Geraldine Leigh Chaplin (born July 31, 1944)
[ is an American actress. She is the daughter of ]Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
, the first of eight children with his fourth wife, Oona O'Neill.[ After beginnings in dance][ and modeling,][ she turned her attention to acting, and made her English-language acting debut (and came to prominence in what would be a ]Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
-nominated role[) in her portrayal of Tonya in ]David Lean
Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...
's '' Doctor Zhivago'' (1965).[ She made her Broadway acting debut in Lillian Hellman's '' The Little Foxes'' in 1967,][ and played the role of ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertiti in Raúl Araiza's '' Nefertiti and Akhenaton'' (1973) alongside famous Egyptian actor Salah Zulfikar. Chaplin received her second Golden Globe nomination for ]Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...
's ''Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
'' (1975). She received a BAFTA nomination for her role in '' Welcome to L.A.'' (1976). She played her grandmother Hannah Chaplin in the biopic '' Chaplin'' (1992) for which she received her third Golden Globe nomination.
Chaplin has appeared in a wide variety of critically recognized Spanish and French films. She starred in '' Les Uns et les Autres'' (1981), '' Life Is a Bed of Roses'' (1983) and the Jacques Rivette experimental films '' Noroît'' (1976) and '' Love on the Ground'' (1984). She was the partner of director Carlos Saura for 12 years until 1979, starring in his films '' Ana and the Wolves'' (1973), '' Cría Cuervos'' (1976), '' Elisa, vida mía'' (1977), and ''Mamá cumple cien años
''Mamá cumple cien años'' is a 1979 Spanish comedy film written and directed by Carlos Saura. The film is a comedy sequel of the drama Ana and the Wolves directed by Saura in 1973. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Lang ...
'' (1979). She was awarded a Goya Award for her role in ''En la ciudad sin límites
''In the City Without Limits'' ( es, En la ciudad sin límites) is a 2002 Spanish-Argentine thriller drama film directed by Antonio Hernández and starring Leonardo Sbaraglia, Fernando Fernán Gómez and Geraldine Chaplin.
The film was nominated ...
'' (2002),[ and was nominated again for '' The Orphanage'' (2007). Her contribution to Spanish cinema culminated in her being awarded the gold medal by the Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences in 2006.][ In 2018, she starred in ''Red Land (Rosso Istria)'', Italian movie by Maximiliano Hernando Bruno based on Norma Cossetto and the ]foibe massacres
The foibe massacres (; ; ), or simply the foibe, refers to mass killings both during and after World War II, mainly committed by Yugoslav Partisans and OZNA in the Italian Empire, then-Italian territories of Julian March (Karst Region and Istria ...
. In 2019, she played the Duchess of Windsor
Wallis, Duchess of Windsor (born Bessie Wallis Warfield, later Simpson; June 19, 1896 – April 24, 1986), was an American socialite and wife of the former King Edward VIII. Their intention to marry and her status as a divorcée caused ...
in season 3 of the Netflix period drama series '' The Crown''.
Early life and education
Geraldine Leigh Chaplin was born on July 31, 1944, in Santa Monica, California, the fourth child of actor and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
, and the first child of his fourth wife, Oona O'Neill, whom he married in 1943. Charlie Chaplin was 55 when Geraldine Chaplin was born and Oona was 19 years old. Geraldine was the first of their eight children.[ Her paternal grandparents were English ]Charles Chaplin Sr.
Charles Spencer Chaplin Sr. (18 March 1863 – 9 May 1901) was an English music hall entertainer. He achieved considerable success in the 1890s, and was the father of the actor and filmmaker Sir Charlie Chaplin.
Early years
Chaplin was born ...
and Hannah Chaplin (born Hannah Harriet Pedlingham Hill), and her maternal grandparents were Nobel- and Pulitzer-Prize-winning American playwright Eugene O'Neill and English-born writer Agnes Boulton
Agnes Ruby Boulton (September 19, 1893 – November 25, 1968) was a British-born American pulp magazine writer in the 1910s, later the wife of Eugene O'Neill.
Life and career
Boulton was born in 1893 in London, England, the daughter of Cecil M ...
.
