News|Articles|March 31, 2025

Richard Chamberlain, who famously portrayed Dr. Kildare on TV, dies at 90

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Key Takeaways

  • Richard Chamberlain gained fame as Dr. Kildare, a pioneering fictional TV doctor, in 1961.
  • His role in "Dr. Kildare" contributed significantly to his overnight stardom and cultural impact.
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While many actors portrayed the role of "Dr. Kildare" in the earliest TV medical drama, none did so as famously as Richard Chamberlain.

Richard Chamberlain, who became famous playing one of television's earliest fictional doctors in a medical drama, died on Saturday. He was 90.

As the New York Times reports, Chamberlain became an overnight sensation when "Dr. Kildare" began to air in 1961.

Medical Economics featured Dr. Kildare as one of our "who's who" of fictional TV doctors that ran as part of our 100th Anniversary Issue. Check out the slideshow before to learn more about Kildare and other famous (and not so famous) television doctors.

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