Geraldine Chaplin


Actor
Geraldine Chaplin

About

Also Known As
Geraldine Leigh Chaplin
Birth Place
Santa Monica, California, USA
Born
July 31, 1944

Biography

Though she was the daughter of silent film legend Charlie Chaplin, actress Geraldine Chaplin blazed her own trail with a prominent career as a supporting actress in major films in both Hollywood and abroad. After beginning her career with a small part in her father's film "Limelight" (1952), Chaplin made her official debut as Omar Sharif's spurned wife in "Doctor Zhivago" (1965) before s...

Photos & Videos

Doctor Zhivago - Publicity Art
Doctor Zhivago - Geraldine Chaplin Publicity Stills
Doctor Zhivago - Program Book

Family & Companions

Carlos Saura
Companion
Director. Had long-term relationship in the 1970s; father of Chaplin's son Shane.
Patricio Castilla
Companion
Director of photography. Together since c. 1979; born in Chile; worked together on "Prisoneros Desaparecidos" and "La Viuda de Montiel" (both 1979); brother of screenwriter Sergio Castilla.

Biography

Though she was the daughter of silent film legend Charlie Chaplin, actress Geraldine Chaplin blazed her own trail with a prominent career as a supporting actress in major films in both Hollywood and abroad. After beginning her career with a small part in her father's film "Limelight" (1952), Chaplin made her official debut as Omar Sharif's spurned wife in "Doctor Zhivago" (1965) before starting a long romantic and professional collaboration with Spanish director Carlos Suava in the late 1960s. In the following decade, she was Queen Anne in "The Three Musketeers" (1973), a role she reprised in the 1974 and 1989 sequels, and delivered a Golden Globe-nominated performance as the celebrity-obsessed BBC reporter in Robert Altman's "Nashville" (1975). From there, she collaborated several times with director Alan Rudolph on "Welcome to L.A." (1976) and "The Moderns" (1988), while playing her own mentally-disturbed grandmother in "Chaplin" (1992), starring Robert Downey, Jr. as her father. She went on to acclaimed supporting turns in Martin Scorsese's "The Age of Innocence" (1993), Jodie Foster's "Home for the Holidays" (1995) and Pedro Almodóvar's "Talk to Her" (2002), while appearing in more commercial Hollywood fare like "BloodRayne" (2006) and "The Wolfman" (2010), making Chaplin one of the more prolific character actors in film.

Born on July 31, 1944 in Santa Monica, CA, Chaplin was the daughter of silent film legend Charlie Chaplin, and his fourth and final wife, Oona O'Neill, herself the daughter of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Eugene O'Neill. The first of eight children between her parents, Chaplin moved to Switzerland with her family when she was eight years old because of her father's exile over alleged Communist activities. While there, she attended several boarding schools and became fluent in both French and Spanish. Also at that age, she made her film debut with an uncredited part in the opening scene of her father's scandal-ridden feature, "Limelight" (1952), a tragicomic semi-autobiographical drama about a former music hall star forced to contend with his loss of popularity. The film waited 20 years to receive a theatrical release in the United States, though it was warmly received throughout Europe and was considered by later critics to be one of her father's finest works. Meanwhile, Chaplin attended the famous Royal Ballet School in London, but decided against a dancing career and instead turned to following in her father's footsteps.

Thirteen years after her film debut, Chaplin made her official splash into acting with a major supporting part in David Lean's classic romantic epic, "Doctor Zhivago" (1965), starring Julie Christie and Omar Sharif. Chaplin played Tonya Gromeko, the upper-class wife of Sharif's titular Zhivago, who is forced to immigrate to France after the fall of Russia's Tsar, only to see her husband remain behind because he is in love with a dressmaker's daughter (Christie). Chaplin's performance earned the actress a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year in 1966. From there, she earned high praise for her Broadway debut in "The Little Foxes" (1967), before landing significant parts in rather forgettable films like "Stranger in the House" (1967) and "Peppermint Frappe" (1967). Chaplin next starred opposite Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren in her father's critically maligned romantic comedy "A Countess from Hong Kong" (1967), while starting a professional and romantic relationship with Spanish director Carlos Suara in the late-1960s that led to starring roles in "Stress is Three" (1968) and "Honeycomb" (1969).

