Profile Text
Chamberlain in 2003, photo by Prphotos
Birth Name: George Richard Chamberlain
Date of Birth: March 31, 1934
Place of Birth: Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States
Date of Death: March 29, 2025
Place of Death: Waimānalo, Hawaii, U.S.
Ethnicity: English, some German and Irish, remote Welsh
Richard Chamberlain was an American actor of film, television, and stage, and singer. His roles included the show Dr. Kildare , the mini-series Centennial (1978), Shōgun (1980), and The Thorn Birds (1983), the films Joy in the Morning , Petulia , The Madwoman of Chaillot , Julius Caesar (1970), The Music Lovers , Lady Caroline Lamb , The Three Musketeers (1973), The Four Musketeers , The Towering Inferno , The Slipper and the Rose (1976), The Last Wave , The Swarm , Murder by Phone , King Solomon’s Mines (1985), and its sequel, Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold ; The Return of the Musketeers , The Perfect Family , and Nightmare Cinema ; and the made-for-tv movie The Bourne Identity (1988).
Richard was the son of Elsa Winnifred (von Benzon; later Matthews) and Charles Axiom “Chuck” Chamberlain, an equipment salesman, who also worked in real estate and the supermarket and refrigerator businesses.
Richard’s paternal grandfather was William Overman Chamberlain (the son of William Newton Chamberlain and Mary Ada Overman). Richard’s grandfather William was born in Campbellsburg, Washington, Indiana. Richard’s great-grandfather William was the son of Elisha Chamberlain and Rachel J. Reed. Mary was the daughter of Axiom Overman and Eunice Stanley.
Richard’s paternal grandmother was Cora Alice Whitworth (the daughter of Joseph William Whitworth and Clara Hardesty). Cora was born in Koleen, Jackson, Indiana. Joseph was the son of Thomas Henry Whitworth and Sally/Sarah Julia Gulick. Clara was the daughter of Joseph N. Hardesty and Jane Thompson.
Richard’s maternal grandfather was August Wilhelm von Benzon (the son of August Fischer von Benzon and Julia Henrietta Glyn-Young). Richard’s grandfather August was born in Oakland, Alameda, California, and was a dentist. Richard’s great-grandfather August was German. Julia was born in Canada, of Irish descent, and was the daughter of Jane.
Richard’s maternal grandmother was Carolyn Derby Roper (the daughter of Fordyce Roper and Julia Sophia Foote). Carolyn was born in Beatrice, Gage, Nebraska, and was a prima donna soprano singer who toured the U.S. Fordyce was born in Catskill, Greene, New York, the son of Ephraim Roper and Laura Beach. Julia was born in Granville, Licking, Ohio, the daughter of Alvan/Alban Foote and Eliza Priscilla Winchell.
Sources: Genealogies of Richard Chamberlain – http://www.geni.com https://famouskin.com
Richard’s paternal grandparents, William Overman Chamberlain and Cora Alice Whitworth, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://www.familysearch.org