American actor seen on TV and film. He played the lead in the popular TV series “Dr. Kildare” in the ’60s. Chamberlain’s films include “Petulia,” 1968; “Julius Caesar,” 1969; “The Three Musketeers,” 1973; “The Towering Inferno,” 1974; “The Last Wave,” 1977. He became known for increasingly prestigious stage roles to fine reviews in the 1970s that included Shakespeare. The TV miniseries “Shogun” and “The Thornbirds” were memorable.
Chamberlain is the second of two sons of a California alcoholic businessman and an amateur pianist mom. He graduated from Beverly Hills High School and from Pomona College in 1956 where he majored in art and history and where he had his first performances. Determined to be an actor he turned down an offer to join his father’s business. He served in the infantry in Korea for two years, completing his service as a sergeant. Following his military stint he studied with Jeff Corey, a leading acting teacher. His first break was his starring role in the popular television series, “Dr. Kildare,” 1961, which made him an instant heartthrob. “Women would grab at me and want a piece of my clothes,” he said, “It was complimentary – and a little frightening.”
Chamberlain’s better body of work includes his stage performances of Shakespeare and television epics. During the ’70s and ’80s he was considered “king of the miniseries,” with the huge success of “Shogun,” 1980. It was during the production of “The Thorn Birds” in 1983 he realized the parallel between his own effort to project the perfect image as an actor and Father Ralph’s desire to have the perfect relationship with God which inevitably made them flawed human beings. He has immersed himself in metaphysical disciplines such as Dr. Brugh Joy’s “energy transformation seminars,” gestalt therapy, Rolfing and meditation techniques. He maintains a quiet, private life in preference of a glitzy lifestyle.
Chamberlain had a $2.5 million Manhattan apartment plus three homes, eventually settling in Hawaii in 1989. Unmarried, he has had a close relationship for years with actor and former ballet dancer Martin Rabbett. They share Chamberlain’s $7.5 million home on Oahu with joint ownership. They have been inseparable since they co-starred in “Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold,” 1987. Rabbett is openly gay, but will not speak for Chamberlain, who claims he is heterosexual. When not working, Chamberlain spends days walking his dog Bartley, “I like animals on the whole better than people,” and painting.
In 2003, he released his memoir, “Shattered Loves” and admitted publicly for the first time that he is gay. At the time of his admission, Rabbett and he had been in a committed relationship for 26 years. Chamberlain cited fear of damage to his career as his reason for not admitting his sexuality earlier.
Link to Wikipedia biography