When Geraldine was eight years old, her father took the family on vacation to Britain and Europe. Two days after the family set sail, the U.S. Attorney General James P. McGranery
James Patrick McGranery (July 8, 1895 – December 23, 1962) was a United States representative from Pennsylvania, a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and Attorney General of ...
signed an order refusing Chaplin permission to re-enter the country. Chaplin's father moved the family to Switzerland. She attended boarding school there, where she became fluent in French and Spanish.[ Also in this time period, Geraldine appeared in her father's film ''Limelight'' (1952).][
]
Career
Dance and modeling
At 17 years of age, she decided to forgo college to pursue dance instead,[ and studied ballet for two years in England, including a period in 1961 at the Royal Ballet School.][ She then danced professionally for a year in Paris. Although a good dancer, she felt she had not trained from an early enough age to excel at it and so gave up ballet. She said, "I didn't leave ballet, ballet left me". It was a great disappointment to her.
Geraldine then found work as a fashion model in Paris.] She was then discovered by David Lean
Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...
.[ It would be many years before she could bring herself to see a ballet performance.
]
Early acting, 1965–69
When her dream of becoming a ballet dancer ended, Chaplin followed her father into what was to become a prolific acting career.[ She came to prominence in the role of Tonya in ]David Lean
Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...
's '' Doctor Zhivago'' (1965).[ ]David Lean
Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...
chose her to play the main character's wife,["Geraldine Chaplin to Make American debut in 'Tonia'". ''The New York Times''. November 21, 1964. pp. 26] for which she received a Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nomination in the category, "Most Promising Female Newcomer."[ This online PDF contains an expertly assembled compilation of news reports and reviews about the movie.] In an interview to publicize the film, she explained, "Because of my name, the right doors opened."
In 1967, she made her Broadway debut in Lillian Hellman's '' The Little Foxes''.[ Zolotow, Sam. "'Changes coming in "The Little Foxes"". ''The New York Times''. November 2, 1967] Her performance was praised by Clive Barnes in a '' New York Times'' review, where he noted that Chaplin "acts with spirit and force… with a magnificently raw-voiced sincerity" giving a performance of "surprising power."
In the same year, she also began what would become a significant collaboration, starring in Spanish film director Carlos Saura's psychological thriller '' Peppermint Frappé'' (1967).
''The Hawaiians'' through ''Cría Cuervos'', 1970–79
Chaplin starred alongside Charlton Heston
Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist.
As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten C ...
in the American historical film '' The Hawaiians'' (1970).
Chaplin then appeared in '' The Three Musketeers'' (1973), and '' Nefertiti y Aquenatos'' (1973) of Raúl Araiza in which she played the role of ancient Egyptian queen Nefertiti alongside Egyptian movie star Salah Zulfikar, as well as the sequel, '' The Four Musketeers'' (1974). Chaplin was cast as the obnoxious BBC reporter Opal in Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...
's ''Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
'' (1975), for which she received her second Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...
nomination, for Best Supporting Actress. She went on to star in the Altman films '' Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson'' (1976), and then '' A Wedding'' (1978), doing '' Roseland'' (1977) in between.
Chaplin later occasionally co-wrote scripts for and starred in several later Saura films—for these, receiving her greatest critical success—such as '' Ana and the Wolves'' (1973), '' Cría Cuervos'' (1976), '' Elisa, vida mía'' (1977) and ''Mamá cumple cien años
''Mamá cumple cien años'' is a 1979 Spanish comedy film written and directed by Carlos Saura. The film is a comedy sequel of the drama Ana and the Wolves directed by Saura in 1973. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Lang ...
'' (1979). ''Cría Cuervos'' won the Special Jury Prize Award at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival
The 29th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 28 May 1976. The Palme d'Or went to ''Taxi Driver'' by Martin Scorsese. In 1976, "L'Air du temps", a new section which was non-competitive and focused on contemporary subjects, was introduced. This ...
. Critic Vincent Canby praised Chaplin's "superb" performance.
Chaplin starred in several films produced by Altman and directed by Alan Rudolph, with a BAFTA-nominated role in '' Welcome to L.A.'' (1976), in which she played a housewife addicted to cab rides. She received critical acclaim for her role in '' Remember My Name'' (1978), in which she played Anthony Perkins' murderous estranged wife.
In an interview with '' The New York Times'' in 1977, Chaplin cited that her career was going more successfully in Europe than in the United States. She complained that "I only seem to work with Altman here ... I don't have any offers in this country, none. Not even an interesting script to read. The only person who ever asks me is Altman—and James Ivory."
French-language and other roles, 1980–89
In the 1980s, Chaplin starred in several French-language roles, including Claude Lelouch's '' Les Uns et les Autres'' (1981), Alain Resnais' '' Life Is a Bed of Roses'' (1983), Jacques Rivette's experimental '' Love on the Ground'' (1984), and then the American film, '' I Want to Go Home'' (1989).
