Richard Chamberlain

Biography

Richard Chamberlain is the second son of Charles and Elsa Chamberlain, brother Bill is six years older. RC's family were relatively well-off (although they weren't anywhere near as wealthy as some residents of Beverly Hills), his father being the owner of a successful business which manufactured fixtures for supermarkets.

It's thought that Elsa Chamberlain was the real driving force behind both her sons' lives. "His (Richard's) mother was extremely strong and quite, quite bright," recalled Douglas Benton, Dr Kildare's producer. However, RC's father was a rather distant man, although his famous son claims, "he mellowed a lot in his last years. We got closer but never had the kind of intimacy that I imagine would have been a real kind of resolution. In a way, that's too bad. In another way, well, OK, that's the way it was."

In later years, Richard would claim that his brother Bill was his best friend - others would say the elder sibling was also a golden boy. "He was just as good looking as Dick," says Douglas Benton. "He could have been an actor too, I'm sure."

Despite the economic stability of the Chamberlains, Richard was a rather unhappy and withdrawn child who struggled with lessons at the Beverly Vista Grammar School. "The teacher would be holding up flash cards and all the kids in the class would be shouting 'horse,' 'cat,' or 'dog'," explains the actor. "All I saw were black smudges on a white background. I hated it." Eventually, it was discovered that RC was dyslexic and he eventually learned to read in the fourth grade.

As well as RC's learning difficulties, he was also plagued by another, perhaps more ordinary childhood problem - crooked teeth. The would-be actor wore braces for several years which made "every meal an adventure." However, the discomfort was worth it - that perfect smile has kept his female fans enamoured for 40 years.

After leaving high school, Chamberlain enrolled at Pomona College in Claremont, California. A small but well thought of institution known as the 'Oxford of the Orange Belt', its alumni has also boasted Robert Taylor, Joel McCrea and Kris Kristofferson.

Chamberlain studied painting in college, with a view to becoming a commercial artist. However, it was the desire to become an actor which eventually took over his creative juices...