Lita Grey: Difference between revisions

Lita Grey
Lita Grey
	Grey in 1925
Born	Lillita Louise MacMurray; April 15, 1908; Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	December 29, 1995 (aged 87); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupation	Actress;
Spouses	; Charlie Chaplin (m. 1924; div. 1927) ; Henry Aguirre (m. 1936; div. 1938) ; Arthur Day (m. 1938; div. 1948) ; Patsy Pizzolongo (m. 1956; div. 1966)
Children	3, including Charles Chaplin Jr. and Sydney Chaplin

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Lita Grey (born Lillita Louise MacMurray, April 15, 1908 – December 29, 1995), who was known for most of her life as Lita Grey Chaplin, was an American actress. She was the second wife of Charlie Chaplin, and appeared in his films The Kid, The Idle Class, and The Gold Rush.

Background

She was born in Hollywood, California, to Lillian Carrillo Curry Grey and Robert Earl McMurray,^[1]^[2] and christened Lillita Louise MacMurray. Her father was of Scottish descent, and her mother's family was descended from an illustrious ninth-generation Californian Hispanic family, whose luminaries included Antonio Maria Lugo.^[3] The Lugos were from Andalusia, Spain, and were one of the first families to bring horses to the country.^[4]^[5] In a 1993 interview, Grey claimed to be a great-grandniece of former California governor Henry Gage.^[6]

Life and career

Grey married four times. By her own account she first met Charlie Chaplin at the age of eight at a Hollywood café, and first worked with him at the age of 12 in the part of the "flirting angel" in The Kid.^[6]^[7] She also appeared briefly as a maid in The Idle Class. Her one-year contract was not renewed. At the age of 15, she met Chaplin again when she heard he was testing brunettes for his next film The Gold Rush.^[8] Still a child of 15, she was initially cast as the leading lady in the film, and then-35-year-old Chaplin started a relationship with Grey.

Grey soon became pregnant, and since Chaplin could have been imprisoned for having sexual relations with a minor, they married that November in secret in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico, to avoid a scandal. She alleged in her divorce complaint that he "sought to have her undergo an illegal operation to prevent the birth of their first child".^[9]

They had two sons, Charles Chaplin Jr. and Sydney Chaplin, born within ten months of each other in May 1925 and March 1926, respectively.^[10]^[6]

The marriage was troubled from the start.^[11] The two had few interests in common, and Chaplin spent as much time as he could away from home, neglecting both his wife and his children, while working on The Gold Rush, and later, The Circus. They divorced on August 22, 1927,^[12]^[13]^[14] due to his alleged numerous affairs with other women, and he was ordered to pay over US$600,000 ($10.5 million in 2023 dollars^[15]) and US$100,000 ($1.8 million in 2023 dollars^[15]) in trust for each child, the largest divorce settlement at the time. Copies of her lengthy divorce complaint, which made scandalous sexual claims against Chaplin, were published, and publicly sold,^[16] and the divorce became a sensational media event.^[17]^[18]^[19]^[20]^[21] Less than five months after the divorce, Grey's former butler Don Solovich was murdered in Utah, and articles speculated about connections between Chaplin and the murder.^[22]^[23]^[24]

She later married Henry Aguirre and Arthur Day. The 1940 United States Census states that Lita and Arthur lived at 38 East 50th Street in New York City, and that in 1935 she had lived in England. The census listed her occupation as "singer", and Arthur's as "manager personal". Lita and Arthur adopted a baby boy in 1940, whom they named Robert. When they split up in 1946, Bobby went to live with his paternal grandmother, and Lita had little contact with him after that.^[25] She married her fourth husband, Patsy Pizzolongo (aka Pat Longo), on September 22, 1956, in Los Angeles, California. They were divorced in June 1966.^{[citation needed]}

In the 1970s and 1980s, she worked as a clerk at Robinson's Department Store in Beverly Hills. She wrote two autobiographical volumes covering her life with Chaplin. My Life with Chaplin (1966) was, by her own admission, largely a work of exaggeration and fabrication. She claimed to tell the story as it really was in her second memoir Wife of the Life of the Party (1998).^[26] She is portrayed by Deborah Moore in the 1992 film Chaplin, but Grey was depicted on screen for less than a minute in the final film.