Chaplin also starred in Rudolph's 1920s-set film, '' The Moderns'' (1988).
''Chaplin'', Scorsese, and Zeffirelli, 1990–99
In the biographical film about her father, '' Chaplin'' (1992), she played her grandmother Hannah Chaplin, for which she was nominated for her third Golden Globe Award. Soon after, she was directed by Martin Scorsese in '' The Age of Innocence'' (1993), and appeared in Franco Zeffirelli's version of '' Jane Eyre'' (1996).
Chaplin went on to appear in '' Mother Teresa: In the Name of God's Poor'' (1997).
The Spanish period, 2000–present
Chaplin received a Goya Mejor Actriz de Reparto for her role in Spanish-Argentine thriller ''En la ciudad sin límites'' ('' In the City Without Limits'', 2002).[''CINE-PREMIOS GOYA Geraldine Chaplin recibe Goya Mejor Actriz de Reparto''. Spanish Newswire Services. February 1, 2003.] Other notable Spanish films she collaborated with and appeared in Pedro Almodóvar's '' Talk to Her'' (2002), and Juan Antonio Bayona's '' The Orphanage'' (2007), for which she received a second Goya Award nomination. She also starred in the Catalan drama, ''The Mosquito Net
''The Mosquito Net'' (Original title: La mosquitera) is a 2010 Spanish drama film about a dysfunctional family. It was written and directed by Agustí Vila. It stars Emma Suárez, Geraldine Chaplin, Eduard Fernández and Martina García.
Plot ...
'' (2010), for which she was awarded the Crystal Globe A Crystal Globe is a trophy given to the winners of various international competitions:
In media
* Crystal Globe (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival), for films
* Globe de Cristal Awards, for art and culture
In sport
Given to the season st ...
.
In 2006 Chaplin was awarded the gold medal by the Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas de España—the Spanish Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences—for her contribution to Spanish cinema.["La Academia de Cine concede la medalla de oro a Geraldine Chaplin". ''El País''. July 7, 2006]
Chaplin appeared in ''The Wolfman
In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (; ; uk, Вовкулака, Vovkulaka), is an individual that can shapeshift into a wolf (or, especially in modern film, a therianthropic hybrid wolf-like creature), either purposely o ...
'', in 2010.
In '' Americano'', she appeared with Salma Hayek, and featured with Jane Fonda
Jane Seymour Fonda (born December 21, 1937) is an American actress, activist, and former fashion model. Recognized as a film icon, Fonda is the recipient of various accolades including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, sev ...
in '' All Together'' (both 2011). She reunited with Juan Antonio Bayona for the films '' The Impossible'' (2012), '' A Monster Calls'' (2016) and '' Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'' (2018). Chaplin received the Best Actress Award at the Havana Film Festival for her role in the Dominican Republic film '' Sand Dollars'' (2014).
In 2018, she starred in ''Red Land (Rosso Istria)'', an Italian movie by Maximiliano Hernando Bruno based on Norma Cossetto and the foibe massacres
The foibe massacres (; ; ), or simply the foibe, refers to mass killings both during and after World War II, mainly committed by Yugoslav Partisans and OZNA in the Italian Empire, then-Italian territories of Julian March (Karst Region and Istria ...
.
In 2022, she appeared in the music video for the song “Pure” by Swiss artist, Gjon’s Tears.
Personal life
Chaplin's son, Shane Saura Chaplin, was born in 1974. His father is Spanish film director Carlos Saura, who directed several films Chaplin appeared in.
Chaplin's daughter, Oona, is now an actress in British and Spanish films. Chaplin married her father, Chilean cinematographer Patricio Castilla, in 2006.
In 1978, the Chaplin family were the victims of a failed extortion plot by kidnappers who had stolen the body of Charlie Chaplin. Geraldine Chaplin negotiated with the kidnappers, who had also threatened her infant son.
, Chaplin has maintained a home in Miami. She also was spending time in residences between Madrid and Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland (the latter near the former long-time home of her parents).
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaplin, Geraldine
1944 births
Living people
American film actresses
American people of British descent
American people of Irish descent
American people of English descent
American television actresses
Best Supporting Actress Goya Award winners
Actresses from Santa Monica, California
Geraldine
Geraldine may refer to:
People
* Geraldine (name), the feminine form of the first name Gerald, with list of people thus named.
* The Geraldines, Irish dynasty descended from the Anglo-Norman Gerald FitzWalter de Windsor
* Geraldine of Albania, th ...
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
American expatriates in Spain
American expatriates in Switzerland
American expatriates in France