Richard Chamberlain Movies
American actor Richard Chamberlain was a star in his first appearance--as the Pied Piper in the 3rd grade. While attending Pomona College, Chamberlain decided to study acting in earnest, honing his craft in little theatre productions. His All-American handsomeness gained him entry into film and TV work; Chamberlain starred in the title role of the NBC weekly series Dr. Kildare in 1961. It was one of two major medical programs premiering that year; the other was Ben Casey. Chamberlain's first starring film, Twilight of Honor (1963) did little to shake his male ingenue image--nor did his first job after the cancellation of Kildare, the notoriously disastrous musical play Holly Golightly (most reviewers thought this celebrated fiasco would kill both Chamberlain's and co-star Mary Tyler Moore's careers). In the late 1960s, Chamberlain headed for England to seek work in the classics. He first starred in a 1970 stage production of Hamlet, which became one of the pinnacles of his career. Several prestigious film, stage and TV appearances later, Chamberlain headlined the 1980 television multi-part drama Shogun and the 1983 miniseries The Thorn Birds which led critics and viewers to crown him "King of the Miniseries."Following a lead role in the poorly-received big screen efforts King Solomon's Mines (1985) and its sequel, Allan Quartermain and the Lost City of Gold (1987) (which critics blasted as low-budget Indiana Jones knockoffs) Chamberlain harkened back to the small screen, and continued to make periodic appearances in telemovies throughout the eighties, nineties and early 2000s. Key roles included Jason Bourne in a 1988 adaptation of Robert Ludlum's The Bourne Identity, and a 1991 reworking of Charles Laughton's Night of the Hunter (with Chamberlain assuming the Robert Mitchum part). He also landed guest appearances in such series as Touched by An Angel, Will and Grace, and The Drew Carey Show The actor made headlines in 2003 - not simply because of the debut of his autobiography, Shattered Love: A Memoir, but because the actor - around whom rumors of homosexuality had swirled for years -- finally 'outed' himself officially. (He and his gay partner, Martin Rabbett, have been together for twenty-five years and live in Hawaii).
Young Dr. Kildare no more, Richard Chamberlain is today a highly respected actor whose very presence in the cast list of a film or miniseries is a guarantee of distinction and class.
~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 1961
In this western, an idealistic and naive rookie cavalry officer is assigned to work with a cruel captain. He immediately gets on the crabby captain's bad side by trying to restart an affair with his ex-sweetheart. The woman is engaged to another who ends up getting killed by the Indians. This rookie, blaming himself for distracting the slain officer with his overtures to the officer's fiance, volunteers to act as a decoy to lure the renegade Apaches into a trap. It works, but many soldiers die. After the skirmish, the rookie has become a seasoned officer prepared to take his duties seriously. Back at the fort, he bids farewell to the woman as she begins her long journey back east. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Boone, George Hamilton, (more)
Aftermath: A Test of Love begins where most TV movies end. Based on fact (as recorded in Gary Kinder's book Victim), the story revolves around the family of Richard Chamberlain, an aloof obstetrician. The family falls victim to a violent, random crime, depicted in gruesome detail. Chamberlain's wife is murdered, and one of his sons is seriously wounded. Surviving this ordeal, Chamberlain must now try to hold his remaining loved ones together emotionally and attempt to reassemble his own battered psyche. The true events which inspired Aftermath: A Test of Love occurred in the 1970s in Ogden, Utah, where this TV movie was partially filmed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
It has been 20 years since Federal agent Dane Corvin (Richard Chamberlain) left his home town of Raven Island -- and also 20 years since Dane's fiancée Helen (Karen Allen), a talented sculptor, bitterly broke off their engagement when he was forced to arrest her brother for poaching. Now Corvin has returned, hoping to somehow, some way win back Helen's love. As it turns out, however, Helen herself is harboring a secret that Dane may not be able to forgive. Some lovely location footage of the Pacific Northwest makes this adaptation of Evan Maxwell's novel seem more compelling that it truly is. All the Winters That Have Been originally aired over CBS on September 21, 1997, posting the eighth highest rating of its broadcast week. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Chamberlain, Karen Allen, (more)
- 1986
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After receiving a mysterious gold piece, Quatermain travels to Africa to find his brother, who is searching for a lost white tribe. In his search, Quatermain discovers a lost civilization. This film is a follow-up to King Solomon's Mines. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Chamberlain, Sharon Stone, (more)
- 1991
