Charlie Chaplin's relatives, wives and in-laws on IMDb
There are also two Tamara Chaplins on IMDb, one of whom could be his great-grandaughter (the daughter of his unlisted grandson, Stephan Chaplin, the son of Sydney and Noëlle Adam). There is also a Jackson Dryden on IMDb, which is the name of Spencer Dryden's youngest son.
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Considered to be one of the most pivotal stars of the early days of Hollywood, Charlie Chaplin lived an interesting life both in his films and behind the camera. He is most recognized as an icon of the silent film era, often associated with his popular character, the Little Tramp; the man with the toothbrush mustache, bowler hat, bamboo cane, and a funny walk.
Charles Spencer Chaplin was born in Walworth, London, England on April 16, 1889, to Hannah Harriet Pedlingham (Hill) and Charles Chaplin, both music hall performers, who were married on June 22, 1885. After Charles Sr. separated from Hannah to perform in New York City, Hannah then tried to resurrect her stage career. Unfortunately, her singing voice had a tendency to break at unexpected moments. When this happened, the stage manager spotted young Charlie standing in the wings and led him on stage, where five-year-old Charlie began to sing a popular tune. Charlie and his half-brother, Syd Chaplin spent their lives in and out of charity homes and workhouses between their mother's bouts of insanity. Hannah was committed to Cane Hill Asylum in May 1903 and lived there until 1921, when Chaplin moved her to California.
Chaplin began his official acting career at the age of eight, touring with the Eight Lancashire Lads. At age 18, he began touring with Fred Karno's vaudeville troupe, joining them on the troupe's 1910 United States tour. He traveled west to California in December 1913 and signed on with Keystone Studios' popular comedy director Mack Sennett, who had seen Chaplin perform on stage in New York. Charlie soon wrote his brother Syd, asking him to become his manager. While at Keystone, Chaplin appeared in and directed 35 films, starring as the Little Tramp in nearly all.
In November 1914, he left Keystone and signed on at Essanay, where he made 15 films. In 1916, he signed on at Mutual and made 12 films. In June 1917, Chaplin signed up with First National Studios, after which he built Chaplin Studios. In 1919, he and Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and D.W. Griffith formed United Artists (UA).
Chaplin's life and career was full of scandal and controversy. His first big scandal was during World War I, at which time his loyalty to England, his home country, was questioned. He had never applied for American citizenship, but claimed that he was a "paying visitor" to the United States. Many British citizens called Chaplin a coward and a slacker. This and other career eccentricities sparked suspicion with FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), who believed that he was injecting Communist propaganda into his films. Chaplin's later film The Great Dictator (1940), which was his first "talkie", also created a stir. In the film, Chaplin plays a humorous caricature of Adolf Hitler. Some thought the film was poorly done and in bad taste. However, the film grossed over $5 million and earned five Academy Award Nominations.
Another scandal occurred when Chaplin briefly dated 22 year-old Joan Barry. However, Chaplin's relationship with Barry came to an end in 1942, after a series of harassing actions from her. In May 1943, Barry returned to inform Chaplin that she was pregnant and filed a paternity suit, claiming that the unborn child was his. During the 1944 trial, blood tests proved that Chaplin was not the father, but at the time, blood tests were inadmissible evidence, and he was ordered to pay $75 a week until the child turned 21.
Chaplin also was scrutinized for his support in aiding the Russian struggle against the invading Nazis during World War II, and the United States government questioned his moral and political views, suspecting him of having Communist ties. For this reason, HUAC subpoenaed him in 1947. However, HUAC finally decided that it was no longer necessary for him to appear for testimony. Conversely, when Chaplin and his family traveled to London for the premier of Limelight (1952), he was denied re-entry to the United States. In reality, the government had almost no evidence to prove that he was a threat to national security. Instead, he and his wife decided to settle in Switzerland.
Chaplin was married four times and had a total of 11 children. In 1918, he married Mildred Harris and they had a son together, Norman Spencer Chaplin, who lived only three days. Chaplin and Harris divorced in 1920. He married Lita Grey in 1924, who had two sons, Charles Chaplin Jr. and Sydney Chaplin. They were divorced in 1927. In 1936, Chaplin married Paulette Goddard, and his final marriage was to Oona O'Neill (Oona Chaplin), daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill in 1943. Oona gave birth to eight children: Geraldine Chaplin, Michael Chaplin, Josephine Chaplin, Victoria Chaplin, Eugene Chaplin, Jane Chaplin, Annette-Emilie Chaplin, and Christopher Chaplin.
In contrast to many of his boisterous characters, Chaplin was a quiet man who kept to himself a great deal. He also had an "un-millionaire" way of living. Even after he had accumulated millions, he continued to live in shabby accommodations. In 1921, Chaplin was decorated by the French government for his outstanding work as a filmmaker and was elevated to the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor in 1952. In 1972, he was honored with an Academy Award for his "incalculable effect in making motion pictures the art form of the century". He was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1975 New Year's Honours List. No formal reason for the honour was listed. The citation simply reads "Charles Spencer Chaplin, Film Actor and Producer".
Chaplin's other works included musical scores that he composed for many of his films. He also authored two autobiographical books, "My Autobiography" (1964) and its companion volume, "My Life in Pictures" (1974).
