American actor Richard Chamberlain, known for his roles in Dr. Kildare and Shōgun, has died at 90.

According to Harlan Boll, the actor's publicist, he died in Waimanalo, Hawai'i on Saturday, March 29 following a stroke.

Today, March 31, Chamberlain would have turned 91.

"Our beloved Richard is with the angels now," said his partner Martin Rabbett. "He is free and soaring to those loved ones before us."

"How blessed were we to have known such an amazing and loving soul," Rabbett added.

Chamberlain was born in Beverly Hills, California in 1934 and began acting upon his return from the Korean War, where he was an infantry clerk.

He quickly became an audience favourite, being named Most Popular Male Star in 1963, 1964 and 1965 by Photoplay Magazine after he was cast in Dr Kildare as the titular physician.

In 1978, he became known as 'King of the TV Miniseries' following his role in Centennial.

Through the 1980s, he would act in multiple other miniseries, including Shōgun and what is considered his greatest TV success, The Thorn Birds.

The 1983 series, in which Chamberlain played the Catholic priest Father Ralph de Bricassart, was widely popular and reportedly drew in 100 million viewers.

After a long career in film and TV, Chamberlain began working in theatre, performing on Broadway through the 1990s.

In his 2003 autobiography, Shattered Love, he detailed publicly for the first time his sexuality, discussing the ways in which he would hide his homosexuality - often at the request of studio executives.

Chamberlain was the winner of three Golden Globe Awards and was nominated for four Emmy Awards.