After starring opposite Charlton Heston in "The Hawaiians" (1970), Chaplin was a foreign governess taking care of a group of children in an isolated house in Suara's drama "Ana and the Wolves" (1973). She had a supporting turn as Queen Anne of Austria in "The Three Musketeers" (1973), a role she reprised for "The Four Musketeers" (1974). Following a highly-acclaimed turn in "Raise Ravens" (1975), Chaplin was a wacky, celebrity-obsessed BBC reporter who might be just a groupie looking to cozy up to musicians in Robert Altman's classic film, "Nashville" (1975). A standout among a top-notch ensemble cast that included Shelley Duvall, Barbara Harris, Lily Tomlin, Scott Glenn and Ned Beatty, Chaplin earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She went on to play Annie Oakley to Paul Newman's Buffalo Bill in Altman's revisionist Western "Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson" (1976) and earned a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as a San Fernando Valley housewife addicted to taxi rides in Alan Rudolph's moody "Welcome to L.A." (1976).

Chaplin continued to tackle interesting roles with a turn as a shy divorcée in James Ivory's "Roseland" (1977) and as a woman reunited with her estranged father (Fernando Rey) after 20 years in Carlos Suara's "Elisa, vida mía" (1977). Following more acclaim for her performance as a deranged woman determined to win back her husband (Anthony Perkins) at any cost in "Remember My Name" (1978), she was top-billed in Robert Altman's ensemble comedy "A Wedding" (1978) before again collaborating with Suara on "Blindfolded Eyes" (1978) and "Mama Turns 100" (1979). In the following decade, Chaplin starred in a number of foreign-made films, including the French musical "Les Uns et les Autres" (1981) and Jacques Rivette's "Love on the Ground" (1984), before co-starring alongside Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep in Mike Nichols' comedy "Heartburn" (1986). She went on to notable supporting turns in "White Mischief" (1987) and "The Moderns" (1988), before reprising Queen Anne again for "The Return of the Musketeers" (1989). A few years later, she delivered a convincing performance as the gaunt, mentally-troubled mother of her own father (Robert Downey, Jr.) in Richard Attenborough's acclaimed biopic, "Chaplin" (1992). The role earned her another Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Always busy, Chaplin went on to play Mrs. Welland opposite Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer in Martin Scorsese's costume drama "The Age of Innocence" (1993) and served as comic relief as Anne Bancroft's slightly dotty sister in Jodie Foster's "Home for the Holidays" (1995). Following a turn as Miss Scratcherd in Franco Zeffirelli's adaptation of "Jane Eyre" (1996), Chaplin was Adeline Hulot in "Cousin Bette" (1998) and starred opposite Richard Harris in "To Walk with Lions" (1999). After a supporting role in the biblical "In the Beginning" (2000), she was the operator of a dance studio in Pedro Almodóvar's highly-acclaimed "Talk to Her" (2002) and the wife of a wealthy man (Fernando Fernán Gómez) dying of cancer in "The City of No Limits" (2002). Chaplin next played the Ghost of Christmas Future in a musical version of "A Christmas Carol" (NBC, 2004), starring Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge, and was the Fortune Teller in the big screen adaptation of the popular video game, "BloodRayne" (2006). Chaplin went on to portray a medium in the well-received gothic horror "The Orphanage" (2007), before co-starring in foreign films like "The Island Inside" (2009) and "The Making of Plus One" (2010). From there, she starred opposite Anthony Hopkins and Benicio del Toro in "The Wolfman" (2010) and earned acclaim alongside daughter Oona Chaplin in the Spanish eco-comedy "What's a Bear For?" (2011).

By Shawn Dwyer

Filmography

 

Cast (Feature Film)