Death

She died of cancer on December 29, 1995, in Los Angeles, aged 87, and was buried in Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood, California.^[19]^[27]^[28]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Note
1921	The Kid	Flirtatious Angel	Uncredited
1921	The Idle Class	Maid	Uncredited
1925	The Gold Rush	Extra	Uncredited
1933	Seasoned Greetings	Store Owner	Short
1933	Mr. Broadway	Lita Grey
1949	The Devil's Sleep	Judge Rosalind Ballentine
1953	This Is Your Life	Herself	Television, one episode
1979	The Hollywood Greats	Herself	Television, one episode
1983	Unknown Chaplin	Herself	Television film

Written works

Chaplin, Lita (1928). Complaint of the young movie star against her elderly husband. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9781461674320. OCLC 1051461671.
Chaplin, Lita; Cooper, Morton (1966). My life with Chaplin; an intimate memoir. Bernard Geis Associates. OCLC 1304298.
Chaplin, Lita; Vance, Jeffrey (1998). Wife of the Life of the Party. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9780810834323. OCLC 1064282220.

References

^ "Lillian Grey, Descendant of Pioneer Family, Dies". Los Angeles Times. May 13, 1985. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
^ "Milestones: Feb. 7, 1927". Time. February 7, 1927. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
^ "Charlie Chaplin Jr". Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Retrieved February 23, 2022. Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (5 May 1925 – 20 March 1968) was an American actor and the son of Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin was born in Beverly Hills, California. His mother was Charlie Chaplin's second wife, Mexican-American Lita Grey, and he was the elder brother of actor Sydney Chaplin.
^ Chaplin, Lita Grey; Vance, Jeffrey (March 5, 1998). Memoirs by Lita Grey Chaplin. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9781461674320. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
^ Chaplin, Lita Grey, and Vance, Jeffrey. (1998). Wife of the Life of the Party. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, pg. 2-3; ISBN 0-8108-3432-4.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Lita Grey Chaplin Interview (1993)". July 5, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2022 – via YouTube.
^ "The Gold Rush". http://www.charliechaplin.com/. Archived February 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Charlie Chaplin: The Official Website. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
^ Chaplin, Lita Grey, and Vance, Jeffrey. (1998). Wife of the Life of the Party. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, pp. 4–13. ISBN 0-8108-3432-4.
^ CHAPLIN'S WIFE HURLS CHARGES: Grave Accusations Made in Plea for Divorce He is Quoted as Branding Bride "Gold Digger" "Blackmailer" Also Said to be Applied to Her LITA CHAPLIN ASKS DIVORCE Serious Charges Hurled at Actor in Legal Action Prominent Picture Actress Mentioned in Suit Comedian Quoted as Calling Bride "Gold Digger”, Los Angeles Times, January 11, 1927, p. A1.
^ "Lita Grey embrujó a uno de los genios del cine, lo esquiló y le dio una vida de perros". La Nación, Grupo Nación. July 19, 2015.
^ "CHAPLIN ATTACKS WIFE'S COMPLAINT; Movie Actor's Attorney Argues That Document Fails to Show the Couple Were Married". The New York Times. February 8, 1927. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
^ "SETTLEMENT OUT OF COURT ENDS BATTLE; Cost of Peace Stated Be Over Million For Charles; LITA CHAPLIN GIVEN DECREE; Brief Testimony Was Given in Court by Mrs. Chaplin;". Madera Tribune. California Digital Newspaper Collection. August 22, 1927. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
^ "Lita Grey Chaplin Granted Interlocutory Divorce From Charlie". Santa Cruz Evening News. California Digital Newspaper Collection. August 22, 1927. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
^ "DIVORCE COSTS FIGURED OUT AFTER DECREE". Santa Cruz Evening News. California Digital Newspaper Collection. August 23, 1927. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
^ ^a ^b 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
^ Complaint of the Young Movie Star Against Her Elderly Husband: (and Famous Film Magnate). Privately Published. 1928. OCLC 1051461671. As a warning to maidens as to what may be expected from union with a rich but much older man, we are publishing this...Being an exact and complete copy of the allegations of one of the youngest wife and mother complainants ever to place on record her grievances against an older husband: of his extraordinary and immoral demands on her before, during and after her becoming a mother: of his public and private allegations against her: altogether the most sensational divorce plea ever made before the superior court of Los Angeles, California (The legal complaint, with details of the star's sexual life, infidelities and proclivities as published here)
^ "Bestial Acts Charged in Notorious Divorce Case of Lita Louise vs. Chas. Spencer Chaplin". CharlieChaplinArchive.org. Cineteca di Bologna. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
^ Bucktin, Christopher (April 2, 2015). "Charlie Chaplin seduced me when I was just 15 and made revolting sexual demands". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on August 22, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
^ ^a ^b Shipman, David (January 4, 1996). "OBITUARY: Lita Grey". The Independent. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
^ "Chaplin v. Superior Court, 81 Cal.App. 367". casetext.com. February 17, 1927. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
^ "District Court of Appeal, Fourth District, California. CHAPLIN v. CHAPLIN. Civ. 1712. Decided: September 16, 1935". Findlaw. September 16, 1935. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
^ "What Was Justice: The Strange Killing of Don Solovich, Known as Hollywood's Mystery Man". New York Daily News. New York City. October 21, 1928. pp. 46–47 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Sensational Evidence Promised in Solovich Murder Trial: Attorney Hints at Revelations". Los Angeles Times. May 7, 1928. p. 18. Retrieved May 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Testimony Completed, Jury To Get Clark Case Tomorrow". Manti Messenger. Manti, Utah. June 8, 1928. pp. 1, 4 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Grey Chaplin, Lita; Vance, Jeffrey (1998). Wife of the Life of the Party: A Memoir. Scarecrow Press. p. 120.
^ Grey Chaplin, Lita; Vance, Jeffrey (1998). Wife of the Life of the Party. Scarecrow Press. p. 306. ISBN 9780810834323. Archived from the original on July 4, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
^ "Lita Grey Chaplin Actress, 88". The New York Times. December 30, 1995. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
^ Folkart, Burt A. (December 30, 1995). "Lita Grey; Married Charlie Chaplin at 16". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 23, 2022.

