\n<\/p>\n
Mr. Chamberlain made his film debut in \u201cThe Secret of the Purple Reef\u201d (1960), a crime drama set in the Caribbean. He agreed to exploit his Kildare image by playing a young doctor in \u201cJoy in the Morning\u201d (1965), a lightweight drama about newlyweds, with Yvette Mimieux. That did not call for (or yield) a particularly complex characterization. But he went on to give several memorable \u2014 and, at that time, surprising \u2014 film performances.<\/p>\n
They included Julie Christie\u2019s dangerous husband in \u201cPetulia\u201d (1968), Octavius in \u201cJulius Caesar\u201d (1970), Tchaikovsky in \u201cThe Music Lovers\u201d (1971), Aramis in \u201cThe Three Musketeers\u201d (1973) and its sequel, the cowardly electrical engineer in the disaster film \u201cThe Towering Inferno\u201d (1974) and an Australian lawyer transformed by an encounter with Aboriginal culture in Peter Weir\u2019s drama \u201cThe Last Wave\u201d (1977).<\/p>\n
His stage career got off to an unfortunate start with the disastrous 1966 Broadway musical adaptation of \u201cBreakfast at Tiffany\u2019s,\u201d also starring Mary Tyler Moore, which closed in previews<\/a>. But he later earned admiring reviews for classic roles in \u201cRichard II\u201d and \u201cCyrano de Bergerac,\u201d as well as in \u201cHamlet.\u201d In the 1970s he was nominated twice for Drama Desk Awards, for his portrayal of a fallen minister in Tennessee Williams\u2019s \u201cThe Night of the Iguana\u201d (1976) at the Circle in the Square and of Wild Bill Hickok in \u201cFathers and Sons\u201d (1978) at the Public Theater. He called Hickok his favorite role.<\/p>\n He returned to Broadway, if not triumphantly at least to more than respectful reviews, in \u201cBlithe Spirit\u201d (1987) and \u201cMy Fair Lady\u201d (1993), and as a replacement in \u201cThe Sound of Music\u201d (1999). (The musicals reminded longtime fans that he had a hit record in the \u201960s, singing the \u201cDr. Kildare\u201d theme.<\/a>)<\/p>\n In addition to the mini-series, he appeared in numerous made-for-television movies, playing the title roles in \u201cF. Scott Fitzgerald and \u2018The Last of the Belles\u2019\u201d (1974) and \u201cThe Man in the Iron Mask\u201d (1977). He starred in another series, \u201cIsland Son,\u201d in 1989, playing yet another doctor, but he was unhappy with its direction and it lasted only one season.<\/p>\n After his formal coming out, Mr. Chamberlain appeared to delight in portraying characters who were gay or played with gender stereotypes. He had already appeared on the sitcom \u201cThe Drew Carey Show\u201d in full drag as a female character. He was later a guest star on \u201cWill & Grace\u201d and made a cameo appearance in the film \u201cI Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry\u201d (2007).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n