This Charming Man

Since most of my past boyfriends have all turned out to be flamboyantly homosexual, I thought I would profile the fabulous Richard Chamberlain in today's post.



Call it an ode to handsome gay men, if you will.

Because let's face it, if I had been around 40 years ago, I probably would have dated Richard "Delicious" Chamberlain too.

In 1964, he was my type: hot.



You may remember Richard from my previous post about The Thorn Birds mini-series. I was actually first introduced to the Hollywood hunk a couple years ago when I saw the 1960s delight, Petulia. He's yummy in that film too!



Richard was born and raised in Beverly Hills. Growing up, he loved to paint and harbored dreams of being an artist. While in college, however, he developed a passion for acting and ended up co-founding a Los Angeles-based theater group, Company of Angels.



Upon graduating college, Paramount Studios wanted to sign him for a contract, but the government got in the way. Richard was forced to serve in the Korean War for over a year.



As soon as the brave soldier returned home, he was immediately offered the role as the main character in the Dr. Kildare television series.



He became an overnight sensation. Teenage girls had his poster on their walls and worshipped him from afar. Everywhere he went, women fawned over him. Although Richard was grateful for the female attention, he also found it disturbing and haunting.



"When I grew up, being gay, being a sissy or anything like that was verboten. I disliked myself intensely and feared this part of myself intensely and had to hide it and became 'Perfect Richard, All-American Boy' as a place to hide."
-Richard Chamberlain



During the 1960s, he also made some extraordinary films, such as Petulia (with Julie Christie) and The Madwoman of Challiot (with Katharine Hepburn).

Since he was finally getting recognized for his acting ability, rather than his Ivy League good looks, Richard decided to take full advantage of this new turn in his career. He moved to England to star in plays.



He even ventured into a brief, albeit successful, singing career!



The 1970s were kind to the handsome movie star.

He met the love of his life, actor-writer-producer Martin Rabbett, and the two moved to Hawaii together.


(This was their actual house)

He was also the leading man in several major films and starred in many well known television mini-series, such as The Thorn Birds.

In the past decade, he has kept busy by guest-starring on television shows such as Will & Grace, Desperate Housewives, and Brothers & Sisters.



In 2003, at the age of 69, Richard came out with his autobiography, "Shattered Love," which chronicles his anguish of hiding his homosexuality while being a Hollywood teen idol. I have not read the book, but it looks like an interesting read.

He also continues to be very vocal and active in environmental issues, which he had always been known for since the beginning of his career.

He lived with his partner, Martin, in Hawaii for 40 years until moving back to Hollywood last year. Despite the change in location, the two are still together.



During my research, I discovered that Richard has recently taken up painting again! He has a website of his work which you can find here: Richard Chamberlain Art Works. I browsed through the paintings and they are remarkably good. I suggest checking out his work and renting a couple of his best films, such as Petulia and The Thorn Birds!

I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!