Sorry to hear the other day of the passing of Richard Chamberlain, a classy actor who lived a long life and had a great career. Obits like this one will tell you the details of that long career. I just want to add in my (very) brief encounter with the man. It goes back to when I was eleven or twelve but already pretty certain that I was going to at least try to be a professional writer.
Some much-treasured inspiration came from a man who, with his family, lived across the street from the Evaniers for several years. His name was Dr. William Swanson and along with all his doctor duties at U.C.L.A., he was the Technical Advisor to the popular TV series, Dr. Kildare starring Richard Chamberlain. Dr. Swanson got the job — and some of Kildare's backstory was based on the good doctor's own past — because he was friends with Mr. Chamberlain.
Here's what I wrote in this post here back in 2013…
I actually learned something one day when Richard Chamberlain was visiting them and I was invited to come over and meet him. He was very nice and very soft-spoken and very encouraging. But when he was told I'd been considering different kinds of writing and had settled on television, he said, "You don't have to pick one. I don't consider myself a television actor. I'm an actor who is currently on television. I don't neglect the other things I can do and you shouldn't, either. It'll make you a better writer of anything you do if you broaden your horizons. It also means there will be more places where you can work."
That's advice I've been giving to others for about the last thirty years but I only recently realized where I got it in the first place. I got it from Richard Chamberlain.