External links

Lita Grey at IMDb
Lita Grey interviewed about her life, 1993 on YouTube (15:00)
Lita Grey at Virtual History

[latimes-1985-05-13-1] "Lillian Grey, Descendant of Pioneer Family, Dies". Los Angeles Times. May 13, 1985. Retrieved February 23, 2022.

[2] "Milestones: Feb. 7, 1927". Time. February 7, 1927. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved January 19, 2023.

[hollywoodforever-charlie-chaplin-jr-3] "Charlie Chaplin Jr". Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Retrieved February 23, 2022. Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (5 May 1925 – 20 March 1968) was an American actor and the son of Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin was born in Beverly Hills, California. His mother was Charlie Chaplin's second wife, Mexican-American Lita Grey, and he was the elder brother of actor Sydney Chaplin.

[4] Chaplin, Lita Grey; Vance, Jeffrey (March 5, 1998). Memoirs by Lita Grey Chaplin. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 9781461674320. Archived from the original on July 13, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2015.

[5] Chaplin, Lita Grey, and Vance, Jeffrey. (1998). Wife of the Life of the Party. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, pg. 2-3; ISBN 0-8108-3432-4.

[:1993-6] "Lita Grey Chaplin Interview (1993)". July 5, 2018. Retrieved January 28, 2022 – via YouTube.

[7] "The Gold Rush". http://www.charliechaplin.com/. Archived February 7, 2015, at the Wayback Machine Charlie Chaplin: The Official Website. Retrieved September 17, 2014.

[8] Chaplin, Lita Grey, and Vance, Jeffrey. (1998). Wife of the Life of the Party. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, pp. 4–13. ISBN 0-8108-3432-4.

[9] CHAPLIN'S WIFE HURLS CHARGES: Grave Accusations Made in Plea for Divorce He is Quoted as Branding Bride "Gold Digger" "Blackmailer" Also Said to be Applied to Her LITA CHAPLIN ASKS DIVORCE Serious Charges Hurled at Actor in Legal Action Prominent Picture Actress Mentioned in Suit Comedian Quoted as Calling Bride "Gold Digger”, Los Angeles Times, January 11, 1927, p. A1.

[10] "Lita Grey embrujó a uno de los genios del cine, lo esquiló y le dio una vida de perros". La Nación, Grupo Nación. July 19, 2015.

[11] "CHAPLIN ATTACKS WIFE'S COMPLAINT; Movie Actor's Attorney Argues That Document Fails to Show the Couple Were Married". The New York Times. February 8, 1927. Retrieved February 23, 2022.

[cdnc.ucr.edu-MT19270822.2.2-12] "SETTLEMENT OUT OF COURT ENDS BATTLE; Cost of Peace Stated Be Over Million For Charles; LITA CHAPLIN GIVEN DECREE; Brief Testimony Was Given in Court by Mrs. Chaplin;". Madera Tribune. California Digital Newspaper Collection. August 22, 1927. Retrieved February 23, 2022.

[cdnc.ucr.edu-SCEN19270822.1.1-13] "Lita Grey Chaplin Granted Interlocutory Divorce From Charlie". Santa Cruz Evening News. California Digital Newspaper Collection. August 22, 1927. Retrieved February 23, 2022.

