Actor Richard Chamberlain died yesterday (March 29) at the age of 90. You might not think anything about his television career counts as obscure. Chamberlain starred in the NBC medical drama Dr. Kildare from 1961 to 1966, which skyrocketed him to fame. He had a major role in the NBC miniseries Centennial, which aired from October 1978 to February 1979, before starring in two additional miniseries: Shōgun (NBC, 1980) and The Thorn Birds (ABC, 1983).
He originated the role of Jason Bourne in a two-part ABC made-for-TV movie in May 1988. He Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, Chamberlain made sporadic guest appearances on TV shows like The Drew Carey Show, Will & Grace, Nip/Tuck, Chuck, and Leverage. His final television role was a guest appearance in <Twin Peaks: The Return in 2017.
Despite his success on the small screen, Chamberlain did have one failure. He made his return to series television in the medical drama Island Son, which debuted on CBS in September 1989. It was not a success but aired for almost a full season, producing 18 episodes during the 1989-1990 season. Here are the opening credits:
Outside of television, Chamberlain starred alongside Mary Tyler Moore in the infamous flop musical Breakfast at Tiffany’s, which closed after four nights of previews in December 1966 without officially opening on Broadway.
Obituaries can be found at Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and The New York Times.
I watched Island Son for one reason: I’d always had a crush on Richard Chamberlain.