I disliked and feared this part
of myself and had to hide it
Richard Chamberlain
B: 31 March 1934
|
|
Having shot to fame thanks to his dashing performance in the hugely popular 1960s television series DR KILDARE, Richard
Chamberlain's persona of the Hollywood heartthrob proved that being in the celluloid closet is good for business,
especially where leading men are concerned.
Yet inspite of a number of critically acclaimed stage performances, including HAMLET in the 1969 West End production, a
role that made him the first American actor to play the part on the English stage since John Barrymore, Chamberlain
was destined to became the 'King of the Mini-Series.'
Whilst such worldwide hits as SHOGUN / 1981 and THE THORN BIRDS / 1983 kept the money rolling in, Hollywood kept
potential career killing gossip from rolling out.
In 2003 however and after years of evading the issue, Chamberlain publicly acknowledged the true nature of his sexuality
in his autobiography SHATTERED LOVE. Many in the business were already aware of such, inparticular when an earlier
interview with the French women's magazine NOUS DEUX 'allegedly' contained the remark "I've had enough pretending
and too bad for people who are upset by it," words that were promptly denied by his management at the time.
Yet his reason for confirming what was already known remains a bitter indictment of the Hollywood machine, one in which
romantic leads are 'obliged' to conceal their homosexuality. Or as Chamberlain put it "I'm not a romantic leading man
any more, so I don't need to nurture that public image." Sadly times have not changed, given many in the business
by way of personal choice, or from pressure put upon them from above, opt to 'play it straight'
in order to secure their A-list career.
Yet inspite of such, Chamberlain did play gay in the 1970 feature THE MUSIC LOVERS, namely Ken Russell's surreal
interpretation of the life and career of 19th century gay Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky; a role
that for many marked his finest cinematic hour.
Alternating between stage and screen work todate, he continues to reside in Hawaii with his long-term
producer / director partner Martin Rabbett.
|
