Sydney Earl Chaplin (March 30, 1926 – March 3, 2009) was an American actor. He was the second son of Charlie Chaplin and Lita Grey. One of his major roles was in his father's film Limelight (1952). In theater, Chaplin won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his 1957 performance in Bells Are Ringing.

Early years

Sydney Earl Chaplin was born on March 30, 1926, in Beverly Hills, California.

Chaplin was educated at the boarding schools Black-Foxe Military Institute and Lawrenceville School in New Jersey, as well as the public North Hollywood High School.

He also appeared in several Broadway productions, including Bells Are Ringing opposite Judy Holliday in 1957, for which he won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. In 1959, he costarred with Lauren Bacall in George Axelrod's comedy Goodbye Charlie and headlined Jule Styne's 1961 musical Subways Are for Sleeping. He played in Funny Girl opposite Barbra Streisand in 1964, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award. Chaplin also had supporting roles in two of his father's films, Limelight (1952) and A Countess from Hong Kong (1967).

Personal life

In 1960 Chaplin married French dancer and actress Noëlle Adam, by whom he had one son, Stephan (b. 1960). In 1985 this marriage ended in divorce.

He became involved with Margaret Beebe in 1984. They married in 1998, and remained married until Chaplin's death.

Book

Chaplin helped complete and publish his mother's 1998 autobiography, Wife of the Life of the Party. He also wrote the book's foreword, where he shared some of his own history and private thoughts on his parents.

Death

At age 82, Chaplin died of a stroke on March 3, 2009, at his home in Rancho Mirage, California.

Stage credits

{| class="wikitable sortable"

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! Year !! Title !! Role !! Venue !! Notes

|-

| 1946 || Johnny Got His Gun || Joe Bonham || Circle Theatre || Stage adaptation by Dalton Trumbo; Directed by Charlie Chaplin

|-

| 1948 || The Adding Machine || Mr. Zero || Circle Theatre || Directed by Jerry Epstein

|-

| 1950 || Rain || Sergeant O'Hara || Circle Theatre ||

|-

| 1956 || Bells Are Ringing || Jeff Moss || Shubert Theatre || Won Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical

|-

| 1959 || Goodbye Charlie || George Tracy || Lyceum Theatre || Co-starred with Lauren Bacall

|-

| 1961 || Subways Are for Sleeping || Tom Bailey || St. James Theatre || Nominated—Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical

|-

| 1964 || Funny Girl || Nick Arnstein || Winter Garden Theatre || Nominated—Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical

|-

| 1966 || Funny Girl || Nick Arnstein || Prince of Wales Theatre || West End debut; reprised role with Barbra Streisand

|-

| 1968 || The Goodbye People || Max Silverman || Ethel Barrymore Theatre || Original Broadway production

|-

| 1970 || Three by Two || Various roles || St. James Theatre || Directed by Arthur Storch

|}

Filmography

Film

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes

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| 1952 || Limelight || Neville || Directed by Charlie Chaplin

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| 1954 || ' || Jimmy Hunter || German production; released in US as Columbus Discovers America; aka Columbus entdeckt Krähwi

|-

| 1955 || Land of the Pharaohs || Treneh || Directed by Howard Hawks

|-

| 1955 || Confession || Mike Kessler || UK title: The Deadliest Sin

|-

| 1955 || Abdullah the Great || Ahmed || Also known as Abdullah's Harem

|-

| 1956 || Pillars of the Sky || Timothy || Starring Jeff Chandler

|-

| 1957 || Four Girls in Town || Johnny Troy ||

|-

| 1957 || Quantez || Gato || Starring Fred MacMurray

|-

| 1967 || A Countess from Hong Kong || Harvey || Directed by Charlie Chaplin

|-

| 1968 || Adieu l'ami || Ely || French film; co-starring Alain Delon

|-

| 1968 || Double-Cross || Cass ||

|-

| 1969 || The Sicilian Clan || Jack || French title: Le Clan des Siciliens

|-

| 1971 || The Man's Woman || ||

|-

| 1974 || So Sad About Gloria || Fred || Also known as Visions of Evil

|-

| 1977 || Satan's Cheerleaders || Monk || Final film role

|}

Television

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes

|-

| 1955 || The Spike Jones Show || Himself || Guest appearance

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| 1958 || Kraft Television Theatre || || Episode: "The Sea Is Boiling Hot"

|-

| 1959 || Lux Playhouse || || Episode: "The Best House in the Valley"

|-

| 1960 || The Ed Sullivan Show || Himself || Guest (S13.E28)

|-

| 1961 || Follow the Sun || || Episode: "The Primitive"

|-

| 1971 || Medical Center || || Episode: "The Nowhere Child"

|-

| 1971 || Night Gallery || || Episode: "The Last Laurel"

|-

| 1975 || Baretta || || Episode: "On the Road"

|-

| 1977 || The Six Million Dollar Man || || Episode: "The Infiltrators"

|-

| 1977 || Switch || || Episode: "The Snitch"

|-

| 1977 || Kojak || || Episode: "The Summer of '69"

|}

Additional media

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-

! Year !! Title !! Role !! Medium !! Notes

|-

| 1952 || The Great Dictator (Re-issue) || Narrator || Audio/Promotion || Spoke the promotional radio spots for the re-release

|-

| 1956 || Bells Are Ringing || Jeff Moss || Cast Recording || Original Broadway Cast Album (Columbia Records)

|-

| 1964 || Funny Girl || Nick Arnstein || Cast Recording || Original Broadway Cast Album (Capitol Records)

|-

| 2003 || Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin || Himself || Documentary || Directed by Richard Schickel

|-

| 2003 || The Chaplin Puzzle || Himself || Documentary || Archive footage and interview

|}

References

Further reading

  • Grey, Lita. My Life With Chaplin, Grove Press. 1966.
  • Chaplin, Lita Grey; Vance, Jeffrey. Wife of the Life of the Party. Foreword by Sydney Chaplin. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 1998 pg. ix-xi-3. .
  • Guardian obituary