Charlie Chaplin

As Chaplin left the United States for Europe, the government announced that his re-entry permit would not be honoured without a hearing into his moral character and political views. Chaplin chose not to return to live in the United States and settled in Switzerland; he returned only in 1972 to receive an honorary Oscar.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

FBI archives show several decades of interest in Chaplin, initially concerning matters falling under the White Slave Traffic Act and subsequently through a domestic security file focusing on his political contacts and alleged links with communist organisations.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

The release of Monsieur Verdoux was accompanied by a highly hostile press conference concerning Chaplin's political views, citizenship and taxation. Groups organised pickets and cinema operators refused to screen the film; contemporary archives report that a large number of cinemas temporarily banned it.

State of the evidence

Reported by the press

Attribution

Directly implicated

Against the backdrop of the anti-communist campaign, Chaplin was summoned by the House Un-American Activities Committee and faced calls for his deportation. He ultimately did not appear before the committee and publicly stated that he was not a communist.

State of the evidence

Allegations

Attribution

Political responsibility

Joan Barry brought proceedings to establish Chaplin as the father of her child. Blood tests involving Chaplin, Barry and the child indicated that he could not biologically be the father, but California law at the time did not treat such evidence as conclusive. Following initial proceedings without a definitive verdict, a jury found him legally to be the father and he was ordered to pay child maintenance.

Attribution

Accused

Chaplin faced federal prosecution for transporting Joan Barry across state lines in circumstances which prosecutors sought to bring within the scope of the Mann Act. The case became a major media and political scandal. He was ultimately acquitted of the criminal charges put before the jury.

Attribution

Accused

Chaplin married Oona O’Neill at the age of 54 when she had just turned 18. Her father, the playwright Eugene O’Neill, disapproved of the marriage and became permanently estranged from her, drawing further attention to Chaplin's history of relationships with very young partners.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Chaplin gave speeches calling on the Allies to open a second front in Europe promptly to relieve the Soviet Union. In the American political climate, these positions were subsequently used by his opponents to associate him with communism.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

With The Great Dictator, Chaplin directly attacked Hitler and fascism while the United States had not yet entered the war. The film provoked substantial political controversy and was banned or heavily restricted in several territories under Axis influence or authoritarian regimes.

Attribution

Directly implicated

During their divorce, Grey made very serious allegations concerning, among other matters, infidelity, coerced sexual behaviour and pressure relating to an abortion. As part of the litigation, some of Chaplin's assets were temporarily frozen, and the divorce ended in a financial settlement exceptionally large for the period.

Attribution

Spouse

Lita Grey, who had worked with Chaplin since childhood, became pregnant at 15. Chaplin married her in Mexico when she was 16 and he was 35, against a background of concerns that possible prosecution for a relationship with a minor could fuel a scandal.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

Chaplin, then aged 29, married Mildred Harris, who was still a teenager. The marriage was brought forward after she told him she was pregnant, although the pregnancy did not materialise at that time. The highly publicised marriage soon ended in divorce.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated