George Richard Chamberlain (born March 31, 1934 in Beverly Hills, California) is an American actor and singer best known for his breakout role as TV's Dr. Kildare (1961-66), and for his portrayal of a romantic leading man in numerous films and high-profile TV miniseries such as The Thorn Birds, Shogun, Centennial, Wallenberg: A Hero's Story, and the first filmed adaptation of The Bourne Identity.
His success in various television projects gave him the affectionate title of "King of the Miniseries." TV Guide ranked him #18 on their list of the "Greatest TV Stars of All Time."
He had a brief, but moderately successful recording career in the 1960s, with his first single, "Theme From Dr. Kildare (Three Stars Will Shine Tonight)" reaching #10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He was also the first singer to record "(They Long to be) Close to You", years before it became a huge Carpenters hit.
In 2003, he came out publicly as gay in his New York Times bestselling autobiography Shattered Love, and has received acclaim for his depictions of LGBT characters in Brothers & Sisters and Desperate Housewives.
Film Roles
- Petulia as David Danner
- The Madwoman of Chaillot as Roderick
- Julius Caesar (1970) as Octavius Caesar/Augustus
- Lady Caroline Lamb as Lord Byron
- The Three Musketeers (1973) and as Aramis
- Reprises his role in The Four Musketeers and The Return of the Musketeers
- The Towering Inferno as Roger Simmons
- The Count of Monte Cristo (1975 version) as Edmond Dantes
- The Slipper and the Rose as Prince Edward
- The Last Wave as David Burton
- The Swarm as Dr. Hubbard
- King Solomon's Mines as Allan Quatermain
- I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry as Councilman Banks
- Justice League: Gods and Monsters as Highfather
Television Roles
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents as Clay Pine (1 episode)
- Gunsmoke as Pete (1 episode)
- Thriller as Larry Carter (1 episode)
- Dr. Kildare as Dr. James Kildare
- The Portrait of a Lady as Ralph Touchett
- Centennial as Alexander McKeag
- Shogun as Pilot-Major John Blackthorne
- The Thorn Birds as Father Ralph de Bricassart
- Wallenberg: A Hero's Story as Raoul Wallenberg
- Dream West as John Charles Fremont
- Casanova (1987) as Giacomo Casanova
- The Bourne Identity as Jason Bourne
- The Night of the Hunter (1991) as Reverend Harry Powell
- Touched by an Angel as Everett/Jack Clay (1 episode)
- The Drew Carey Show as Maggie Wick (2 episodes)
- Will & Grace as Clyde (1 episode)
- Hustle as James Whittaker Wright III (1 episode)
- Nip/Tuck as Arthur Stiles (1 episode)
- Desperate Housewives as Glen Wingfield (1 episode)
- Leverage as Archie Leach (2 episodes)
- Chuck as Adelbert De Smet (2 episodes)
- Brothers & Sisters as Johnathan Byrold (5 episodes)
- ThunderCats (2011) as Zigg (1 episode)
- Twin Peaks as Bill Kennedy (1 episode)