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
The Broken Key (2016)
Marguerite & Julien (2016)
A Monster Calls (2016)
The Forbidden Room (2015)
Another Me (2014)
Panda Eyes (2013)
The Monk (2012)
All Together (2012)
The Impossible (2012)
There Be Dragons (2011)
The Mosquito Net (2010)
O Apostolo (2010)
The Wolfman (2010)
Ramirez (2009)
Imago mortis (2009)
Art in Las Vegas (2008)
Talk to Me About Love (2008)
Bronte (2008)
Diary of a Nymphomaniac (2008)
The Totenwackers (2007)
The Orphanage (2007)
Teresa: El Cuerpo De Cristo (2007)
Miguel and William (2007)
Boxes (2007)
Ramirez (2007)
Bloodrayne (2006)
The Pendant (2006)
The Bridge Of San Luis Rey (2005)
Heidi (2005)
Melissa P (2005)
A Christmas Carol: The Musical (2004)
City of No Limits (2003)
Marie
Talk to Her (2002)
City of No Limits (2001)
Las Caras de la Luna (2001)
Joan
Tu que harias por amor (2000)
Mother
Mary, Mother of Jesus (1999)
Elizabeth
Beresina, or The Last Days of Switzerland (1999)
Charlotte De
To Walk With Lions (1999)
Cousin Bette (1998)
Finisterre (Donde Termina El Mundo) (1998)
Mother
Jane Eyre (1996)
Crimetime (1996)
Thelma
Para recibir el canto de los pajaros (1995)
The Eyes of Asia (1995)
Jane Powell
Home for the Holidays (1995)
Words Upon the Window Pane (1994)
A Foreign Field (1994)
The Age Of Innocence (1993)
Duel of Hearts (1992)
Chaplin (1992)
Hors Saison (1992)
Anarchist
Noroit (1991)
Morag
Buster's Bedroom (1990)
The Children (1990)
The Return of the Musketeers (1989)
I Want to Go Back Home (1989)
Terry Armstrong
White Mischief (1988)
The Moderns (1988)
Gentile Alouette (1985)
The Corsican Brothers (1985)
Madame Da Franchi
Les Uns et les autres (1984)
Buried Alive (1984)
Love on the Ground (1984)
Charlotte
La Vie est un roman (1983)
Nora Winkle
The Mirror Crack'd (1980)
Mama Cumple 100 Años (1980)
Anna
La Viuda de Montiel (1979)
Adelaida
Mais ou et donc ornicar (1979)
Le Voyage en Douce (1979)
Lucie
Los Ojos Vendados (1978)
Emilia
Remember My Name (1978)
Emily
The Adoption (1978)
A Wedding (1978)
Rita Billingsley--Wedding Coordinator
Roseland (1977)
Marilyn ("The Hustle")
Une Page d'Amour (1977)
In Memorium (1977)
Welcome To L.A. (1976)
Elisa, Vida Mia (1976)
Cria Cuervos (1976)
Ana--As An Adult; Maria
Nashville (1975)
La Banda de Jaider (1974)
Verflucht dies Amerika! (1974)
The Three Musketeers (1973)
Le Mariage a la Mode (1973)
Marie Designer Anges
Z.P.G. (1972)
Carol [McNeil]
Innocent Bystanders (1972)
Miriam Lomam
Anna and the Wolves (1972)
La Casa Sin Fronteras (1971)
The Hawaiians (1970)
Purity Hoxworth
Cop-Out (1968)
Angela Sawyer
Stress-es tres-tres (1968)
A Countess From Hong Kong (1967)
Peppermint Frappe (1967)
Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Tonya Gromeko
Limelight (1953)
Child on stairs

Special Thanks (Feature Film)

Frank & Ollie (1995)
Special Thanks To

Cast (Special)

Chaplin Today: Limelight (2003)
Child
Doctor Zhivago: The Making of a Russian Epic (1995)
My Cousin Rachel (1985)

Cast (Short)

David Lean's Film of Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Herself
This Is... Omar Sharif (1965)
Herself
Pasternak (1965)
Herself
Moscow in Madrid (1965)
Herself
Zhivago Behind the Camera with David Lean (1965)
Herself
This Is...Geraldine Chaplin (1965)
Herself
New Star: Geraldine Chaplin (1965)
Herself

Cast (TV Mini-Series)

Dinotopia (2002)
In the Beginning (2000)
The Odyssey (1997)
Mother Teresa: In the Name of God's Poor (1997)
Gulliver's Travels (1996)
The Word (1978)

Life Events

1951

Made her uncredited acting debut in "Limelight," directed by her father, Charlie Chaplin

1965

Appeared in first film as an adult, "Dr. Zhivago"

1966

Made Broadway debut in "The Little Foxes"

1967

Directed by Carlos Saura in "Peppermint Frappé"

1969

Made feature writing debut with "Honeycomb"; also starred in the film

1975

Re-teamed with longtime companion Carlos Saura for "Cría cuervos"

1975

First collaboration with Robert Altman, "Nashville"; earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress

1976

Played a Valley housewife addicted to taxi rides in Alan Rudolph's "Welcome to L.A."; first collaboration with actor Keith Carradine

1976

Re-teamed with Robert Altman for "Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson"

1977

Played the title role in director Carlos Saura's "Elisa, vida mía"

1978

Joined an ensemble cast for Robert Altman's "A Wedding"

1978

Starred in "Remember My Name"; written and directed by Alan Rudolph and produced by Robert Altman