This film is one of a six part series that surveys the recent achievements of astronomers, which are revolutionizing our perceptions of our universe. The series, narrated by actor Richard Chamberlain, investigates black holes, quasars, gravity waves, stars, and other celestial phenomena. The episode looks at recent inquiries by scientists into the age-old question: are we alone in the universe? Among the scientists prospecting for answers are Bradford Smith of the University of Arizona and Richard Terrile of California's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The viewer follows their activities from their observatory station at the foot of the Andes Mountains. Their findings, as well as those of Cal Tech's Amelia Sargent, Cornell's Steve Beckwith, and Harvard's David Latham, provide interesting evidence of planetary systems outside our own world. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1991
This film is part of a series, narrated by actor Richard Chamberlain, that explores the advancements being made by today's astronomers in understanding the nature of the universe. This episode looks at the efforts of an international team of scientists, led by California Institute of Technology's John Conway and Tony Readhead, to track the activity of a gigantic black hole at the center of another galaxy. The energy force of a black hole is such that nearby celestial bodies are pulled into its gravitational field. This black hole has already absorbed hundreds of stars into its energy field. The film follows the efforts of the team of astronomers, as they use a massive telescope to attempt to see deep inside the black hole and learn more about its nature and the universe. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1991
This documentary on the latest achievements in astronomy is one of a six part series that investigates celestial phenomena such as black holes, quasars, and the search for other life in the universe. This episode centers upon the life cycle of stars, which are born, live, and die according to their own patterns. Profiles of the astronomers making the inquiries are featured as well. Those included are Howard University's Benjamin Peery, Leo Blitz, of the University of Maryland, and Hans Bethe from Cornell. The birth process of stars is discussed by experts, and Bethe expounds on his Nobel Prize winning theory on the power source of stars. In Australia, Mike Dopita, Richard Manchester, and David Allen study the death of a star. The supernova, which was the closest to Earth to occur in four centuries, was visible in 1987. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1991
The Astronomers: A Window to Creation is a comprehensive and detailed look at modern scientists and their explorations of the universe. Divided into six parts, the presentation follows astronomers around the world as they strive to better understand the workings of space. From the mapping of the galaxy to the study of "cosmic background radiation," A Window to Creation covers a lot of territory. Japan plays host to Berkeley professors testing an experimental rocket that will record data. Elsewhere in the world, scholars from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics demonstrate progressive 3-D technology. For the layman astronomer, A Window to Creation delves into a plethora of topics: black holes, gravity waves, quasar, and the existence of planets in other solar systems. At the same time, the documentary offers a rare look at the faces behind such a lofty science. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide
- 1994
From the extensive Audubon video series comes the film Greed and Wildlife: Poaching in America. Each year, millions of men, women, and children visit America's woods and waters to legally enjoy the beauty and bounty of its wildlife, while others recklessly slaughter grizzlies, bald eagles, alligators, and scores of other threatened or endangered species for sport or profit. These illegal hunters pose a serious threat to nature's balance of life. Greed and Wildlife: Poaching in America takes you behind-the-scenes with those who enforce America's hunting laws. Witness shocking and graphic footage of the unlawful killings. Actor Richard Chamberlain narrates the in-depth look at this issue, and what is being done to stop poaching, a matter of concern to all hunters and all Americans who value the mysteries and wonders of the great outdoors. ~ Sally Barber, All Movie Guide
- 1995
This thriller was filmed on location in Bulgaria. The story centers on Nikolai as he makes his final confession and tells his story to a priest on the day he is to be executed. His tale of revenge is presented in flashback and begins while Nikolai was still a child. Back then he saw his father, a policeman, brutally shot by Griffith, an American smuggler of drugs and arms when the Communists were still in control. Nikolai spent the rest of his life plotting his revenge. He begins by seducing the smuggler's daughter, Kily, who has come to visit. He then tells the criminal that he has kidnapped her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In the three-hour period television miniseries Blackbeard, Angus MacFadyen (Braveheart, Jason and the Argonauts) assumes the title role of the dreaded marauder who spent 1716-1718 terrorizing the Caribbean Sea. Born Sir William Teach, the mariner rechristens himself Blackbeard, and subsequently builds a legend around himself as the most merciless and loathsome pirate in world history by plundering as many ships and murdering as many seafarers as he can lay his dirty mitts on. Directed by Kevin Connor (Motel Hell, The Land That Time Forgot), Blackbeard co-stars big screen vets Rachel Ward, Stacy Keach, and Richard Chamberlain. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angus MacFadyen