[cdnc.ucr.edu-SCEN19270823.1.9-14] "DIVORCE COSTS FIGURED OUT AFTER DECREE". Santa Cruz Evening News. California Digital Newspaper Collection. August 23, 1927. Retrieved February 23, 2022.

[inflation-US-15] 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.

[Complaint-1928-Privately-Published-16] Complaint of the Young Movie Star Against Her Elderly Husband: (and Famous Film Magnate). Privately Published. 1928. OCLC 1051461671. As a warning to maidens as to what may be expected from union with a rich but much older man, we are publishing this...Being an exact and complete copy of the allegations of one of the youngest wife and mother complainants ever to place on record her grievances against an older husband: of his extraordinary and immoral demands on her before, during and after her becoming a mother: of his public and private allegations against her: altogether the most sensational divorce plea ever made before the superior court of Los Angeles, California (The legal complaint, with details of the star's sexual life, infidelities and proclivities as published here)

[charliechaplinarchive-bestial-acts-17] "Bestial Acts Charged in Notorious Divorce Case of Lita Louise vs. Chas. Spencer Chaplin". CharlieChaplinArchive.org. Cineteca di Bologna. Retrieved February 23, 2022.

[Mir-Buc-18] Bucktin, Christopher (April 2, 2015). "Charlie Chaplin seduced me when I was just 15 and made revolting sexual demands". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on August 22, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2019.

[Ind-Ship-19] Shipman, David (January 4, 1996). "OBITUARY: Lita Grey". The Independent. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2019.

[81_Cal.App._367_(Cal._Ct._App._1927)_253_P._954-20] "Chaplin v. Superior Court, 81 Cal.App. 367". casetext.com. February 17, 1927. Retrieved February 23, 2022.

[CHAPLIN._Civ._1712._Decided:_1935-21] "District Court of Appeal, Fourth District, California. CHAPLIN v. CHAPLIN. Civ. 1712. Decided: September 16, 1935". Findlaw. September 16, 1935. Retrieved February 23, 2022.

[Strange-22] "What Was Justice: The Strange Killing of Don Solovich, Known as Hollywood's Mystery Man". New York Daily News. New York City. October 21, 1928. pp. 46–47 – via Newspapers.com.

[Sensational-23] "Sensational Evidence Promised in Solovich Murder Trial: Attorney Hints at Revelations". Los Angeles Times. May 7, 1928. p. 18. Retrieved May 26, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

[Completed-24] "Testimony Completed, Jury To Get Clark Case Tomorrow". Manti Messenger. Manti, Utah. June 8, 1928. pp. 1, 4 – via Newspapers.com.

[25] Grey Chaplin, Lita; Vance, Jeffrey (1998). Wife of the Life of the Party: A Memoir. Scarecrow Press. p. 120.

[26] Grey Chaplin, Lita; Vance, Jeffrey (1998). Wife of the Life of the Party. Scarecrow Press. p. 306. ISBN 9780810834323. Archived from the original on July 4, 2014. Retrieved October 4, 2016.

[nytimes/1995/12/30-27] "Lita Grey Chaplin Actress, 88". The New York Times. December 30, 1995. Retrieved February 23, 2022.