1979

Starred in Carlos Saura's "Mamá cumple cien años"

1988

Co-starred with Keith Carradine in Alan Rudolph's "The Moderns"

1992

Played her grandmother Hannah Chaplin in Richard Attenborough's biographical film about her father, "Chaplin"; earned second Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress

1993

Cast as Mrs. Welland in Martin Scorsese's "The Age of Innocence"

1995

Potrayed Aunt Glady in the Jodie Foster directed, "Home For The Holidays"

1996

Featured in Franco Zeffirelli's film adaption of Charlotte Brontë's novel, "Jane Eyre"

1998

Potrayed Adeline Hulot in "Cousin Bette"

1999

Cast in the adventure drama, "To Walk With Lions"

2000

Portrayed Yocheved in the biblical drama, "In The Beginning"

2002

Co-starred in Pedro Almodóvar's "Talk to Her"

2004

Cast as the Ghost of Christmas Future in NBC's television musical, "A Christmas Carol"

2006

Played a Fortune Teller in the big-screen version of the popular video game, "BloodRayne"

2007

Co-starred in the Spanish-language horror film, "The Orphanage"

2010

Co-starred in the remake of "The Wolfman," starring Benicio del Toro and Anthony Hopkins

2013

Appeared in the thriller "Another Me"

2015

Appeared in the acclaimed experimental film "The Forbidden Room"

2016

Played the head teacher in J.A. Bayona's fantasy drama "A Monster Calls"

2016

Had a recurring role on "Beyond the Walls"

2017

Appeared on sci-fi anthology series "Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams"

2018

Re-teamed with Bayona for "Jurassic Park" sequel "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom"

Photo Collections

Doctor Zhivago - Publicity Art
Here are some specialty drawings created by MGM for newspaper and magazine reproduction to publicize Doctor Zhivago (1965), directed by David Lean.
Doctor Zhivago - Geraldine Chaplin Publicity Stills
Here are several photos of Geraldine Chaplin taken to help publicize Doctor Zhivago (1965). Publicity stills were specially-posed photos, usually taken off the set, for purposes of publicity or reference for promotional artwork.
Doctor Zhivago - Program Book
Here is the souvenir Program Book sold at Roadshow engagements for the 1965 epic Doctor Zhivago.

