Chamberlain, Richard

Chamberlain, Richard (1935–  ) television actor; born in Los Angeles, Calif. Trained as a dramatic actor, he appeared in television series like Gunsmoke in the 1950s, then gained great popularity as the lead in Dr. Kildare (1961–66). Desiring to change his image as a lightweight television actor, he moved to England where he played serious roles, including Hamlet, in various British stage productions. He then returned to the U.S. to assume the role as a romantic leading man in television films and mini-series including Shogun (1980), The Thorn Birds (1983), and The Bourne Identity (1988).