[latimes-1995-12-30-28] Folkart, Burt A. (December 30, 1995). "Lita Grey; Married Charlie Chaplin at 16". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 23, 2022.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|American actress (1908–1995)}}
 {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2020}}
 {{Infobox person
-| name            = Lita Grey
+| name          = Lita Grey
-| image           = Lita Grey.jpg
+| image         = Lita Grey.jpg
-| caption = Lita Grey in 1925
+| caption       = Grey in 1925
-| birth_name   = Lillita Louise MacMurray
+| birth_name    = Lillita Louise MacMurray
-| birth_date     = {{birth date|1908|04|15}}
+| birth_date    = {{birth date|1908|04|15}}
-| birth_place   = [[Hollywood, California]], U.S.
+| birth_place   = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
-| death_date   = {{death date and age|1995|12|29|1908|04|15}}
+| death_date    = {{death date and age|1995|12|29|1908|04|15}}
-| death_place = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
+| death_place   = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
+| resting_place = [[Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery]]
-| spouse         = {{plain list|
+| occupation    = {{hlist|Actress}}
+| spouse        = {{plainlist|
 * {{marriage|[[Charlie Chaplin]]|1924|1927|end=divorced}}
 * {{marriage|Henry Aguirre|1936|1938|end=divorced}}
-* {{marriage|Arthur Day|1938|1950|end=divorced}}
+* {{marriage|Arthur Day|1938|1948|end=divorced}}
 * {{marriage|Patsy Pizzolongo|1956|1966|end=divorced}}
 }}
-| children = [[Charles Chaplin Jr.]]<br>[[Sydney Chaplin (American actor)|Sydney Earl Chaplin]]
+| children      = 3, including [[Charles Chaplin Jr.]] and [[Sydney Chaplin (American actor)|Sydney Chaplin]]
 }}
-'''Lita Grey''' (born '''Lillita Louise MacMurray''', April 15, 1908 – December 29, 1995), who was known for most of her life as '''Lita Grey Chaplin''', was an American actress and the second wife of [[Charlie Chaplin]].
+'''Lita Grey''' (born '''Lillita Louise MacMurray''', April 15, 1908 – December 29, 1995), who was known for most of her life as '''Lita Grey Chaplin''', was an American actress. She was the second wife of [[Charlie Chaplin]], and appeared in his films ''[[The Kid (1921 film)|The Kid]]'', ''[[The Idle Class]]'', and ''[[The Gold Rush]]''.
 ==Background==
-She was born in Hollywood, California, and christened Lillita Louise MacMurray. Her father was of Scottish descent and her mother's family was descended from an illustrious 9th-generation Californian [[Spanish people|Spanish]] family, whose luminaries included [[Antonio Maria Lugo]]. The Lugos were from [[Andalusia]], Spain and were one of the first to bring horses to the country.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=KUtPAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA102&lpg=PA102&dq=lita+grey+spanish+lugo&source=bl&ots=1IyjIFdSvD&sig=pW4E1PBumSB8EKUemSctbAtL608&hl=en&sa=X&ei=o2WgVYn6HMX4ywP-56WQDQ&ved=0CCwQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=lita%20grey%20spanish%20lugo&f=false |title=Memoirs by Lita Grey Chaplin. |access-date=July 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713164427/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=KUtPAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA102&lpg=PA102&dq=lita+grey+spanish+lugo&source=bl&ots=1IyjIFdSvD&sig=pW4E1PBumSB8EKUemSctbAtL608&hl=en&sa=X&ei=o2WgVYn6HMX4ywP-56WQDQ&ved=0CCwQ6AEwBA#v=onepage&q=lita%20grey%20spanish%20lugo&f=false |archive-date=July 13, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Chaplin, Lita Grey and Jeffrey Vance. (1998). Wife of the Life of the Party. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, pg. 2-3; {{ISBN|0-8108-3432-4}}.</ref>
+She was born in Hollywood, California, to Lillian Carrillo Curry Grey and Robert Earl McMurray,<ref name="latimes-1985-05-13">{{cite news |title=Lillian Grey, Descendant of Pioneer Family, Dies |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-05-13-me-9986-story.html |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=May 13, 1985 |access-date=February 23, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |date=February 7, 1927|title=Milestones: Feb. 7, 1927 |language=en-US |magazine=Time |url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,729977,00.html |access-date=January 19, 2023|issn=0040-781X}}</ref> and christened Lillita Louise MacMurray. Her father was of Scottish descent, and her mother's family was descended from an illustrious [[Californios|ninth-generation Californian Hispanic]] family, whose luminaries included [[Antonio Maria Lugo]].<ref name="hollywoodforever-charlie-chaplin-jr">{{cite news |title=Charlie Chaplin Jr. |url=https://hollywoodforever.com/story/charlie-chaplin-jr/ |quote=Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (5 May 1925 – 20 March 1968) was an American actor and the son of Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin was born in Beverly Hills, California. His mother was Charlie Chaplin's second wife, Mexican-American Lita Grey, and he was the elder brother of actor Sydney Chaplin. |website=Hollywood Forever Cemetery |access-date=February 23, 2022}}</ref> The Lugos were from [[Andalusia]], Spain, and were one of the first families to bring horses to the country.