![]() The series was produced by Paramount Television and first broadcast in the United States on NBC over five nights between September 15 and September 19, 1980. ![]() Shōgun is a 1980 American historical drama television miniseries based on James Clavell's 1975 novel of the same name. 125 minutes (theatrical version, Europe).159 minutes (theatrical version, Japan).The company's all in the same hotel, all going out and eating together. (It's a 40-week tour.) It's like a kids' adventure. And it's turned out to be fun being on the road. When I was approached by the producer for `Sound of Music,' I said why not? I've paid my dues. When he's not working, Chamberlain lives in the Hawaiian islands. He also developed an interest in working in independent films where he could play anything he wanted. The quality of the work counts."Īs he moved into character roles, Chamberlain found acting more interesting. Actors in England have a different value system. If you're not going to parties, you might as well be dead. Julie (Christie) and (director) Richard (Lester) wanted me for `Petulia.' I never got (around to) drama school." England provided his escape from what he calls "the gravitational pull of the force of `Kildare' which had made me a `friend in the living room' for five years."Ĭhamberlain contrasts the English theater to Hollywood this way: "In Hollywood there's this driving fear that if you're not hot, you might as well be dead. A director, James Cellan Jones, thought I might be right for the role of Ralph Touchet in the six-part BBC-TV serial adaptation of Henry James' `Portrait of a Lady.' And I kept working after that. ![]() "I stepped off the plane in London and into a job. So he decided to try his luck in England with British repertory theaters and a mix of feature and television work. It didn't work: Summer theater was too helter-skelter. So when "Kildare" ran its course, Chamberlain essayed summer stock, hoping he could develop his stage-acting technique. "Now you have to get your basic training" as an actor. Kildare also prompted some advice from British actor Sir Cedric Hardwicke at a lunch at Raymond Massey's house. ![]() I talked with Clavell for a couple of days and convinced him."Ĭhamberlain's success as Dr. He says director Peter Weir "had an eye on Robert Redford" for "Thorn Birds." And author James Clavell wanted Sean Connery, a Scottish actor, for "Shogun." He adds: "But I was patient. Here's his description of what it takes to be a leading man: "Tall, good-looking, a straight shooter, honest, good, forthright, reliable, upright - and seldom funny."Īlthough he was the leading man in "Shogun" and "The Thorn Birds," he "had to stand in line" for both roles. It established his credentials as what he calls a "leading boy," who evolved into a leading man in some of television's biggest miniseries, "Shogun" and "The Thorn Birds" among them. Kildare" was something of a watershed for the actor. James Kildare in the popular NBC medical drama series (1961 to 1966).Īs it happens, Chamberlain's "Dr. Does it need saying that the rest is history? And now, here's Chamberlain, an actor with his rather full resume, playing Captain Georg von Trapp, the lonely widower/father of seven children, in a touring production once again telling the story of Austria's real-life von Trapp family, who fled their native country in 1938 to escape Nazi repression.Ĭhamberlain's von Trapp is close to the avuncular father figure that Raymond Massey played to Chamberlain's Dr. Forty-one years ago, a Rodgers & Hammerstein musical called "The Sound of Music" was going into rehearsals, readying for a run in Boston before its scheduled opening in New York.
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