Beloved Hollywood star and ‘king of the miniseries’ Richard Chamberlain dies aged 90

Known as the “king of the miniseries”, Hollywood star Richard Chamberlain has died just two days shy of his 91st birthday.

Richard Chamberlain, star of film, theatre and television, died on March 29 in Waimanalo, Hawaii, Fox News Digital confirmed. He was 90.

Chamberlain died of complications following a stroke two days before his 91st birthday, his representative confirmed.

Born George Richard Chamberlain, the beloved actor was known as the “king of the miniseries,” and starred in Shogun, The Thorn Birds, Wallenberg, and the original 1988 screenplay of The Bourne Identity.

“Our beloved Richard is with the angels now,” his longtime partner, Martin Rabbet, said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

Beloved Hollywood star Richard Chamberlain has died of complications following a stroke. Picture: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Chamberlain’s death came two days before his 91st birthday. Picture: Jason Kempin/Getty Images

“He is free and soaring to those loved ones before us. How blessed were we to have known such an amazing and loving soul. Love never dies. And our love is under his wings lifting him to his next great adventure.”

After graduating from college with a bachelor’s degree in arts, he enlisted in the US Army where he served for 16 months in Korea and rose to the rank of sergeant.

Upon returning to Los Angeles, Chamberlain pursued acting and co-founded Company of Angels, a Los Angeles theatre group. His first television appearance was for a guest spot on Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1959.

He then began appearing in popular American television series, including Gunsmoke, Mr. Lucky, and Riverboat, before landing the role of Dr. Kildare, which earned him his first Golden Globe Award in 1963.

Chamberlain starred in hits such as Shogun, The Thorn Birds, and the original 1988 screenplay of The Bourne Identity. Picture: Herbert Dorfman/Corbis via Getty Images

Along with the rise of his acting career, he became a successful singer, and scored a top 10 hit with a vocal version of the theme song for Kildare, Three Stars Will Shine Tonight.

Chamberlain previously told Fox News Digital that the success of Dr. Kildare was swift. The show chronicled the adventures of a young medical intern and his surgeon mentor.

“It happened kind of fast,” he said. “We started getting fan mail at an enormous rate. Something like 12,000 letters a week, which [the network] had never really experienced before. Even Clark Gable wasn’t getting that much fan mail. And the studio, of course, answered it all. I didn’t have the time or energy. But that made me realise something was happening that might be overwhelming.”

“And then if we ever had any breaks in the shooting schedule — I was under contract at MGM at the time — the studio would send me to do publicity or work,” Chamberlain continued. “Sometimes we would encounter rather enthusiastic crowds of people … People lined up for miles just to get my autograph. I thought, ‘This is wonderful. I’m very pleased they want this.’ But I didn’t quite know why they wanted it. It made me realise that Dr. Kildare caused quite a stir.”

With actress Yvette Mimieux in a scene from the 1965 movie Joy in the Morning. Picture: Donaldson Collection/Getty Images

Shogun earned Chamberlain accolades, and another Golden Globe Award in 1981. He won another Globe in 1984 for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture for TV in The Thorn Birds.

Chamberlain previously told Fox News Digital that as a romantic leading man, it would have been “a disaster” and “awful” for his career if the public had known the truth about his sexuality.

The screen icon didn’t come out as a gay man until he was nearly 70 years old.

“I had to be very careful and very circumspect,” he said. “Magazines did lots and lots of interviews, and they sort of suspected. They would ask me questions like, ‘When are you going to get married and have children?’ I would say, ‘Well, not quite yet. I’m awfully busy.’ I had to be careful for a long time.”

He added, “It was inhibiting, but I got so used to it that it was just habitual to be sort of careful and on guard in certain situations. Yes, I would’ve been a happier person to be out and free and all that. But I already had so much to be happy about. I was a working actor, and that’s the main thing I wanted out of this lifetime.”

This article originally appeared in Fox News and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as Beloved Hollywood star and ‘king of the miniseries’ Richard Chamberlain dies aged 90