Charles Chaplin Jr.
Charles Spencer Chaplin III (May 5, 1925 – March 20, 1968) was an American actor. He was a son of Charlie Chaplin and Lita Grey. He is known for appearing in 1950s films such as The Beat Generation and Fans of the Wild.
Charles Chaplin Jr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Charles Spencer Chaplin III May 5, 1925 |
| Died | March 20, 1968 (aged 42) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hollywood Forever Cemetery |
| Alma mater | Black-Foxe Military Institute Lawrenceville School |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Spouse(s) | Susan Magness
( m. 1958; div. 1959) |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Charlie Chaplin Lita Grey |
| Relatives | See Chaplin family |
Early life
Chaplin was born in Beverly Hills, California. He was the elder son of actors Charlie Chaplin and Lita Grey. His half-siblings from his father's last marriage to Oona O'Neill are Geraldine, Michael, Josephine, Victoria, Eugene, Jane, Annette, and Christopher. His elder half-brother Norman died as an infant.
As young children, he and his younger brother Sydney were used as pawns in their mother's bitter divorce from Charlie Chaplin, during which a lot of the couple's "dirty linen" was aired in public, sensational divorce hearings. Following the divorce, the brothers were raised by their mother and maternal grandmother until the mid-1930s, when they began to make frequent visits to their father.
Chaplin attended the Black-Foxe Military Institute in Hollywood and the Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. He served in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II.
Career
Chaplin acted in 13 films, appearing with his father in Limelight (1952). In 1959, he had a role in the film Girls Town which featured the son of another famous silent movie comedian, Harold Lloyd Jr. He appeared with his brother Sydney in the play Ethan Frome at the Circle Theatre, now named El Centro Theatre. In 1960, he wrote a book about his family life titled My Father, Charlie Chaplin.
Personal life
Chaplin married actress Susan Magness on August 6, 1958. They lived in Los Angeles, California. Their daughter Susan Maree Chaplin was born in May 1959. They separated in October 1959 and divorced on November 23, 1959. His ex-wife and daughter still live in Los Angeles.
Death
Chaplin died of a pulmonary embolism on March 20, 1968 in Santa Monica, California, aged 42. He is buried in the Abbey of the Psalms mausoleum at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery with his maternal grandmother Lillian Carrillo Curry Grey (1888–1985).
Selected filmography
- Limelight (1952) as Clown (uncredited)
- Columbus Discovers Kraehwinkel (1954)
Further reading
- Grey, Lita. My Life With Chaplin, Grove Press. 1966.
- Grey, Lita; Vance, Jeffrey. Wife of the Life of the Party: A Memoir. Scarecrow Press. 1998.