- 1987
Decked out in powdered wig and pasty "dandy" makeup, Richard Chamberlain stars as legendary Venetian lover Giovanni Casanova (1725-1798) in this made-for-television biopic. The teleplay by George Macdonald Fraser (of "Flashman" fame) follows Casanova as his reputation for being catnip to women builds throughout the 18th century. His sexual exploits cost him several important social and professional posts, and eventually land him in a Venice prison on a morals charge. Casanova's escape attempt provides a strong second act for this 3-hour effort, which also offers an amusing "con job" practiced by Casanova on a willing countess (Faye Dunaway). Frank Finlay co-stars as a nobleman who conducts a decades-long feud with our rakish hero. Filmed in Spain and Italy, Casanova debuted on March 1, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The longest (26-1/2 hours), most expensive ($25 million) and most complicated (four directors, five producers, five cinematographers, almost 100 speaking parts, several hundred extras) project made for television up to that time, Centennial was shown in two- and three-hour installments over a period of four months. An adaptation of James Michener's best-selling novel, it told the story of the settling of the American West by looking at the founding of the fictional town of Centennial, Colorado, from the settling of the area in the late 18th century to the present. Emmy-nominated for film editing and art direction, it boasts of sterling performances from Richard Chamberlain as frontiersman Alexander McKeag, Robert Conrad as the French-Canadian trapper Pasquinel, and a surprisingly powerful performance from former football star Alex Karras as compassionate but iron-willed immigrant farmer Hans Brumbaugh. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- 1975
This half-hour cartoon special was coproduced by Reader's Digest. A young boy, disillusioned by the commercialization of Christmas, joins a group of carolers. He makes the acquaintance of a jovial stranger who seems to have all the answers on the true meaning of the Yuletide season. You've probably already guessed the identity of that stranger, so we won't repeat it. Narrated by Richard Chamberlain, A Christmas Messenger was animated at the studios of cartoon great Gerald Potterton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Cook and Peary: The Race to the Pole is an unabashedly biased recreation of the controversy concerning the "conquering" of the North Pole. Robert E. Peary (Rod Steiger), a US Navy commander and shameless self-promoter, sets out through Arctic wastes in 1909 to discover the Pole, an expedition that many others have attempted but failed to complete. His principal rival is Dr. Frederick A. Cook (Richard Chamberlain), who insists that he'd already reached the Pole in 1908. Though the experts (and the US Congress) conclude that Perry was first, public opinion is firmly in Cook's corner--as is this TV movie. Cook and Peary: The Race to the Pole fails to conclusively prove who did what (there were too many liberties taken by the script), though it did serve to briefly reopen the possibility that Cook was telling the truth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
A sprawling adaptation of the same-named novel by David Nevin, the three-part CBS miniseries Dream West starred Richard Chamberlain as colorful, controversial American explorer John Charles Fremont (1813-1890). The story detailed the visionary (and occasionally mercenary) Fremont's lifelong war against shortsided authority figures, beginning with his early skirmishes with the "brass" as an Army officer. In 1842, Fremont embarked upon his greatest adventure, heading an expedition to map the Oregon Trail -- the first step towards opening the entire North American continent to free and unimpeded exploration. His mission pitted Fremont against hostile Indians, the Mexican army, and the U.S. government itself. Along the way, he crossed paths with scores of historical figures, including Kit Carson, Jim Bridge, John Sutter, and President Abraham Lincoln. Alice Krige, Richard Chamberlain's vis-à-vis in the earlier Wallenberg: A Heroes' Story, co-starred as Jessie Benton, the headstrong senator's daughter who became Fremont's wife. Running seven hours in all (plus commercials), Dream West was originally telecast from April 13 to 15, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
In a strange blending of reality and fantasy, this is the story of F. Scott Fitzgerald's use of the creative process to try to work out and ameliorize his own marital difficulties, writing the fictional "The Last of the Belles" while trying to work out his own relationship with Zelda during WWI. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
