Richard Chamberlain's coming out at 69: a cry for freedom (and love)
An idol to thousands of women around the world, the star of 'The Thorn Bird' revealed that he was gay and that he had been married to another actor for decades.
Barcelona"They want to be him and they want to be with him" was the slogan that guaranteed absolute professional success to actor Richard Chamberlain, died last Saturday at the age of 90. However, few people thought that this phrase, which everyone in Hollywood found brilliant for introducing the seductive, gallant soap opera star, was also a transparent prison that the actor carried with him, no matter what he did. His handsome face, his well-groomed physique, and his natural elegance seduced thousands of women around the world. The climax came with the role of the priest Ralph de Bricassart, the protagonist ofThe Thorn Bird, which aired in 1983 in the United States and was syndicated worldwide. However, this commercial positioning as an actor was incompatible with his most intimate truth: he was gay.
Born in the 1930s in California, Chamberlain had to build an alpha male façade from a young age in order to survive a time when his reality would have condemned him to ostracism in the wealthy, well-to-do Beverly Hills where he grew up. He triumphed as an athlete as a youth and was later drafted into the US Army, which stationed him in Korea for 16 months. However, in between, he found time to secretly pursue his own dreams. For example, studying art history or starting to dedicate himself to acting, which allowed him to migrate to environments less aggressive with everything he was. The son of an alcoholic father who made things difficult for him from a young age, Chamberlain found refuge in the theater from the moment he arrived at university, where he participated in plays by Shakespeare and Arthur Miller.
The prison of success
His life upon returning from Korea was focused solely on acting, where he always stood out for landing roles in which his appearance was very important. He worked in both film and television, but it was on the small screen where he achieved enormous fame both in the U.S. and abroad thanks to productions starring him as Dr. Kildare, Shogun, Centennial or the aforementioned The thorn bird. This enormous fame, despite having made him a success on the outside, turned him into a victim on a personal level. Terrified of his truth being revealed, Chamberlain was completely secretive about his personal life because he feared the scandal that any leak regarding his homosexuality could cause. So much so that his publicist was constantly monitoring potential publications in the United States and also in Europe to avoid what many believe would have meant the end of his career. In fact, in 1989, a French publication wanted to echo the rumors that had been circulating in Hollywood for decades about the actor's personal life, but his team managed to prevent it.
However, despite the admiration Chamberlain aroused at the time, trying to keep his secret quiet was like trying to close the door. Even more so considering that what the actor was doing wasn't denying his reality to himself, but rather denying it to the general public. Unlike others, he hadn't married to hide his true identity or had a cover family, but he truly lived it in the shadows. Those two lives, already difficult for a mere mortal to juggle, must have been an ordeal for someone like him, so well known everywhere. While he was supposedly single to the general public, he tried to build his love life with men he met precisely at the epicenter of global gossip: Hollywood.
In love with the (new) life
One of her first boyfriends was actor Wesley Eure, as was later revealed. But the love of her life was Martin Rabbett, a production assistant and actor she met while filming King Solomon's MinesTheir relationship was so intense that they even held a private wedding ceremony when same-sex marriages were not legal. Chamberlain and Rabbett secretly built the strongest relationship of their lives until Chamberlain published an autobiographical book in 2003 called Shattered love with a prologue that left no room for doubt: "I have realized that the truth is the only thing that gives value to life and that unconditional love is the source of that truth." He was 69 years old at the time and felt a deep love for the man who had been his partner for the last two decades. Rabbett had always remained in the background, but on one occasion he accompanied him to an interview for the New York Times,in which he told her: "Now you're calmer, you're freer. A great weight has been lifted off your shoulders."
He was right, as in later editions of the book, Chamberlain added to the prologue: "Sharing my life and personal philosophy was a dangerous gamble, something that exposed me to mockery and ridicule. But, surprisingly, the exact opposite ended up happening." "Writing Shattered love "It expanded my horizons, it freed me from my old tendency to not love myself. [The book] allowed me to show myself to the world as I am, without shields or pretensions. I was happy inside, I had nothing to lose. The world is a wonderful place," she concluded. Surely, once she took the step, she must have regretted not having done it sooner. Hopefully, remembering her gesture will serve to encourage those who still believe they should hide.