Article 45

Richard Chamberlain Reveals: My Most Romantic Moments

Confirmed bachelor Richard Chamberlain confesses he's an incurable romantic - as well as a gentleman who discreetly refuses to name women's names.

"I'm a real moonlight kind of a guy," says Chamberlain, 57, recalling some of his favourite romantic memories.

"I had this very beautiful interpreter when I was filming Shogun (in 1980)," he says. "And she and I went to some of the most beautiful and tranquil sites I've ever seen."

"Ancient temples, inns, royal parks that just took your breath away. Believe me, I was in heaven."

"And when I was in Africa filming King Solomon's Mines (1985), I found that country a romanticist's dream."

"I was at Victoria Falls one night during full moon, and I just let my imagination run wild. I wish I could fully describe the feeling so I could do it justice."

However, Chamberlain quickly declares he's not a kiss-and-tell kind of guy when it comes to revealing whether these romantic settings led to romantic liaisons.

Over the years, he has been linked with several actresses, including Taryn Power (Tyrone's daughter), his co-star in the 1975 miniseries The Count Of Monte Cristo; Rachel Ward, his co-star in Thorn Birds (1983); and sultry Agata Lis, who filmed The Return Of The Musketeers in 1988 with the king of the miniseries.

"One's personal life is just that - personal," he says in a no-nonsense manner. "I never discuss it."

Chamberlain, who starred in last week's ABC-TV movie Ordeal In The Arctic, can be found at his spectacular, mountaintop estate overlooking Waikiki Beach in Hawaii, when he's not toiling in front of the cameras.

"My home is a romantic getaway," he says. "The full moons over my home are breathtaking. From my back porch, the Pacific Ocean stretches as far as the eye can see."

"You couldn't ask for a more romantic spot unless it was created by a movie studio."

Chamberlain says his delight in romance started at an early age.

"From the time I was a kid, I dreamed of slaying dragons and saving pretty maidens, "he admits with a good-natured laugh. "I still have those dreams, but I'm getting a bit old to hang onto those notions."

"I've wished my whole life to be a real hero, but I guess that's not to be," he adds. "Instead, I'll play the brave and dashing savior as an actor. That helps me live my fantasies."

"It's hard to dream of slaying a dragon when you have to use a walker or a cane."

© Steve Tinney