Chaplin died at age 88 of natural causes on December 25, 1977 at his home in Vevey, Switzerland. His funeral was a small and private Anglican ceremony according to his wishes. In 1978, Chaplin's corpse was stolen from its grave and was not recovered for three months; he was re-buried in a vault surrounded by cement.
Six of Chaplin's films have been selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the United States Library of Congress: The Immigrant (1917), The Kid (1921), The Gold Rush (1925), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936), and The Great Dictator (1940).
Charlie Chaplin is considered one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of American cinema, whose movies were and still are popular throughout the world and have even gained notoriety as time progresses. His films show, through the Little Tramp's positive outlook on life in a world full of chaos, that the human spirit has and always will remain the same.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Syd Chaplin was born on 16 March 1885 in London, England, UK. He was an actor and director, known for King, Queen and Joker (1921), The Better 'Ole (1926) and A Lover's Lost Control (1915). He was married to Minnie Chaplin and Henriette. He died on 15 April 1965 in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France.Older half-brother- Actress
Minnie Chaplin was born as Minnie Gilbert. She was an actress, known for A Dog's Life (1918), A Submarine Pirate (1915), A Lover's Lost Control (1915), Gussle Tied to Trouble (1915), Gussie's Backward Way (1915), and Gussle Rivals Jonah (1915). She was married to Syd Chaplin sometime before 1914 in England. She died in September 1936 in France after surgery for breast cancer.Sister-in-law (Syd's first wife)- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Director
Wheeler Dryden was born as George Dryden Wheeler, Jr. on August 31, 1892, taking the name Wheeler Dryden when he began to work in music halls in a vaudeville act with his father, George Dryden Wheeler, Sr. who worked under the name Leo Dryden. Wheeler's mother was Hannah Chaplin who was also the mother of Wheeler's two half-brothers, Sydney Hill Chaplin (Syd) and Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr.
Hannah Chaplin had a history of mental illness, alcoholism, and prostitution. In early 1893, Wheeler's father removed the six month old baby Wheeler from Hannah Chaplin's custody and raised him to adulthood. He never told the child about Hannah or his half-brothers until 1915 when he sent his son a letter while he was traveling with a vaudeville show and told him the truth. Wheeler was 23 years old and suddenly he had a family other than his father.
Wheeler got busy writing letters to Charles and Syd Chaplin but he didn't get a response. In 1917, he wrote to Edna Purviance, Chaplin's leading lady, who intervened on his behalf to convince Charles to acknowledge his half-brother. She did.
Wheeler moved to the USA in 1918 and met his mother and two half-brothers. He hired his half-brother Syd Chaplin as his personal manager to help him get started with his acting career. Wheeler's early work in the US was mostly on the stage. Ultimately, Wheeler obtained employment not only as a film actor but as an assistant director and director. He became a US citizen in 1936.
In early 1938, Wheeler, age 45, married Alice Chapple, age 27, a successful ballerina at New York City's Radio City Music Hall. Their son, Spencer Dryden, was born on April 7, 1938 in New York City. The couple then moved to Los Angeles so Wheeler could continue to pursue his acting. His father, Leo Dryden, died on April 21, 1939 in London, England.
Wheeler Dryden was a jazz fan and he encouraged Spencer in a music career by taking him to LA jazz clubs during the 1950s. It paid off because Spencer grew up to be a musician and drummer, replacing Skip Spence, the drummer in the band Jefferson Airplane. Spencer Dryden remained with Jefferson Airplane until February 1970 then he left the music business from 1970 to 1977. He returned briefly as manager and to perform with New Riders of the Purple Sage. When he left New Riders, he worked with Barry Melton's band for a short time and retired again in 1995. Spencer Dryden died on January 11, 2005 from colon cancer.
Wheeler Dryden worked on Chaplin's last three films before Chaplin left the US to attend the world premiere of Limelight in London, England. He sailed on the RMS Queen Elizabeth with his wife, Oona O'Neill Chaplin and children on September 18, 1952. The next day, his US re-entry permit was revoked. Chaplin was banned from the United States.
Because nearly all of Chaplin's property was in the USA, Chaplin sent his wife, Oona, back to the US to get his affairs in order and to appoint Syd and Wheeler as administrators to sell off Chaplin's assets. She rejoined Chaplin in Switzerland at Manoir de Ban, their new 35 acre estate overlooking Lake Geneva in Corsier-sur-Vevey. Oona O'Neill Chaplin then renounced her US citizenship and became a British citizen.
Syd and Wheeler oversaw the sale of Chaplin's Beverly Hills home and the remainder of his stock in United Artists. The last thing that sold was the studio in 1954 which resolved all of Chaplin's US financial interests.
All this took a toll on Wheeler Dryden, physically, mentally and professionally. He couldn't get a job even if he wanted one because his name was forever attached to the stigma surrounding Charles Chaplin. Wheeler became a recluse with several hospitalizations for treatment of mental illness.
Wheeler Dryden was active as an actor and director in England until 1918 and in the USA from 1918 until 1952. Wheeler died September 30, 1957 in Los Angeles, California. He never saw his son's success in music.Younger half-brother- Soundtrack
Spencer Dryden was born on 7 April 1938 in New York City, New York, USA. He was married to Sally Mann and Jeannie Davis. He died on 11 January 2005 in Petaluma, California, USA.Nephew -- son of Wheeler Dryden- Mildred Harris was born on 29 November 1901 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA. She was an actress, known for The Doctor and the Woman (1918), For Husbands Only (1918) and The Price of a Good Time (1917). She was married to William Peter Fleckenstein, Everett Terrence McGovern and Charles Chaplin. She died on 20 July 1944 in Hollywood, California, USA.First wife (1918-20)
One son (July 1919) with Chaplin -- died three days after birth - Actress
- Soundtrack
Lita Grey began working for Charles Chaplin at his Hollywood studio when she was 12, doing bit parts in a couple of his movies. Three years later, at 15, she met him again and became pregnant by him by the time she was 16; they married in 1924 when she was still 16 and he was 35. They had two sons before their three-year marriage ended in a bitter divorce. Ms. Grey played clubs in Europe and the US and spent eight years touring with the Radio Keith Orpheum theater circuit before retiring from show business in 1947.Second wife (1924-27)
Two sons with Chaplin -- Charles Chaplin, Jr., and Sydney Chaplin- Charles Chaplin Jr. was born on 5 May 1925 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA. He was an actor, known for The Beat Generation (1959), Fangs of the Wild (1954) and Matinee Theatre (1955). He was married to Martha Brown (nurse) and Susan Magness. He died on 20 March 1968 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA.Second child (1925-68) - oldest surviving son
- Actor
- Casting Department
- Soundtrack
In choosing a professional acting career for himself, bon vivant Sydney Chaplin had to deal with the powerful and pervasive shadow of his famous father, the legendary Charles Chaplin, hovering over him every step of the way. While his older brother, actor Charles Chaplin Jr., buckled under the pressure and died of an alcohol-related illness at age 43, the dashing and debonair Sydney achieved respectable success on his own terms by avoiding films and focusing on the theater.
Sydney was the oldest surviving Chaplin child at the time of his death following a stroke on March 3, 2009. While in no way could he match his father's ambitious nature and incredible genius, Sydney managed to do things his way. Fortunately, he was not weighed down by his father's all-encompassing obsession for recognition. Easygoing to a fault, Sydney was both charming and charismatic -- a winning combination on the stage. A wonderful mimic, he also possessed a fun and witty idle-rich mentality that tended to reflect his stage and film persona.
Sydney Earle Chaplin, who bore a similar, slightly forlorn facial resemblance to his famous father, was born in Beverly Hills, California, on March 31, 1926, and was the second son born to Charlie and his second wife, Lita Grey. Lita was an aspiring actress who married the 35-year-old legend when she was 16. Sydney was named after his half-uncle, actor Syd Chaplin. His parents' marriage was doomed from the start and indeed was over before Sydney was even a year old. Charlie created just as many headlines off camera as he did on, and this breakup was no exception. The acrimonious divorce proceedings was a feast for the tabloids in 1927. Sydney was thereafter raised by his maternal grandmother and saw almost nothing of his father during his most irregular upbringing.
Growing up, the boy suffered from extreme restlessness and a lack of discipline, and his education was erratic as a result. He was expelled from three boarding schools by the time he was 16. However, things changed for him with his country's participation in World War II. Drafted into the infantry at age 18, a new sense of purpose took over him when he was sent to Europe to serve as a bazooka man in the Third Army commanded by General George S. Patton.
Sydney had avoided his father's profession up until this point. However, after his discharge from the United States Army, he was asked by a friend to try acting and he found out that he liked it. In 1946, he became the co-founder (with George Englund) of the Circle Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Father Charlie actually directed Sydney in a couple of the company's endeavors, including a production of "Rain". Impressed by Sydney's newfound seriousness, Charlie gave him his first movie role as the composer in the classic Limelight (1952). Despite a fine introduction into films, Sydney's later output would be largely overlooked.
Despite his inbred elegance, he was not the leading man type on film and was often cast in ethnic support roles (Indian, Egyptian). His credits included such foreign films as Act of Love (1953) starring Kirk Douglas; Columbus entdeckt Krähwinkel (1954), which co-starred brother Charlie Jr., the British entry Land of the Pharaohs (1955), which starred one-time paramour Joan Collins, the English/Egyptian co-production Abdullah's Harem (1955) starring Kay Kendall, and another British programmer, Follow That Man (1961) with Dawn Addams. He did not have any better luck with the American films he made -- Pillars of the Sky (1956) -- an actionful Western in which he played an Indian scout working for the army -- Four Girls in Town (1957) and Quantez (1957). Sydney did star in one above-average picture, the British thriller The Deadliest Sin (1955) co-starring Audrey Dalton, but the second-string film came and went without much fanfare.
Stardom finally occurred for the actor on the New York stage -- not in a chic comedy, for which he was known, but in a musical. He opened on Broadway in November 1956 in the hit Betty Comden and Adolph Green effort "Bells Are Ringing" after femme star Judy Holliday encouraged him to audition. Having never sung before, it took 15 rounds before the director gave him the role of Jeff Moss, the gent who falls for Holliday's switchboard operator. Both Sydney and Judy wound up winning Tony Awards in 1957 for their performances (Sydney in the "featured" category) and he also earned a 1957 Theatre World Award as a new "promising personality". He and Holliday became involved at one point, which did not work out, and the uncomfortable situation led to his agreed replacement (by Hal Linden). Sydney would not return to perform with Holliday when the show made its London debut. Nevertheless, he continued on Broadway in both musicals and comedies, including "Goodbye, Charlie" (1959), "Subways Are for Sleeping" (1961) and "In the Counting House" (1962). His modest baritone was utilized on television as well in the musical version of Wonderful Town (1958) starring Rosalind Russell.
Sydney's second greatest triumph came again in a Broadway musical -- "Funny Girl" (1964) co-starring meteoric newcomer Barbra Streisand. Playing the inveterate gambler and ladies' man Nick Arnstein opposite Streisand's love-torn comedienne Fanny Brice, both actors received Tony nominations for their performances, but neither won. His problems working with the young and eccentric Streisand resulted in a feud that led to his eventually leaving the cast. Because of the problems with his leading ladies, both of his original roles in "Bells Are Ringing" and "Funny Girl" went to other more famous stars (Dean Martin and Omar Sharif, respectively) when they transferred to film.
In the late 1960s, Sydney appeared in another of his father's pictures, supporting Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren in the poorly-received A Countess from Hong Kong (1967). Sadly, this was Charlie's last hurrah as a director. Sydney later worked in foreign-made film fare, most of them unworthy of his talents. He ended his career in the late 1970s on an uneventful note with some standard television guest appearances and roles in a couple of abysmal horror films: So Evil, My Sister (1974) and Satan's Cheerleaders (1977), the latter movie featuring other veteran actors on the wane, including John Ireland, John Carradine and Yvonne De Carlo.
In later years, Sydney opened a celebrity-friendly bistro and dinner club called "Chaplin's" in Palm Springs, California. It ran for about a decade. He also enjoyed trophy-winning celebrity status out on the desert's golf courses. Sydney Chaplin died at age 82 of a stroke in Rancho Mirage, California on March 30, 2009. He was survived by his third wife, Margaret Beebe, and his only child Stephan from his first marriage.Third son (1926-2009)- Actress
- Soundtrack
Noëlle Adam was born on 24 December 1933 in La Rochelle, Charente-Inférieure [now Charente-Maritime], France. She is an actress, known for Ni vu, ni connu (1958), Sergeant X of the Foreign Legion (1960) and Quem é Beta? (1973). She was previously married to Serge Reggiani and Sydney Chaplin.Daughter-in-law (first wife of Sydney)- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Paulette Goddard was a child model who debuted in "The Ziegfeld Follies" at the age of 13. She gained fame with the show as the girl on the crescent moon, and was married to a wealthy man, Edgar James, by the time she was 17. After her divorce she went to Hollywood in 1931, where she appeared in small roles in pictures for a number of studios. A stunning natural beauty, Paulette could mesmerize any man she met, a fact she was well aware of. One of her bigger roles in that period was as a blond "Goldwyn Girl" in the Eddie Cantor film The Kid from Spain (1932). In 1932 she met Charles Chaplin, and they soon became an item around town. He cast her in Modern Times (1936), which was a big hit, but her movie career was not going anywhere because of her relationship with Chaplin. They were secretly married in 1936, but the marriage failed and they were separated by 1940. It was her role as Miriam Aarons in The Women (1939), however, that got her a contract with Paramount. Paulette was one of the many actresses tested for the part of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939), but she lost the part to Vivien Leigh and instead appeared with Bob Hope in The Cat and the Canary (1939), a good film but hardly in the same league as GWTW. The 1940s were Paulette's busiest period. She worked with Chaplin in The Great Dictator (1940), Cecil B. DeMille in Reap the Wild Wind (1942) and Burgess Meredith in The Diary of a Chambermaid (1946). She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in So Proudly We Hail! (1943). Her star faded in the late 1940s, however, and she was dropped by Paramount in 1949. After a couple of "B" movies, she left films and went to live in Europe as a wealthy expatriate; she married German novelist Erich Maria Remarque in the late 1950s. She was coaxed back to the screen once more, although it was the small screen, for the television movie The Female Instinct (1972).Third wife (1936-42)
Never had children- Actress
- Additional Crew
Oona O'Neil was born in Warwick Parish, Bermuda, the daughter of famed American playwright Eugene O'Neill and English-born socialite Agnes Boulton. Oona had a fairly happy childhood, although she rarely saw her busy father. During her teens Oona attended boarding school in New York where she met Gloria Vanderbilt and Carol Marcus, and in 1941 Oona was named one of the most sought-after débutantes of the social season. Oona felt it was only natural that she become an actress, since she was the daughter of a playwright and the granddaughter of James O'Neill, a noted theater actor during the late 19th century.
Oona traveled to Hollywood in 1942, where she met silent film legend Charles Chaplin at the home of her agent. Chaplin began courting Oona after she auditioned for a film he was directing, and the pair married in 1943. He was 54; she was just 18. Oona scrapped plans to become an actress, opting instead to raise a family of what would be eight children with Charlie. Although Oona was content with her life, she was deeply troubled by the failed relationship with her father, who disowned her and cut communication with Oona when she married Chaplin.
