Richard Chamberlain, star of 1960s TV show Dr Kildare and 'king of the miniseries', dies aged 90
30 March 2025, 15:57 | Updated: 30 March 2025, 22:42
Richard Chamberlain, the star of 1960s TV series Dr Kildare, has died at the age of 90.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Chamberlain died on Saturday night in Waimanalo, Hawaii, of complications following a stroke, according to his publicist Harlan Boll.
Tall, with classic good looks and romantic style, Chamberlain became an instant favourite with teenage girls as the compassionate physician on the TV series that aired from 1961 to 1966.
Photoplay magazine named him most popular male star for three years in a row, from 1963-65.
Not until 2003 did he acknowledge publicly what Hollywood insiders had long known, that he was gay. He made the revelation in his autobiography Shattered Love.
Read more: Hollyoaks actor and reality TV star Paul Danan's cause of death emerges at inquest
Read more: Celebrity chef Margarita Fores 'found dead in Hong Kong hotel room' aged 65
The actor became known as "king of the TV miniseries" in 1978 when he landed the starring role in Centennial, an epic production 24 hours long and based on James Michener's sprawling novel.
He followed that in 1980 with Shogun, another costly, epic miniseries based on James Clavell's period piece about an American visitor to Japan.
Martin Rabbett, Chamberlain's longtime partner, said he was an "amazing and loving soul".
Rabbett said: "Our beloved Richard is with the angels now. He is free and soaring to those loved ones before us."
He added: "Love never dies. And our love is under his wings, lifting him to his next great adventure."
