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.

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.[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

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

Grave of Charles Chaplin III

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 the 2022 Netflix film Blonde, Chaplin was portrayed by Xavier Samuel.[2]

Filmography

Film

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 [de] 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

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

  • My Father, Charlie Chaplin (1960), co-written with N. and M. Rau. New York: Random House.[7]

References

  1. ^ "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.
  2. ^ "'Blonde': 10 of the Marilyn Monroe Biopic's Stars and Their Real-Life Inspirations". The Hollywood Reporter. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  3. ^ Chaplin, Charles (1960). My Father, Charlie Chaplin. Random House. p. 214.
  4. ^ "Charles Chaplin Jr". IMDb. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  5. ^ "Girls Town (1959)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  6. ^ "The Ed Sullivan Show Archives". EdSullivan.com. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  7. ^ Chaplin, Charles (1960). My Father, Charlie Chaplin. Random House. ISBN 978-0224617826. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)

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.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Spencer_Chaplin_III