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chaplin |first1=Lita Grey |last2=Vance |first2=Jeffrey |title=Memoirs by Lita Grey Chaplin. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KUtPAQAAQBAJ&q=lita+grey+spanish+lugo&pg=PA102 |url-status=live |isbn=9781461674320 |date=March 5, 1998 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |access-date=July 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713164427/https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=KUtPAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA102&lpg=PA102&dq=lita+grey+spanish+lugo |archive-date=July 13, 2015}}</ref><ref>Chaplin, Lita Grey, and Vance, Jeffrey. (1998). ''Wife of the Life of the Party''. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, pg. 2-3; {{ISBN|0-8108-3432-4}}.</ref> In a 1993 interview, Grey claimed to be a great-grandniece of former California governor [[Henry Gage]].<ref name=":1993">{{cite web |title=Lita Grey Chaplin Interview (1993) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnMUv3WPi6U |via=[[YouTube]] |date=July 5, 2018 |access-date=January 28, 2022}}</ref>
-==Personal life==
+==Life and career==
-{{refimprove section|date=December 2015}}
+{{more citations needed section|date=December 2015}}
-Grey married four times. By her own account, she first met [[Charlie Chaplin]] at the age of eight at a Hollywood café and first worked with him at the age of 12 in the part of the "flirting angel" in ''[[The Kid (1921 film)|The Kid]]''.<ref>"The Gold Rush". http://www.charliechaplin.com/. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207012605/http://charliechaplin.com/ |date=February 7, 2015 }} Charlie Chaplin: The Official Website. Retrieved September 17, 2014.</ref>  She appeared briefly as a maid in ''The Idle Class''. Her one-year contract was not renewed. At the age of 15, she met Chaplin again when she heard he was testing brunettes for his  ''[[The Gold Rush (film)|The Gold Rush]]''.<ref>Chaplin, Lita Grey and Jeffrey Vance. (1998) ''Wife of the Life of the Party''. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 4-13. {{ISBN|0-8108-3432-4}}.</ref> They had an affair and she suspected she had become pregnant by the then-35-year-old Chaplin. As he could have been imprisoned for having sexual relations with a minor, they married that November in secret in [[Empalme, Sonora]], Mexico to avoid a scandal. They had two sons, [[Charles Chaplin Jr.]] and [[Sydney Chaplin (American actor)|Sydney Chaplin]].
+Grey married four times. By her own account she first met [[Charlie Chaplin]] at the age of eight at a Hollywood café, and first worked with him at the age of 12 in the part of the "flirting angel" in ''[[The Kid (1921 film)|The Kid]]''.<ref name=":1993" /><ref>"The Gold Rush". http://www.charliechaplin.com/. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150207012605/http://charliechaplin.com/ |date=February 7, 2015}} Charlie Chaplin: The Official Website. Retrieved September 17, 2014.</ref> She also appeared briefly as a maid in ''[[The Idle Class]]''. Her one-year contract was not renewed. At the age of 15, she met Chaplin again when she heard he was testing brunettes for his next film ''[[The Gold Rush]]''.<ref>Chaplin, Lita Grey, and Vance, Jeffrey. (1998). ''Wife of the Life of the Party''. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, pp. 4–13. {{ISBN|0-8108-3432-4}}.</ref> Still a child of 15, she was initially cast as the leading lady in the film, and then-35-year-old Chaplin started a relationship with Grey.
+Grey soon became pregnant, and since Chaplin could have been imprisoned for having sexual relations with a minor, they married that November in secret in [[Empalme, Sonora]], Mexico, to avoid a scandal. She alleged in her divorce complaint that he "sought to have her undergo an [[Illegal operation (euphemism)|illegal operation]] to prevent the birth of their first child".<ref>CHAPLIN'S WIFE HURLS CHARGES: Grave Accusations Made in Plea for Divorce He is Quoted as Branding Bride "Gold Digger" "Blackmailer" Also Said to be Applied to Her LITA CHAPLIN ASKS DIVORCE Serious Charges Hurled at Actor in Legal Action Prominent Picture Actress Mentioned in Suit Comedian Quoted as Calling Bride "Gold Digger”, ''Los Angeles Times'', January 11, 1927, p. A1.</ref>
-[[File:Lita Grey in The Kid.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|Lita Grey in ''[[The Kid (1921 film)|The Kid]]'' (1921)]]
+They had two sons, [[Charles Chaplin Jr.]] and [[Sydney Chaplin (American actor)|Sydney Chaplin]], born within ten months of each other in May 1925 and March 1926, respectively.<ref>{{cite web |title=Lita Grey embrujó a uno de los genios del cine, lo esquiló y le dio una vida de perros |url=https://www.nacion.com/viva/television/pagina-negra-lita-grey-la-quimera-de-oropel/42YBRUODBRAVZJMQB2FPUO3XOE/story/ |website=La Nación, Grupo Nación|date=July 19, 2015 }}</ref><ref name=":1993" />
