Chaplin's families

Chaplin had two half brothers: Sydney Chaplin (1885-1965) and Wheeler Dryden (1892-1957). Syd managed his career. Wheeler Dryden (for you trivia fans) was the father of Spencer Dryden (1938-2005) who was drummer for Jefferson Airplane and NRPS, two culturally important rock bands of the 60s and 70s.

Chaplin was romantically involved with Edna Purviance (1895-1958) and she was in more than 30 of his films. They never married but critics often say that she was really his true love. She married John Squire an American Airlines pilot, in 1938.

Chaplin's first marriage was to Mildred Harris (1901-1944). It lasted from 1918-1920. At time of their marriage he was 29 and she was 16.

Chaplin's second marriage was to Lita Grey (1908-1995). It lasted from 1924-1928. At time of marriage he was 35 and she was 16. The marriage ended in a bitter divorce in which Grey accused Chaplin of carrying on numerous affairs. She received a settlement of almost 1 million dollars (which was the largest ever divorce settlement at the time). The divorce was sensational news and covered in great detail by the tabloids of the day. Gray went on to marry three times more. She wrote two books about her time with Chaplin but both are highly sensationalized. Chaplin does not mention her at all in his autobiography! Grey's divorce settlement from Chaplin would be worth more than $12.5 million in 2019 dollars. However, she spent and invested foolishly and the money was soon gone. Later in life she worked as a sales clerk at Robinson's, a department store in Beverly Hills.

Chaplin's third marriage might have been in 1936 to Paulette Goddard (1910-1990), his co-star in Modern Times and The Great Dictator. They lived together but it is not clear if they were ever legally married. Goddard was older. Goddard claimed they married in 1936 in China. She was 26 and had been previously married. He was about 47. Goddard filed for divorce, in Mexico, in 1942. Goddard and Chaplin remained on good terms after their "divorce." After spending time with the great Mexican artist Diego Rivera in Mexico and (she appears in one of his paintings), Goddard married the popular actor Burgess Meredith (1907-1997) and even later Erich Maria Remarque, (1898-1970) author of All Quiet on the Western Front. Goddard continued to act through the mid 1950s. However, her own investments as well as money and property she inherited from Remarque made her extremely wealthy and she was a major player among the New York City social elite in the 70s and 80s. She was particularly close to Andy Warhol.

Probably the most damaging relationship Chaplin had was with Joan Berry (1920-2007). Berry was an aspiring actress when she met Chaplin in 1941. Chaplin put her on his payroll, paid for acting lessons, and had an affair with her that turned sour fairly rapidly. Berry was unstable, and spent 11 years in a state mental hospital starting in 1953. In 1942, after Chaplin tried to break off the affair she broke into her home with a gun and he gave her money to leave town. Shortly afterwards, she claimed to be pregnant with Chaplin's child. Berry's mother sued for child support. A blood test proved that the child was NOT Chaplin's but was dismissed. Chaplin was ordered to pay child support until the girl was 21. Berry eventually withdrew her claim the Chaplin fathered the child but he continued to pay the child support. Chaplin's affair with Berry resulted in several trials. Ultimately, Chaplin was shown to be innocent of all the charges against him. However, the trials were covered by the press and the scandal sheets and the public relations fallout was deeply damaging.

Chaplin's final marriage was in 1943 to Oona O'Neill (1925-1991). O'Neill was part of the NYC elite, hung out with Gloria Vanderbilt and Truman Capote. She dated J. D. Salinger, who wrote her love letters and she was the "number one débutante" of 1942-1943. Oona had a brief career as an actor but that ended when she married Chaplin. Their marriage lasted from 1943 until Chaplin's death in 1977. At time of marriage he was 54 and she was 18. After marriage Oona's father, play-write Eugene O'Neill, who disapproved of her acting (and was the same age as Chaplin), never spoke to her again. When Chaplin was forced to leave the US, he and Oona moved to a 35 acre estate in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland. She renounced her US citizenship and became a British citizen. As Chaplin's health began to fail in the 1960s the pair became increasingly reclusive. Oona was his caretaker during the 1970s. After Chaplin's death in 1977, she had a small part in Broken English (1981), the only film to ever feature her in an acting role. However, she rarely left her estate and was increasingly alcoholic (although she was quite frequently seen with David Bowie). She died of pancreatic cancer in 1991.

All together, Chaplin had 10 children who survived (two with Grey and eight with O'Neill). Those who were old enough appeared in Chaplin's later films. Several had acting careers of note. And here's another Easter egg for you. Tell me in 50-100 words about three of Chaplin's children: who they were, when they lived, what they did in their lives and anything else you want to add. Upload your answer to Canvas Practice with the file name Chaplin kids before the second exam and I'll add 5 points to your first exam grade. Please note that this is an Easter egg for students who make the effort read carefully and on time. This only works if you don't tell your classmates about it and don't ask me about it in class (if you do I'll deny any knowledge). It won't show up officially in Canvas grades but the points will be added to your grade. If you want to talk to me about it, please either come by my office or send me an email.

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