Actor Richard Chamberlain, known for his role in medical drama Dr Kildare and as a priest in The Thorn Birds, has died aged 90.
Chamberlain, dubbed “king of the mini-series”, passed away on Saturday night in Waimanalo, Hawaii, of complications following a stroke - just hours before he would have turned 91, according to his publicist Harlan Boll.
He became an instant favourite with his classic good looks and romantic style.
Martin Rabbett, Chamberlain's longtime partner, said: “Our beloved Richard is with the angels now.
“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.”
Chamberlain’s big break came in 1961 when he was cast as compassionate physician Dr James Kildare on the TV series that aired for five years.
Photoplay magazine named him most popular male star for three years in a row.
It wasn’t until 2003 in his autobiography, Shattered Love, that Chamberlain acknowledged publicly he was gay, something Hollywood insiders had long known.
In 1978, he landed the starring role in Centennial, an epic production 24 hours long and based on James Michener’s sprawling novel.
He followed that in 1980 with Shogun, another costly, epic miniseries based on James Clavell’s period piece about an American visitor to Japan.
Chamberlain scored his greatest mini-series success in 1983 with another long-form drama, The Thorn Birds, based on Colleen McCullough’s best-seller.
He played Father Ralph de Bricassart, a Roman Catholic priest in Australia who falls in love with beautiful Meggie Cleary (Rachel Ward).
The ABC production, which also starred Barbara Stanwyck, reportedly attracted 100 million viewers.
Chamberlain won Golden Globes for his work in Shogun and The Thorn Birds. Years earlier, he received one for Dr Kildare.
But in his book, the star recounted how he was forced to hide his sexuality.
Chamberlain would escort glamorous actresses to movie premieres and other public events at the request of studio executives and dodge reporters’ questions about why he had never married with a stock reply: “Getting married would be great, but I’m awfully busy now.”
“When I grew up, being gay, being a sissy or anything like that was verboten,” he said in an NBC interview.
“I disliked myself intensely and feared this part of myself intensely and had to hide it.”
Chamberlain also described a troubled childhood and an alcoholic father.
Writing his book, he says, finally lifted a heavy emotional burden. He also expressed relief that he was no longer hiding his sexuality.
“I played a cat-and-mouse game with the press. Game over,” said Chamberlain.
