At 80, actor Richard Chamberlain comfortable at last with journey of life

N??EW YORK — The 1960s hysteria whipped up by the NBC drama Dr. Kildare and its 27-year-old leading man, Richard Chamberlain, isn’t easily described.

Adding to the excitement was the harmonic convergence in which a rival medical drama, Ben Casey, arrived in the ABC lineup just four days after Dr. Kildare premiered on Sept. 28, 1961.

Both shows erupted as smash hits. Both launched out-of-nowhere heartthrobs. Then, as if on cue, each sputtered to a finish five seasons later.

Rugged, swarthy Vince Edwards never again enjoyed his prominence as Dr. Casey. He died two decades ago at age 67.

A happier fate awaited Chamberlain, who, spared the typical flameout of an overnight sensation, followed up his stint at Blair General Hospital with a varied and distinguished slate of films, television and theater.

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Today, at 80, he still works and — thanks to facial exercises and defiant genes (but no cosmetic work, he vows) — retains the dreamboat looks of an elder James Kildare.

Through Dec. 14, Chamberlain can be found onstage in an off-Broadway production of the David Rabe black comedy Sticks and Bones.

In his small but pivotal role, he plays Father Donald, who is called in to counsel the son — a traumatized Vietnam War veteran — of co-stars Holly Hunter and Bill Pullman.

“Then all hell breaks loose,” said Chamberlain, adding with a chuckle, “I’ve played a lot of priests over the years.”

Not the least of them was Father Ralph de Bricassart, the passionate priest in the 1983 miniseries The Thorn Birds — whose success on the heels of Centennial and Shogun certified Chamberlain as the king of the miniseries genre.

“I’ve been so lucky,” he said. “I’ve been acting for 55 years — meeting the right people, getting the right advice, getting the right jobs.”

At the same time, he has traveled a long and winding spiritual path, an odyssey he recounts in his 2003 memoir, Shattered Love.

What he learned along the way: Love is at the root of it all.

The book became an unintended forum for his coming out as gay. (Today, he remains in a decades-long relationship with actor-producer Martin Rabbett.)

“Back then, at age 68, I still had a sense that there was something wrong with me,” he said. “ And suddenly, I let go of all of that. It was like a miracle.

“The journey toward a sense of well-being has been a long one. But over the years, I’ve found out how to just be a person. It’s a great relief.”