Page 68 - All About History - Issue 33-15

ThefallofCharlieChaplin

Wives & lovers

Chaplin married four times. His first,
second and third marriages were
all short lived. His fourth and final
marriage, however, lasted 44 years
Mildred Harris
DATES OF MARRIAGE: 1918-20
When actress Mildred thought she
was pregnant, she and Charlie mar-
ried. She wasn’t pregnant, but later
they did have a baby, who died at
three days of age. The pair divorced.
Claire Sheridan
DATES OF RELATIONSHIP: C.1920-21
British writer and aristocrat Sheridan
went to Hollywood to interview
Chaplin, after which they had a brief
romance. Chaplin encouraged her to
focus on art, not politics.
Sigrid Holmquist
DATES OF RELATIONSHIP 1922
Swedish Holmquist was a successful
Hollywood actress. One story relates
that she held a gun to Charlie’s
head until he pledged his eternal
faithfulness to her.
Lita Gray
DATES OF MARRIAGE: 1924-27
Gray appeared as the angel in The Kid
and almost starred in The Gold Rush.
By then, she was involved with Charlie
and they had a baby on the way. The
marriage ended in court.
Virginia Cherrill
DATESOFRELATIONSHIP:1928-29
After appearing in Chaplin’s City Chaplin (left) attends the
Lights (1931) as the Blind Girl, premiere of A Countess
Cherrill became widely recognisable. In Hong Kong in 1967
She is perhaps best regarded as a
muse to Chaplin.
Paulette Goddard
DATESOFMARRIAGE:1936-42
Goddard starred in Modern Times,in
which she made a dazzling entrance
into the action. She went on to star in
The Great Dictator. While the marriage
did not last, their divorce was amicable.
Joan Berry
DATESOFRELATIONSHIP:1942-43
This fraught relationship culminated
in a paternity suit and fraught court
cases for Chaplin, in which the judge
referred to Chaplin’s “moral turpitude.”
Oona O’Neill
DATESOFMARRIAGE:1943-77
Chaplin met Oona when she
auditioned for a role in an
unproduced film in 1942. Oona and
Charlie were the parents to eight
children and lived most of their family
© Alamy live ‘in exile’ from the US at Lake Geneva.

68