During the height of McCarthyism 1952, Chaplin sailed to England to promote a film. En route, Chaplin learned that he would not be allowed to return to the U.S. unless he would submit to inquires regarding his morality. Refusing to do so, he and his family eventually ended up in Vevey, Switzerland.
Oona spent the rest of her life in Vevey, leaving only a few times after Charlie died in 1977 at the age of 88. (Oona was only 51.) Oona developed a few close relationships with Hollywood icons, like actor Ryan O'Neal, but she never married again. She died in Vevey from pancreatic cancer on September 27th, 1991.Fourth and final wife (1943-77)
Five daughters with Chaplin -- Geraldine, Josephine, Victoria, Jane, Annette
Three sons with Chaplin -- Michael, Eugene, Christopher
(Only Annette has no IMDb entry)- Eugene O'Neill, the winner of four Pulitzer Prizes for Drama and the 1936 Nobel Prize for Literature, is widely considered the greatest American playwright. No one, not Maxwell Anderson, Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller, nor Edward Albee, approaches O'Neill in terms of his artistic achievement or his impact on the American theater.
James O'Neill, one of the most popular actors of the late 19th century, was his father, so one could say that Eugene O'Neill was born to a life in the theater. His father, who had been born into poverty in Ireland before emigrating to the United States, developed his craft and became a star in the theaters of the Midwest. He married Mary Ellen "Ella" Quinlan, the Irish-American daughter of a wealthy Cleveland businessman, whose death when she was a teenager had hurt her emotionally. She remained emotionally fragile throughout her life, a condition exacerbated by a further tragedy, the loss of a child. A further strain was placed on her when it was discovered that James had lived in "concubinage" with a common-law wife who later sued him for child support and alimony, claiming he had fathered her child. Both were pious and believing Catholics.
They had three sons, including James Jr. (born 1878) and Edmund (1883), who died at the age of two from measles, leaving Ella distraught. Their last son, Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (his middle name a salute to the British prime minister who was in favor of home rule for Ireland), was born at the Barrett Hotel (home of many theatrical artistes) in New York City, on October 16, 1888. Supposedly, it was a difficult delivery, and in the spirit of the times, Ella was given morphine for her pain. She became an addict.
James O'Neill made a fortune playing The Count of Monte Cristo, both on Broadway in multiple productions and as a touring show. However, he suffered an artistic death as a performing artiste through the sheer repetition of the Monte Cristo role, which he turned to repeatedly as it always proved a success. He reportedly played the role at least 4,000 times, perhaps nearly twice that number. He would provide the prototype for the character of James Tyrone, the pater familias in his son's "Long Day's Journey Into Night". James O'Neill Sr. knew that he had suffered artistically from his commercial instincts, and Eugene never forgot that. His son remained steadfast in his own fidelity to his principles of artistic integrity.
The father also was a notorious skinflint, terrified that some unforeseen calamity would throw him back into the hellish poverty of his childhood in Ireland. Both young Gene and his older brother Jamie tried their hands at acting, and though Jamie was more successful than Gene, he never developed a significant, independent career as a professional thespian due to instability caused by his alcoholism. Jamie relied on his father for work, which further fueled his drinking.
Jamie was a full-blown alcoholic, just like his younger brother, Gene, and he drank himself to death at a relatively young age, a fate Gene managed to avoid, but not from lack of trying. The characters of Jamie in "Long Day's Journey Into Night" and James Tyrone Jr. in "A Moon for the Misbegotten" were based on him.
As a young man, Eugene suffered from tuberculosis, which likely exacerbated his propensity for pessimism (the stuff of his life became the guts of his last masterpiece, "Long Day's Journey Into Night"). His pessimistic, tragic outlook on life likely was hereditary: O'Neill's two sons, Eugene O'Neill Jr. and Shane O'Neill, became substance abusers as adults: Eugene Jr. was an alcoholic and Shane was a heroin addict. Both committed suicide. He disowned his daughter Oona Chaplin, for marrying Charles Chaplin, who was just six months younger than O'Neill himself. He had never had much to do with her anyway, nor any of his children. His life was devoted to writing.
After recovering from tuberculosis, O'Neill attended Princeton for the 1907-08 term, but was kicked out after his freshman year, allegedly for being drunk and disorderly at a reception held by the university president, future President of the United States Woodrow Wilson. For the next eight years he led a freebooting existence, fortune-hunting for gold in South America and plying the seas as an able-bodied seaman, while trying to drink himself to death (he even made an attempt at suicide). Eventually he returned to New York City and tried his hand at playwriting, and with the financial help of his father, studied playwriting at Harvard in 1915. His father was unimpressed by the results, and died the same year his son made his big breakthrough on Broadway (he did live to see the production of Eugene's first full-length play, "Beyond the Horizon", which opened on February 2, 1920 and ran for a then-impressive 111 performances, and its honoring with the 1920 Pulitzer Prize for Drama that May. James O'Neill Sr. died on August 10, 1920. His namesake, James O'Neill Jr., died three years later, at the age of 45.)
