Charles Spencer Chaplin III (May 5, 1925 – March 20, 1968), known professionally as Charles Chaplin Jr., was an American actor. He was the eldest son of

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

and Lita Grey, and is known for appearing in 1950s films such as '' The Beat Generation'' and ''Fangs of the Wild''.

Early life

Chaplin was born in Beverly Hills, California. He was the elder son of actors

and Lita Grey. His half-siblings from his father's last marriage to Oona O'Neill are Geraldine,

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

, 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 Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, 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 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

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''.

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 Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematorium, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries ...

with his maternal grandmother Lillian Carrillo Curry Grey.

In popular culture

In the 2022 Netflix film '' Blonde'', Chaplin was portrayed by Xavier Samuel.

Selected filmography

* '' Limelight'' (1952) as Clown (uncredited) * '' Columbus Discovers Kraehwinkel'' (1954) * '' High School Confidential'' (1958) * '' Girls Town'' (1959)Girls Town (1959) - Turner Classic Movies
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References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chaplin, Charles Jr. 1925 births 1968 deaths 20th-century American male actors American male film actors Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Charles Jr. Deaths from pulmonary embolism Lawrenceville School alumni Male actors from Beverly Hills, California Military personnel from California Military personnel from Los Angeles United States Army personnel of World War II