And on the classier film front, he ably portrayed Octavius Caesar opposite Charlton Heston's Mark Antony and Jason Robards' Brutus in Julius Caesar (1970), composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in Ken Russell's grandiose The Music Lovers (1971) opposite Glenda Jackson, and Lord Byron alongside Sarah Miles in Lady Caroline Lamb (1972). Bravura performances as 'Hamlet' (1969) and 'Richard II' (1971), as well as his triumph in 'The Lady's Not for Burning' (1972), won over the not-so-easy-to-impress British audiences. With it, his personal satisfaction over image and career improved. Even today, it is still deemed one of Broadway's biggest musical disasters.Īn important dramatic role in director Richard Lester's Petulia (1968) led Richard to England, where he stayed and dared to test his acting prowess on the classical stage. However, it flopped badly in previews and closed after only four performances. In December of that year, a musical version of 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' starring Richard and Mary Tyler Moore in the sparkling George Peppard/Audrey Hepburn roles was headed for Broadway. In 1966 alone, he appeared in such legit productions as 'The Philadelphia Story' and 'Private Lives', and also showed off his vocal talents playing Tony in 'West Side Story'. More interested in a reputation as a serious actor, Chamberlain took a huge risk and turned his back on Hollywood, devoting himself to the stage. The public obviously saw the actor as nothing more than a television commodity. The vehicles he appeared in, Twilight of Honor (1963) with Joey Heatherton and Joy in the Morning (1965) opposite Yvette Mimieux, did not bring him the screen fame foreseen. True to his 'Prince Charming' type, he advanced into typically bland, soap-styled leads on film befitting said image, but crossover stardom proved to be elusive. The attention Richard received was phenomenal. It also sparked a brief, modest singing career for the actor. Kildare (1961) that garnered overnight female worship and he became a huge sweater-vested pin-up favorite.

But it was the stardom of the medical series Dr. Complications arose when he was drafted into the Unites States Army on Decemfor 16 months, serving in Korea.Ĭhamberlain headed for Hollywood soon after his discharge and, in just a couple of years, worked up a decent resumé with a number of visible guest spots on such popular series as Gunsmoke (1955) and Mr. Losing an initial chance to sign up with Paramount Pictures, the studio later renewed interest.

He also developed a strong interest and enjoyment in acting while attending Pomona College. Richard experienced a profoundly unhappy childhood and did not enjoy school at all, making up for it somewhat by excelling in track and becoming a four-year letter man in high school and college. While this would appear to be a dream situation for any new star, to Chamberlain it brought about a major, unsettling identity crisis.īorn 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. James Kildare, the slim, butter-haired hunk with the near-perfect Ivy-League charm and smooth, intelligent demeanor, had the distaff fans fawning unwavering over him through the series' run. Richard Chamberlain became the leading heartthrob of early 1960s television. To learn more about how and for what purposes Amazon uses personal information (such as Amazon Store order history), please visit our Privacy Notice. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie Preferences, as described in the Cookie Notice. Click ‘Customise Cookies’ to decline these cookies, make more detailed choices, or learn more. Third parties use cookies for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalised ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products.

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