Where Eugene truly learned his craft was in the writing of one-act melodramas that dealt with the lives of sailors, that were performed by the Provincetown Players, which had theaters in Provincetown on Cape Cod and off of Washington Square in New York City (John Ford made a 1940 movie out of four of his sea plays, collected in The Long Voyage Home (1940)). The theater he created was a reaction against the theater of his father, the old hoary melodramas that packed them in for a night of crowd-pleasing entertainment.
Eugene started out as a dramatist at a time when there was an average of 70 plays being performed on Broadway each week. The Great White Way resembled a modern movie multiplex in that potential theatergoers would peruse the various marquees in and around Times Square seeking an entertainment for the night. At the time O'Neill began to establish himself, in pre- and post-World War I era, entertainment was first and foremost in most people's minds.
The movies and O'Neill would change that. The competition of the more sophisticated movies of the late silent era, and then the talkies, usurped the position of Broadway and the theater as the premier venue for American entertainment. The light plays that were the equivalent of television fare became extinct. Musicals continued to thrive, as did comedies, but drama became more serious and developed a psychological depth. O'Neill was the midwife of the phenomenon.
Eugene O'Neill helped foster the maturation of American drama, as he incorporated the techniques of both European expressionism and realism in his work. Influenced by Henrik Ibsen and August Strindberg, brought to the American stage a tragic vision that influenced scores of American playwrights that followed.
Eugene O'Neill died in the Shelton Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1953. Allegedly, his last words were, "Born in a hotel room, and goddammit! Died in one!" His health had been hurt by his alcoholism and he suffered from Parkinson's disease-like tremors of his hands that had made it difficult, if not impossible, to write since the early 1940s. It is believed that he suffered cerebellar cortical abiotrophy, a neurological disease in which certain neurons in the cerebellum of the brain die off, adversely affecting the balance and coordination of the sufferer. As a dramatist, he had flourished on Broadway from 1920, when his first full-length work, "Beyond the Horizon", debuted, winning him his first Pulitzer, until 1934, when his first and only comedy, Ah, Wilderness! (debut October 1933) came to an end that June and his play, "Days Without End," was staged in repertory between January and November). After 1934, he entered a cocoon, staying away from Broadway until after World War II, when the 1946 production of "The Iceman Cometh" debuted. The first production of "Iceman" failed, and O'Neill's reputation suffered, but the 1956 production of "Iceman" starring Jason Robards and directed by José Quintero was a great success, as was the posthumous production of "Long Day's Journey Into Night", which brought O'Neill his fourth Pulitzer. The two plays solidified his legend.Father-in-law (Oona's father) - James O'Neill was born on 15 November 1847 in Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Ireland. He was an actor, known for The Count of Monte Cristo (1913), West Is West (1920) and The Grain of Dust (1918). He was married to Ellen Quinlan. He died on 10 August 1920 in New London, Connecticut, USA.Grandfather-in-law (Eugene O'Neill's father)
- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Geraldine Leigh Chaplin was born in Santa Monica, California, to Oona Chaplin (née O'Neill) and legendary entertainer Charles Chaplin (A.K.A. Charlie Chaplin). She is a granddaughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill and a great-granddaughter of stage actor James O'Neill. She attended the Royal Ballet Academy in London. She was discovered by David Lean when she was dancing in Paris, which led to her role in Doctor Zhivago (1965). She has two children, Shane and Oona Chaplin.Oldest Daughter
Mother of Oona Castilla Chaplin- Writer
- Director
- Actor
Spanish director, writer, producer (2 films) and actor (2 films). His interest in cinema started when he was very young. His mother, who was a pianist, instilled in him the liking for music, and his brother, Antonio, who was a painter, the passion for art. When he was an teenager he started to practice photography, and in 1950 he made his first illustrated feature films with a 16 mm camera. Carlos Saura is an excellent photographer, an activity that he shares in a sporadic way with the making of films.
He then moved to Madrid to continue his Industrial Engineering career, but his vocation for photography, cinema and journalism made him leave his studies and matriculate at the Instituto de Investigaciones y Estudios Cinematográficos (Cinematographic Study and Research Institute). Sporadically, he combined his cinematographic studies with the courses at the Escuela de Periodismo (Journalism School). In 1957 he finished studying and got the director diploma. At the same time, he finished his end-of-career short film La tarde del domingo (1957). He continued as a professor until 1963. In that year he was removed from the school for strictly political reasons (Franco's censorship).
In 1959 he filmed The Delinquents (1960). In this film he tried to create a sort of Spanish Neo-Realism by tackling the juvenile delinquency in the Madrid's poor quarters from a sociological point of view. In his first stage as director he tried to take a position in favour of outcast people, and he got to make a both lyric and documentary-style cinema.
