Richard Chamberlain’s Parents: Charles Axiom Chamberlain and Elsa Winnifred Matthews

Richard Chamberlain is an American actor and singer. Hailed as the ‘King of the miniseries’, Richard Chamberlain is one of Hollywood’s most versatile actors. He has starred in some iconic and powerful productions including Shogun (1980), The Thornbirds (1983), Wallenberg (1985), and the original screenplay of The Bourne Identity (1988).

He became a teen idol in the title role of the television show Dr. Kildare (1961–1966). Richard became an even bigger international heartthrob with The Thorn Birds (1983), taking home with him another Golden Globe in 1984 for Best Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture for TV.

Who are Richard Chamberlain’s parents Charles Axiom Chamberlain and Elsa Winnifred Matthews?

Richard Chamberlain was born on March 31, 1934, in Los Angeles as George Richard Chamberlain to his parents Elsa W and Chuck Chamberlain. He was the youngest of the two children of the couple. His elder brother William Hayes Chamberlain was seven years his senior. The children were raised by their parents in Beverly Hills in a single-story house. Two years after Richard was born his parents moved a few miles from Los Angeles to Hollywood into a seven-roomed house in Beverly Hills.

ALSO, READ; William Hayes Chamberlain: Who is Richard Chamberlain’s brother?

Richard Chamberlain’s father Charles Axiom Chamberlain

Richard’s father Charles Axiom Chamberlain was a well-known early Alcoholics Anonymous member, having traveled for years speaking at A.A. conventions worldwide. He was born on 3 August 1902 in Indiana, USA. The senior Chamberlain moved to Los Angeles when he was 19. He was active in real estate and supermarket development before buying City Refrigerator Inc. in 1956. He is the author of the book, “A New Pair of Glasses”.

Charles Axiom and William ran the business for 14 years before he retired in 1970. According to the LAtimes, Charles Chamberlain, the father of actor Richard Chamberlain died on 14 December 1984 of emphysema at his Laguna Beach home. He was 82 years old at the time of her passing. His body was cremated and his ashes was scattered at sea.

Richard Chamberlain’s mother Elsa Winnifred Matthews

Elsa Winnifred Matthews is the mother of Richard Chamberlain. She was born on May 01, 1902, in San Francisco, California to her parents  August Wilhelm von Benzon and Carolyn Derby Roper. She was an actress, and singer who possessed a wide range of creative abilities.

According to Findagrave Richard Chamberlain’s mother Elsa Winnifred Matthews, passed away on 16 September 1993 in Laguna Beach, Orange County, California, USA. She was 91 years old at the time of her passing. She was laid at Pacific View Memorial Park Corona del Mar, Orange County, California, USA. The cause of her death was not made public.

Richard was not open about his homosexuality for most of his career, to protect his privacy and his acting opportunities. He said in an interview– “I was born in 1943. Back then in the 40s and 50s being gay in America was much worse than being a crook or an assassin, I was scared” He was outed by the French women’s magazine Nous Deux in December 1989, but did not confirm it until his 2003 autobiography Shattered Love: A Memoir.

In 1977, the iconic actor began a long-term relationship with Martin Rabbett, an actor, like Eure, 20 years his junior. Rabbett played the brother of Chamberlain’s lead character in the 1986 film Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold.

ALSO, READ; Martin Rabbett: Where is Richard Chamberlain’s ex-husband now?

They began living together in Hawaii in 1986 and had a private commitment ceremony. The couple split amicably in 2010, with Chamberlain moving to Los Angeles. In a 2014 interview with NYtimes, Chamberlain said that while he and Rabbett were no longer intimately involved, they remained close friends.