TV Legend Richard Chamberlain Dead At 90

Richard Chamberlain, once known as the “king of the miniseries,” died Saturday in Hawaii at the age of 90. A spokesman shared that his death was due to complications following a stroke. A movie and TV heartthrob for decades, Chamberlain came out as gay in 2003 at the age of 68. From PEOPLE:

He scored a few bit parts on TV before he was cast on Dr. Kildare at age 26. It became a major hit when it premiered in 1961, launching him to stardom. The network was flooded with fan mail as a new heartthrob was born.

During the ’70s, he appeared in movies like The Three Musketeers (1973) and The Towering Inferno (1974) before achieving major TV breakthroughs with 1978’s Centennial (which earned him a Golden Globe nomination) and 1980’s Shōgun, a historical miniseries based on James Clavell’s novel of the same name. It was filmed entirely on location in Japan.

The critically acclaimed production won the Emmy for outstanding limited series and a Peabody award; Chamberlain was nominated for an Emmy and took home a Golden Globe for his work in the miniseries.

More miniseries successes followed with hits like The Thorn Birds, Wallenberg, Dream West and The Bourne Identity.

BREAKING: Richard Chamberlain, who starred in the TV medical drama “Dr Kildare” and the 1980s mini-series “Shogun” has died at the age of 90, his publicist saidhttps://t.co/oPUW4lMagi

Sky 501, Freeview 233 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/8zPmfKcr87 — Sky News (@SkyNews) March 30, 2025

In the 1990s the venerable star took to the Great White Way appearing on in successful Broadway revivals of My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music, even as he continued his work on TV including a recurring role on the hit series Brothers & Sisters. Nominated for the Emmy Award four times, he never took home that particular trophy. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2000.

Chamberlain was romantically involved with actor Wesley Eure in the 1970s and then with actor Martin Rabbett from 1977 to 2010. According to reports, they split amicably and remained close friends. Chamberlain speaks candidly in the interview below about the weight lifted from him when he finally came out.