1960s heart-throb Richard Chamberlain broke out with Dr. Kildare role

Richard Chamberlain (right), the Emmy-nominated actor and 1960s heart-throb who rocketed to fame in the TV medical drama Dr. Kildare and starred in the miniseries Shogun and The Thorn Birds, has died at the age of 90, publicist Harlan Boll said.

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NEW YORK - Richard Chamberlain (right), the Emmy-nominated actor and 1960s heart-throb who rocketed to fame in the TV medical drama Dr. Kildare and starred in the miniseries Shogun and The Thorn Birds, has died at the age of 90, publicist Harlan Boll said.

The star died late on March 29 in Hawaii from complications from a stroke, Mr. Boll said in a statement on March 30.

Chamberlain was an instant hit and became a teen idol as the handsome Dr. James Kildare in the series that ran from 1961 to 1966. The Guardian newspaper said the then 27-year-old American actor "looked like he had been sculpted by a loving god out of butter, honey and grace."

The breakout role was the start of a six-decade career that spanned theatre, film and television.

Chamberlain was dubbed the "king of the miniseries" after appearing in several TV dramas in the 1980s, and earned plaudits on stage in roles ranging from Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady to Shakespeare's Hamlet and Richard II.

He was also the original Jason Bourne in the 1988 miniseries The Bourne Identity.

"What's fascinating about Richard is that his range is enormous. His ability to be different each time out is what makes him such a valuable property," producer Susan Baerwald told The New York Times in 1988.