Dr Kildare and Shogun actor Richard Chamberlain dies

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 said.

Chamberlain became a heartthrob as the handsome Dr James Kildare in the medical drama that ran from 1961 to 1966.

Photoplay magazine named him "most popular male star" three years in a row from 1963 to 1965.

His breakout role in Dr Kildare marked the start of a six-decade career that spanned theatre, films and television.

The California-born actor was dubbed the "king of the mini-series" after appearing in several TV dramas in the 1980s.

This included being the original Jason Bourne in the 1988 mini-series The Bourne Identity.

Chamberlain was nominated for Emmys for his roles in two mini-series - Shogun (1981) and The Thorn Birds (1983).

He was also nominated for Emmys for his roles in the 1985 movie "Wallenberg: A Hero's Story" and the title role in the 1975 movie "The Count of Monte-Cristo".

He also earned plaudits for his appearances on stage - including Professor Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady", Captain von Trapp in "The Sound of Music" and Shakespeare's Hamlet and Richard II.

Most of his roles were as romantic leading men, which is why he did not publicly reveal he was gay until he was 68 years old.

He feared it would ruin his career, and so for much of his life, he said he pretended to be someone else.

"When you grow up in the '30s, '40s and '50s being gay, it's not only ain't easy, it's just impossible," he told the New York
Times in 2014.

"I assumed there was something terribly wrong with me. And even becoming famous and all that, it was still there."

Chamberlain said it was a huge relief after he acknowledged his sexuality in his 2003 autobiography "Shattered Love: A Memoir".

He said in a 2019 interview: "I had no fear left... It was a wonderful experience. People were open, friendly and sweet."

After coming out publicly, he played both gay and straight characters in TV shows including "Brothers & Sisters," "Will & Grace" and "Desperate Housewives."

Born George Richard Chamberlain on 31 March 1934, 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 US Army in 1956 and served in Korea.

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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 Theatre.

"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 lived in Hawaii for many years and had a three-decade relationship with actor and writer Martin Rabbett, his co-star in the 1986 adventure film "Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold".

The couple parted in 2010 but remained close friends.

"He is free and soaring to those loved ones before us. How blessed were we to have known such an amazing and loving soul," Rabbett said in a statement after Chamberlain's death.

Chamberlain's publicist said the star died from complications from a stroke in Hawaii on Saturday.