Charles Spencer Chaplin III (May 5, 1925 – March 20, 1968), known professionally as Charles Chaplin Jr., was an American actor. He was the elder son of Charlie Chaplin and Lita Grey, and is known for appearing in 1950s films such as The Beat Generation and Fangs of the Wild.
Charles Chaplin Jr. | |
|---|---|
 Chaplin c. 1960 | |
| Born | Charles Spencer Chaplin III May 5, 1925 |
| Died | March 20, 1968 (aged 42) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Burial place | Hollywood Forever Cemetery |
| Alma mater | Black-Foxe Military Institute Lawrenceville School |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Spouses | Susan Magness
(m. 1958; div. 1959)Marta Brown
(m. 1962, divorced) |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Charlie Chaplin Lita Grey |
| Relatives | See Chaplin family |
Early life
editChaplin 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.[1] 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
editChaplin 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.
Death
edit
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.
In popular culture
editIn the 2022 Netflix film Blonde, Chaplin was portrayed by Xavier Samuel.[2]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 | The Great Dictator | Child in crowd | Uncredited; extra in the Ghetto scenes[3] |
| 1952 | Limelight | Clown | Uncredited; appearance with father Charlie Chaplin and brother Sydney Earl Chaplin[4] |
| 1954 | Fangs of the Wild | Roger Wharton | Starring role; also known as Follow the Hunter |
| 1954 | Columbus entdeckt Krähwinkel | Jimmy Hunter | German production; released in the US as Columbus Discovers America |
| 1954 | Screen Snapshots: Hollywood's Invisible Committees | Himself | Documentary short film (Vol. 33, No. 8) |
| 1955 | The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell | Reporter | Uncredited; directed by Otto Preminger |
| 1957 | Outer Space Jitters | Sputnik | A The Three Stooges short film |
| 1958 | The High Cost of Loving | Guest at Party | Uncredited; directed by José Ferrer |
| 1958 | High School Confidential! | Quinn | Directed by Jack Arnold |
| 1959 | Night of the Quarter Moon | Young Thug | Uncredited; also known as Between the Thunder and the Sun |
| 1959 | The Big Operator | Bill Tragg | Directed by Charles F. Haas |
| 1959 | Girls Town | Joe Cates | Also starring Mamie Van Doren[5] |
| 1959 | The Beat Generation | Lover Boy | Produced by Albert Zugsmith |
| 1959 | The Big Night | Charles | UK title: Dark Cloud |
| 1960 | Sex Kittens Go to College | Fire Chief | Also known as The Beauty and the Robot |
| 1961 | The George Raft Story | Young Actor | Uncredited; biographical film about George Raft |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok | Russell | Episode: "The Outlaw's Portrait" (S6.E5) |
| 1955 | The Spike Jones Show | Himself | Guest appearance (1 episode) |
| 1956 | General Electric Summer Originals | Host / Actor | Episode: "The Eternal Question" |
| 1957 | Matinee Theatre | Guest | Episode: "The Man with the Pointed Toes" |
| 1957 | Telephone Time | Vinnie | Episode: "Vinnie the Redhead" (S2.E27) |
| 1959 | The David Niven Show | Young Man | Episode: "The Last Act" (S1.E13) |
| 1960 | The Ed Sullivan Show | Himself | Guest / Interviewee (S13.E28)[6] |
Bibliography
edit- My Father, Charlie Chaplin (1960), co-written with N. and M. Rau. New York: Random House.[7]
References
edit- ↑ "Charlie Chaplin Jr". Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (5 May 1925 – 20 March 1968) was an American actor and the son of Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin was born in Beverly Hills, California. His mother was Charlie Chaplin's second wife, Mexican-American Lita Grey, and he was the elder brother of actor Sydney Chaplin.
- ↑ "'Blonde': 10 of the Marilyn Monroe Biopic's Stars and Their Real-Life Inspirations". The Hollywood Reporter. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
- ↑ Chaplin, Charles (1960). My Father, Charlie Chaplin. Random House. p. 214.
- ↑ "Charles Chaplin Jr". IMDb. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
- ↑ "Girls Town (1959)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
- ↑ "The Ed Sullivan Show Archives". EdSullivan.com. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
- ↑ Chaplin, Charles (1960). My Father, Charlie Chaplin. Random House. ISBN 978-0224617826.
{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
Further reading
edit- 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.