-The marriage was troubled from the start. The two had few interests in common, and Chaplin spent as much time as he could away from home, working on ''The Gold Rush'' (in which Grey was to have played the female lead prior to becoming pregnant) and later ''The Circus''. They divorced on August 22, 1927 due to his alleged numerous affairs with other women, and he was ordered to pay over US$600,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|.6|1927|r=1}}}} million in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) and US$100,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|.1|1927|r=1}}}} million in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) in trust for each child. It was the largest divorce settlement at the time. The divorce was one of the sensational media events of the time. Copies of her lengthy divorce complaint which made scandalous sexual claims against Chaplin were published and publicly sold.<ref name="Mir-Buc">{{cite news |last1=Bucktin |first1=Christopher |title=Charlie Chaplin seduced me when I was just 15 and made revolting sexual demands |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/charlie-chaplin-seduced-just-15-5448940 |accessdate=March 16, 2019 |publisher=Daily Mirror |date=April 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822112052/https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/charlie-chaplin-seduced-just-15-5448940 |archive-date=August 22, 2018 |url-status=live  }}</ref><ref name="Ind-Ship">{{cite news |last1=Shipman |first1=David |title=OBITUARY: Lita Grey |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-lita-grey-1322326.html |accessdate=March 16, 2019 |publisher=The Independent |date=1995 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209132446/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-lita-grey-1322326.html |archive-date=December 9, 2017 |url-status=live  }}</ref>
+[[File:Lita Grey in The Kid.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.7|Grey in ''[[The Kid (1921 film)|The Kid]]'' (1921)]]
-She later married Henry Aguirre and Arthur Day. According to the 1940 United States Census, Lita and Arthur lived at 38 East 50th Street in New York City, and that in 1935, she had lived in England. The census listed her occupation as "singer," and Arthur's as "manager personal." She married her fourth husband, Patsy Pizzolongo (aka Pat Longo), on September 22, 1956, in Los Angeles, California. They were divorced in June 1966.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}
+The marriage was troubled from the start.<ref>{{cite news |title=CHAPLIN ATTACKS WIFE'S COMPLAINT; Movie Actor's Attorney Argues That Document Fails to Show the Couple Were Married. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/02/08/archives/chaplin-attacks-wifes-complaint-movie-actors-attorney-argues-that.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 8, 1927 |access-date=February 23, 2022}}</ref> The two had few interests in common, and Chaplin spent as much time as he could away from home, neglecting both his wife and his children, while working on ''The Gold Rush'', and later, ''[[The Circus (1928 film)|The Circus]]''. They divorced on August 22, 1927,<ref name="cdnc.ucr.edu-MT19270822.2.2">{{cite news |title=SETTLEMENT OUT OF COURT ENDS BATTLE; Cost of Peace Stated Be Over Million For Charles; LITA CHAPLIN GIVEN DECREE; Brief Testimony Was Given in Court by Mrs. Chaplin; |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=MT19270822.2.2&srpos=1&e=21-08-1927-23-08-1927--en--20--1--txt-txIN-Lita+Grey++Charlie+Chaplin-------1 |work=Madera Tribune |publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection |date=August 22, 1927 |access-date=February 23, 2022}}</ref><ref name="cdnc.ucr.edu-SCEN19270822.1.1">{{cite news |title=Lita Grey Chaplin Granted Interlocutory Divorce From Charlie |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCEN19270822.1.1&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1 |work=Santa Cruz Evening News |publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection |date=August 22, 1927 |access-date=February 23, 2022}}</ref><ref name="cdnc.ucr.edu-SCEN19270823.1.9">{{cite news |title=DIVORCE COSTS FIGURED OUT AFTER DECREE |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SCEN19270823.1.9&srpos=3&e=21-08-1927-23-08-1927--en--20--1--txt-txIN-Lita+Grey++Charlie+Chaplin-------1 |work=Santa Cruz Evening News |publisher=California Digital Newspaper Collection |date=August 23, 1927 |access-date=February 23, 2022}}</ref> due to his alleged numerous affairs with other women, and he was ordered to pay over US$600,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|.6|1927|r=1}}}} million in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) and US$100,000 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|.1|1927|r=1}}}} million in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) in trust for each child, the largest divorce settlement at the time. Copies of her lengthy divorce complaint, which made scandalous sexual claims against Chaplin, were published, and publicly sold,<ref name="Complaint-1928-Privately-Published">{{cite book |title=Complaint of the Young Movie Star Against Her Elderly Husband: (and Famous Film Magnate). |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8CfmvQEACAAJ |quote=As a warning to maidens as to what may be expected from union with a rich but much older man, we are publishing this...Being an exact and complete copy of the allegations of one of the youngest wife and mother complainants ever to place on record her grievances against an older husband: of his extraordinary and immoral demands on her before, during and after her becoming a mother: of his public and private allegations against her: altogether the most sensational divorce plea ever made before the superior court of Los Angeles, California (The legal complaint, with details of the star's sexual life, infidelities and proclivities as published here) |publisher=Privately Published |date=1928 |oclc=1051461671}}</ref> and the divorce became a sensational media event.