: The Thorn Birds
1985 – Quatermain – In Search of the Treasure of the Kings
1986 – In search of the mysterious city
1987 – Agent with no name
1989 – Return of the Musketeers
1991 – Nightmare
1991 – The Night of the Hunter
1995 – The Godfather’s Daughter
1996 – Bird of Prey
1996 – Thorn Birds – The Lost Years
1996 – Winter Love – Late romance in the snow
1996 – The Prodigal Daughter
1997 – Dark Moments – In the face of death
1999 – The Pavilion
Is Richard Chamberlain alive?
1958–present
How old is the actor Richard Chamberlain?
88 years
March 31, 1934
What is Richard Chamberlain’s real name?
Born George Richard Chamberlain in Beverly Hills on March 31, 1934, he was the second son of Elsa Winnifred (von Benzon) (1902-1993) and Charles Axiom Chamberlain (1902-1984), a salesman. He has English and German ancestry.
How old was Richard Chamberlain when he did Thorn Birds?
WATCHING the early scenes of ”The Thorn Birds,” when Father Ralph de Bricassart was too young and dashing for his own good, it’s hard to believe that Richard Chamberlain was 48 at the time.
Where does Richard Chamberlain live now?
Beverly Hills
Honolulu
What is Richard Chamberlain famous for?
Hailed as the ‘King of the miniseries’, Richard Chamberlain is one of Hollywood’s most versatile actors. He has starred in some iconic and powerful productions including Shogun (1980), The Thornbirds (1983), Wallenberg (1985) and the original screenplay of The Bourne Identity (1988).
Was Richard Chamberlain ever on Gunsmoke?
“Gunsmoke” The Bobsy Twins (TV Episode 1960) – Richard Chamberlain as Pete
What movie did Richard Chamberlain play a priest?
He starred in the 1980 miniseries The Thorn Birds, playing a priest who struggles to keep his vows because of his love for a young woman (played by Rachel Ward).
