The world of cinema has always attracted viewers. There is a common belief that love, friendship, suffering and even breakups can be beautifully depicted only in the movie. Everything is perfect, fabulous and romantic there. Just think of all the handsome actors playing the leading roles in our favorite films… Today we will talk about Richard Chamberlain, a famous American actor who starred in numerous films and won the love of the audience. More information about the life and work of our fellow countryman you will find on los-angeles.pro website.
Childhood and adolescence of R. Chamberlain
The future movie star was born in LA in 1934. The family was well-provided, as Richard’s father worked in a trading company. When the boy was two years old, the family purchased a large house in Beverly Hills and moved to Hollywood.
There is one curious fact about the father of the future actor. He was a famous speaker at Alcoholics Anonymous. The members of the Society claimed that his speeches saved their lives from addiction.
After graduating, our compatriot wanted to become an artist and therefore began studying at Pomona College. However, during his studies, the young man became increasingly interested in the theater. That is why after finishing college, he decided to take a foray into acting. But before that, Chamberlain was called up for military service in Korea.
The development of his acting career
Upon arrival in Los Angeles, our countryman began looking for work in the acting industry. Richard had no education in this field, so he appeared only in cameo roles in the films Gunsmoke and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Chamberlain took acting classes to hone his skills in his spare time. The young actor strived to develop and refine his talent.
Global fame came to our compatriot with the TV series Dr. Kildare. MGM studio was looking for a young and promising actor for the series. Chamberlain won the audition (it should be mentioned that 35 actors auditioned for the role before him). Following this, Richard and Dr. Kildare became famous and recognizable not only in the United States but in other countries of the world. The young actor began to receive an ocean of letters from fans, 12 thousand per week!
The series brought our countryman the first Golden Globe award and many others. But Richard decided to go further and started taking vocal lessons. In the 60s of the last century, the world saw his music albums.
The actor goes to England in 1968 and chooses to take an important step in his acting career. Richard took the stage as Hamlet. Moreover, American actors had not played this role for about forty years, but his performance was brilliant and received a number of accolades.
Another success came into Chamberlain’s life when he was 45. Our countryman starred in the miniseries Shogun in the leading role. Later, he was also featured in The Thorn Birds, Wallenberg: A Hero’s Story, The Bourne Identity, Centennial, Dream West and others.
As for his personal life, the actor was homosexual. He was in a civil marriage with author and producer Martin Rabbett for forty years. They resided in Haiti until they split up, and Richard returned to his native Los Angeles.
In 2003, Chamberlain wrote a memoir called Shattered Love. In the book, the author recounts his emotional journey because of his homosexual orientation, as well as his path to spiritual growth. He also got back to painting pictures.
This is the story of the life and work of our countryman, the famous actor Richard Chamberlain. We hope that you found our article interesting and made relevant conclusions.