Actor Richard Chamberlain, Star of ‘Thorn Birds’, Dies at 90

Cast member Richard Chamberlain smiles at the premiere of "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" at the Gibson amphitheater in Universal City, Calif., on July 12, 2007. Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

NEW YORK—Richard Chamberlain, the Emmy-nominated actor and 1960s heartthrob who rocketed to fame in the TV medical drama “Dr. Kildare” and starred in the mini-series “Shogun” and “The Thorn Birds” has died at the age of 90, publicist Harlan Boll said.

Chamberlain died late on Saturday in Hawaii from complications from a stroke, he said in a statement on Sunday.

Chamberlain was an instant hit, and became a teen idol, as the handsome Dr. James Kildare in the series that ran from 1961–1966.

The breakout role was the start of a six decade-career that spanned theater, films, and television.

Chamberlain was dubbed the “king of the mini-series” after appearing in several TV dramas in the 1980s and earned plaudits on stage in roles ranging from Professor Henry Higgins in “My Fair Lady” and Captain von Trapp in “The Sound of Music” to Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Richard II.

He also was the original Jason Bourne in the 1988 mini-series “The Bourne Identity.”

“What’s fascinating about Richard is that his range is enormous. His ability to be different each time out is what makes him such a valuable property,” producer Susan Baerwald told the New York Times in 1988.

Honing His Acting Skills

Born George Richard Chamberlain on March 31, 1934, in Los Angeles, he was the youngest of two sons. He had hoped to be an artist but switched to acting after attending Pomona College in California.

His acting career was put on hold when he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1956 and served in Korea. After his discharge, Chamberlain returned to Los Angeles, where he co-founded a theater group and had small parts on TV before becoming Dr. Kildare.

The success of the TV show led to a brief singing career and film roles opposite Julie Christie in “Petulia” (1968) and “The Madwoman of Chaillot” (1969) with Katherine Hepburn. He had a brief run in the musical “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” with Mary Tyler Moore. The show closed after four previews.

In the late 1960s, Chamberlain moved to England where he honed his acting skills in the BBC series “The Portrait of a Lady” and as Hamlet at the Birmingham Repertory Theater.

“Dr. Kildare was a huge hit in England, and I heard that all the London reviewers were coming to rip this interloper to pieces,” he said in an interview. “But we got very good reviews.”

Chamberlain returned to the big screen as Lord Byron in the drama “Lady Caroline Lamb” (1972), “The Three Musketeers” (1973) and as a villain in the disaster film “The Towering Inferno” (1974).

Throughout his career he mixed roles in Broadway plays, including Tennessee Williams’ “The Night of the Iguana,” with musicals, TV and films.

The actor released a book of haiku poetry in 2012 and narrated Audubon environmental television specials.