Videos

Movie Clip

Buffalo Bill And The Indians (1976) -- (Movie Clip) Everything Historical Is Yours Amid the continuous rehearsal, first appearance by Burt Lancaster as Ned Buntline, Joel Grey as producer Salisbury, Geraldine Chaplin as Annie Oakley, John Considine her husband and manager, Harvey Keitel the nephew of the title character, Kevin McCarthy as Major Burke, and Paul Newman heard but not seen, in Robert Altman’s Buffalo Bill And The Indians Or , Sitting Bull's History Lesson, 1976.
Buffalo Bill And The Indians (1976) -- (Movie Clip) The Last Thing A Man Wants To Do Director Robert Altman, after nearly 15 minutes, finally shows his star and title character, Paul Newman, on camera, in rehearsal for his Wild West Show, introduced by producer Joel Grey, with Harvey Keitel as his nephew and secretary, Geraldine Chaplin as Annie Oakley, John Considine her husband, in Buffalo Bill And The Indians, 1976.
Buffalo Bill And The Indians (1976) -- (Movie Clip) Ain't All That Different From Real Life Paul Newman (title character), with his publicist (Kevin McCarthy, as “Arizona John Burke,” also a historical figure) insists on a staged greeting for his newly recruited Wild West Show co-star, at first mistaking interpreter Halsey (Will Sampson) for Sitting Bull (Frank Kaquitts), in Robert Altman’s Buffalo Bill And The Indians Or, Sitting Bull’s History Lesson, 1976.
Age Of Innocence, The (1993) -- (Movie Clip) The Talk Will Be Of Little Else Martin Scorsese’s opening, shooting at the Philadelphia Academy Of Music, introducing Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis), gossips Lefferts and Jackson (Richard E. Grant, Alec McCowen), May (Winona Ryder), Mrs Welland (Geraldine Chaplin) and Countess Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer), in The Age Of Innocence, 1993.
Remember My Name (1978) -- (Movie Clip) I Have A Speech Newly paroled Emily (Geraldine Chaplin) at the five and dime tangling with assistant manager Rita (Alfre Woodard) then interviewing with boss "Nudd," (Jeff Goldblum), in writer-director Alan Rudolph's Remember My Name, 1978.
Remember My Name (1978) -- (Movie Clip) I've Got Problems Neil (Anthony Perkins) and Barbara (his real-life wife Berry Berenson), leaving her parents' house, loose conversation, coming home to be stalked by Emily (Geraldine Chaplin), in writer-director Alan Rudolph's Remember My Name, 1978.
Remember My Name (1978) -- (Movie Clip) Loose Fitting Clothing Housewife Barbara (Berry Berenson) takes a call from spooky Emily (Geraldine Chaplin), who then goes shopping, with a piece of the original title song by Alberta Hunter, early in writer-director Alan Rudolph's Remember My Name, 1978.
Three Musketeers, The (1973) -- (Movie Clip) Bishop To Queen Two Director Richard Lester's smooth introductions of Cardinal Richelieu (Charlton Heston), the queen (Geraldine Chaplin) and King Louis XIII (Jean-Pierre Cassel), playing lawn-chess with pooches, in The Three Musketeers,1973, from George MacDonald Fraser's screenplay.
Limelight (1952) -- (Movie Clip) A Ballerina And A Clown Following the credits, with his own Academy Award winning score, writer-producer-director-star Charles Chaplin is introduced, along with three of his children (Geraldine, Michael, Josephine) and co-star Claire Bloom, in Limelight, 1952
Doctor Zhivago (1965) -- (Movie Clip) An Extraordinary Girl Quick appearances by many principals, as Lara (Julie Christie) surprises Tonya (Geraldine Chaplin), Yuri (Omar Sharif) and especially Komarovsky (Rod Steiger) at a Moscow party, in David Lean's Doctor Zhivago, 1965.
Doctor Zhivago (1965) -- (Movie Clip) Will There Be Wolves In The Forest? Yuri, Tonya and Sasha (Omar Sharif, Geraldine Chaplin, Jeffrey Rockland), with uncle Gromeko (Ralph Richardson) fleeing to the family estate in the Urals, hear tales of a heroic revolutionary warlord, who is revealed to be the long missing Pasha (Tom Courtenay), in David Lean’s Doctor Zhivago, 1965.
Peppermint Frappe -- (Movie Clip) Don't Stay Late `Intense opening sequence with fashion magazines, and the introduction of principals Jose Luis Lopez Vazquez (as doctor "Julian") and Geraldine Chaplin (here as his assistant "Ana"), from director Carlos Saura's Peppermint Frappe, 1968.

Trailer

Family

Eugene O'Neill
Grandfather
Playwright. Maternal grandparent; born on October 16, 1888; died on November 27, 1953; won 1936 Nobel Prize in literature.
Agnes Boulton
Grandmother
Maternal grandmother.
Charles Chaplin
Grandfather
Music hall entertainer. Born in 1863; died from alcoholism in 1901; paternal grandfather.
Hannah Chaplin
Grandmother
Music hall entertainer. Born in 1865; had breakdown after husband left; institutionalized for most of her remaining years; died in 1928; portrayed by Geraldine in the biopic "Chaplin" (1992).
Charles Chaplin
Father
Comedian, actor, director. Born on April 16, 1889; died on December 25, 1977.
Oona O'Neill
Mother
Married to Charlie Chaplin from 1943 until his death in 1977; died of pancreatic cancer on September 27, 1991.
Charles Chaplin Jr
Half-Brother
Actor. Born in 1925; died in 1968; mother, Lita Grey.
Syndey Chaplin
Half-Brother
Actor. Born on March 30, 1926.
Michael John Chaplin
Brother
Actor. Born on March 6, 1946.
Josephine Anna Chaplin
Sister
Actor. Born on March 28, 1949.
Victoria Agnes Chaplin
Sister
Circus performer. Born on May 19, 1951.
Eugene Chaplin
Brother
Born in 1953.
Jane Chaplin
Sister
Born in 1957.
Annette-Emilie Chaplin
Sister
Born in 1959.
Christopher Chaplin
Brother
Born in 1962.
Dolores Chaplin
Niece
Actor.
Shane Saura
Son
Born in 1974; father, Carlos Saura.
Oona Castilla
Daughter
Born c. 1986; father, Patricio Castilla.

Companions

Carlos Saura
Companion
Director. Had long-term relationship in the 1970s; father of Chaplin's son Shane.
Patricio Castilla
Companion
Director of photography. Together since c. 1979; born in Chile; worked together on "Prisoneros Desaparecidos" and "La Viuda de Montiel" (both 1979); brother of screenwriter Sergio Castilla.

Bibliography