Saura is a well accepted director both nationally and internationally, and in proof of it he won many awards among which there are the following ones: Silver Bear in the Berlin Festival for The Hunt (1966), in 1965, and for Peppermint Frappé (1967), in 1967. Special Jury Awards in Cannes for Cousin Angelica (1974), in 1973, and for Cría Cuervos (1976), in 1975. Also, the film Mama Turns 100 (1979) got an Oscar nomination in 1979 as the best foreign film, and it also won the Special Jury Award at the San Sebastian Festival. In 1990, he won two Goya awards as best adapted screenplay writer and best director.Father of Geraldine's son (Charlie's grandson) Shane Saura- Cinematographer
- Director
- Writer
Patricio Castilla is known for Y aquí no pasó nada (1991), La viuda de Montiel (1979) and Nombre de guerra: Miguel Henríquez (1988). He has been married to Geraldine Chaplin since 18 August 2006. They have one child.Son-in-law (Geraldine's husband)
Father of Oona Castilla Chaplin- Actress
- Producer
- Soundtrack
Oona Chaplin is a Spanish actress. Her mother is Geraldine Chaplin. She is also the granddaughter of English film actor Charlie Chaplin, and great-granddaughter of American playwright Eugene O'Neill. She is best known for playing Talisa Maegyr in the HBO TV series Game of Thrones and Zilpha Geary in Taboo.
She was named after her maternal grandmother, Oona O'Neill Chaplin.
Her acting debut was in the TV Series Spooks.Granddaughter (daughter of Geraldine and Patricio Castilla)- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Michael Chaplin was born on 7 March 1946 in Santa Monica, California, USA. He is an actor and writer, known for A King in New York (1957), Act of Betrayal (1988) and The Sandwich Man (1966).Fourth son
Father of Tim Chaplin (with Patrice Johns Chaplin) and Carmen and Dolores Chaplin (with Patricia Betaudier Chaplin)- Daughter-in-law (Michael's first wife)
- Daughter-in-law (Michael's second wife)
Mother of Carmen and Dolores - Actress
- Producer
- Director
Carmen Chaplin was born on 27 July 1977 in London, England, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for All About the Benjamins (2002), Sabrina (1995) and The Serpent's Kiss (1997).Granddaughter- Actress
- Producer
- Writer
Dolores Chaplin is known for The Ice Rink (1998), The Counterfeiters (2007) and Until the End of the World (1991).Granddaughter- Actress
- Soundtrack
Josephine Chaplin was born on 28 March 1949 in Santa Monica, California, USA. She was an actress, known for The Man Without a Face (1975), Shadowman (1974) and Les quatre Charlots mousquetaires (1974). She was married to Jean-Claude Gardin and Nicholas Sistovaris. She died on 13 July 2023 in Paris, France.Second daughter
Mother of cinematographer Julien Ronet (with Maurice Ronet) and Charlie S. Chaplin (with Nicholas Sistovaris)- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Maurice Ronet was born on 13 April 1927 in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France. He was an actor and writer, known for Elevator to the Gallows (1958), The Fire Within (1963) and Purple Noon (1960). He was married to Maria Pacôme. He died on 14 March 1983 in Paris, France.Father of Josephine's son, Julien Ronet- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Julien Ronet is known for Smell the Funk (2020), Shortlived Suicide (2017) and Stalking (Devenez prédateur) (2015).Grandson- Grandson
- Victoria Chaplin was born on 19 May 1951 in Santa Monica, California, USA. She is an actress, known for A Countess from Hong Kong (1967), Le cirque imaginaire (1989) and Mi reino por un caballo (2010). She has been married to Jean-Baptiste Thiérrée since 2 January 1970. They have two children.Third daughter
Mother of James and Aurélia Thiérrée - Actor
- Director
Jean-Baptiste Thiérrée is known for Piège (1970), Prologue (1970) and Macbeth (1959). He has been married to Victoria Chaplin since 2 January 1970. They have two children.Son-in-law (Victoria's husband)
Father of James and Aurélia Thiérrée- Actor
- Director
- Music Department
James Thierrée was born on 2 May 1974 in Lausanne, Switzerland. He is an actor and director, known for Tabac Rouge (2013), Chocolat (2016) and Les illusions (2008).Grandson- Aurélia Thiérrée was born on 24 September 1971. She is an actress, known for The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996), Goya's Ghosts (2006) and Twice Upon a Time (2019).Granddaughter
- Eugene Chaplin was born on 23 August 1953.Fifth son
Father of Kiera Chaplin - Actress
- Producer
Kiera Chaplin was born on 1 July 1982 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. She is an actress and producer, known for The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), The Year That Trembled (2002) and The Professional (2003).Granddaughter- Actress
- Producer
Jane Chaplin was born on 23 May 1957. She is an actress and producer, known for The Rainbow Thief (1990), Le jour se lève et les conneries commencent (1981) and Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992). She was previously married to Ilya Salkind.Fourth daughter
Mother of Orson Chaplin (Salkind) and Osceola Byron Malachi Chaplin Salkind- Producer
- Writer
- Actor
Ilya Salkind was born in Mexico City, and grew up in the world of motion pictures. At the age of one, Ilya was photographed sitting on the lap of Zsa Zsa Gabor. His grandfather, Michael Salkind, was one of the pioneers of silent films and produced The Joyless Street (1925) (aka "The Joyless Street"), featuring then relative unknown Greta Garbo in her first major role. Afterwards, Michael and his son, Alexander Salkind, were responsible for many successful films of artistic achievement, including Orson Welles's The Trial (1962) (aka "The Trial"). Ilya then took the reins and became the third generation of successful filmmakers. Ilya has worked in Paris, Rome, London, Madrid, New York and Los Angeles. He speaks fluent French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and English.
At a young age, Ilya started his career as a producer and has accumulated a stunning filmography. Ilya produced, with his father and grandfather, the tremendous worldwide box office hits The Three Musketeers (1973) and The Four Musketeers: Milady's Revenge (1974), which was the first time in the industry a film and its sequel were shot simultaneously. Ilya was nominated for a Golden Globe for his work on The Three Musketeers (1973).
Ilya then went on to initiate the blockbuster "Superman" franchise, one of the most successful in film history. The Academy Award-winning Superman (1978) also has the distinction of being the first major Comic Book film adaptation ever made. Under Ilya's supervision, this film and its first two sequels became worldwide blockbusters. Superman II (1980) was awarded the Best Science Fiction Film of the year by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. Ilya's venture into television, Superboy (1988) (1988-1992), also proved successful, lasting four seasons for a total of 100 episodes. The show was recognized by the Young Artist Awards as one of the Best Family Series on television. After producing the $50 million Christopher Columbus: The Discovery (1992) with Marlon Brando, Benicio Del Toro, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, Georges Corraface, in the role of Christopher Columbus, Ilya and wife Jane Chaplin (daughter of Charles Chaplin and granddaughter of Eugene O'Neill) settled down in Orlando, Florida and took a sabbatical to raise their two young sons. The celebrity couple amicably parted ways at the end of 1999.
Ilya, now based in LA and having formed The Ilya Salkind Company, Inc., is completing the company's first film, Young Alexander the Great (2010), recently shot in Egypt and Greece about the young Alexander the Great. The film has already seemingly launched the careers of four of its previously unknown stars. Sam Heughan ("Young Alexander") was signed by the prestigious agency ICM, Paul Telfer ("Hephaestion") was chosen from out of 200 candidates to play the title role in the $25 million miniseries "Hercules," Lauren Cohan ("Leto") is starring alongside Heath Ledger in "Casanova" and Louis Tamone ("Thessaly") is now a regular on the successful British television show Hollyoaks. Ilya Salkind has a reputation for discovering new talent throughout his career, including Christopher Reeve (Superman), Helen Slater (Supergirl), and Catherine Zeta-Jones and Benicio Del Toro (Christopher Columbus: The Discovery starring Marlon Brando). Alexander the Great from Macedonia is geared for a 2006 summer release and aimed toward a teen audience.
The Ilya Salkind Company is actively in pre-production on the mega-film "The Abominable Snowman." The legend of the "Abominable Snowman" has been in the public consciousness for centuries and is one of the greatest unresolved mysteries in the world. Ilya said, "I envision "The Abominable Snowman" to follow in the blockbuster franchise tradition of "Superman" and "The Three Musketeers". With today's seemingly unlimited technologies in filmmaking, the time is right. We are assembling the best creative team available in the world to capture on the screen this mythical and extraordinary being in its awe-inspiring magnificence". Ilya also returns to the visionary work of Jules Verne (his very first film with his father was based on Verne's "Light at the Edge of the World", starring Kirk Douglas and Yul Brynner) with the major motion picture event The Nautilus, part of a diverse slate of film and television projects with international appeal actively being developed by the company.Son-in-law (Jane's ex-husband)
Father of Orson Chaplin (Salkind) and Osceola Byron Malachi Chaplin Salkind- Actor
- Camera and Electrical Department
Orson Chaplin, grandson of the legendary actor Charlie Chaplin, and son to Producer Ilya Salkind (Superman) was born to Jane Chaplin in London, England, in 1986. Orson traveled internationally with his mom up until the age of seven when he acquired his green card, putting an end to his 6 month trips between Orlando, Florida and Switzerland, where he and his mom would spend half a year with the Chaplin clan, consisting of all his uncles, aunts, and cousins. He began acting as a child in elementary school. His first role was in his schools stage adaption of Amistad. His parents divorced when he was twelve years old and Orson moved with his father to Los Angeles where his academic theatre performances continued at Hollywood high. In 2009, Orson wrote, composed, produced, and performed the vocals on his debut rap album "Oz and Effect" under his Music Producer Alias "Ozzy Beats"the album was released on all music streaming services. In 2010 he returned to acting in independent film. During this time he teamed up with fellow underground rapper (and close friend) "Geek". Together they formed the duo Radioactive, releasing in 2011 their debut album "RadioActive First edition" which is also available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and many other online retailers. In 2011, Orson began dedicating himself strictly to acting, enrolling at the "Art of Acting Studio" in Hollywood, where he trained for a year. He has since appeared in many television productions, including Ray Donovan, Lucifer, and American Horror Story. He has also worked heavily in independent features, including Nightmare Cinema, and Fifth Street. Orson also continues to produce music as Producer Ozzy Beats for fellow artist Geek.Grandson- Actor
- Composer
- Writer
Christopher Chaplin was born on 8 July 1962 in Lausanne, Switzerland. He is an actor and composer, known for Je suis le ténébreux (2017), Till We Meet Again (1989) and Labyrinth (1991).Sixth son and youngest child