<ref name="charliechaplinarchive-bestial-acts">{{cite web |title=Bestial Acts Charged in Notorious Divorce Case of Lita Louise vs. Chas. Spencer Chaplin |url=http://www.charliechaplinarchive.org/en/collection/cerca/bestial-acts-charged-in-notorious-divorce-case-of-lita-louise-vs-chas-spencer-chaplin |website=CharlieChaplinArchive.org |publisher=[[Cineteca di Bologna]] |access-date=February 23, 2022}}</ref><ref name="Mir-Buc">{{cite news |last=Bucktin |first=Christopher |title=Charlie Chaplin seduced me when I was just 15 and made revolting sexual demands |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/charlie-chaplin-seduced-just-15-5448940 |url-status=live |work=[[Daily Mirror]] |date=April 2, 2015 |access-date=March 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180822112052/https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/charlie-chaplin-seduced-just-15-5448940 |archive-date=August 22, 2018}}</ref><ref name="Ind-Ship">{{cite news |last=Shipman |first=David |title=OBITUARY: Lita Grey |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-lita-grey-1322326.html |url-status=live |work=[[The Independent]] |date=January 4, 1996 |access-date=March 16, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171209132446/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-lita-grey-1322326.html |archive-date=December 9, 2017}}</ref><ref name="81 Cal.App. 367 (Cal. Ct. App. 1927) 253 P. 954">{{cite web |title=Chaplin v. Superior Court, 81 Cal.App. 367 |url=https://casetext.com/case/chaplin-v-superior-court |website=casetext.com |date=February 17, 1927 |access-date=February 23, 2022}}</ref><ref name="CHAPLIN. Civ. 1712. Decided: 1935">{{cite web |title=District Court of Appeal, Fourth District, California. CHAPLIN v. CHAPLIN. Civ. 1712. Decided: September 16, 1935 |url=https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-court-of-appeal/1781165.html |website=Findlaw |date=September 16, 1935 |access-date=February 23, 2022}}</ref> Less than five months after the divorce, Grey's former butler [[Murder of Don Solovich|Don Solovich]] was murdered in Utah, and articles speculated about connections between Chaplin and the murder.<ref name=Strange>{{cite news|newspaper=[[New York Daily News]] | location= New York City | url= https://www.newspapers.com/article/daily-news-charlie-chaplin-murder/112404948/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]] | title= What Was Justice: The Strange Killing of Don Solovich, Known as Hollywood's Mystery Man |date=21 Oct 1928| pages=46–47}}</ref><ref name=Sensational>{{Cite news |date=1928-05-07 |title=Sensational Evidence Promised in Solovich Murder Trial: Attorney Hints at Revelations |pages=18 |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-sensational-eviden/125115092/ |access-date=2023-05-26 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref><ref name=Completed>{{cite news| url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-manti-messenger-testimony-completed/125113276/ |title= Testimony Completed, Jury To Get Clark Case Tomorrow |newspaper=Manti Messenger |location= Manti, Utah| date=8 Jun 1928|pages=1, 4| via=[[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>
-In the 1970s and 1980s, she worked as a clerk at Robinson's Department Store in Beverly Hills. She wrote two autobiographical volumes covering her life with Chaplin. ''My Life with Chaplin'' (1966) was, by her own admission, largely a work of exaggeration and fabrication. She claimed to tell the story as it really was in her second memoir ''Wife of the Life of the Party'' (1998).<ref>{{cite book|last=Chaplin|first=Lita Grey|title=Wife of the life of the party|publisher=Scarecrow Press|pages=306|url=https://books.google.com/books/about/Wife_of_the_life_of_the_party.html?id=uY1ZAAAAMAAJ|author2=Vance, Jeffrey|date=1998|access-date=October 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704201048/http://books.google.com/books/about/Wife_of_the_life_of_the_party.html?id=uY1ZAAAAMAAJ|archive-date=July 4, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Grey was portrayed by [[Deborah Moore]] in the 1992 film ''[[Chaplin (film)|Chaplin]]'', but Grey was depicted on screen for less than a minute in the final film.
+She later married Henry Aguirre and Arthur Day. The [[1940 United States Census]] states that Lita and Arthur lived at 38 East 50th Street in New York City, and that in 1935 she had lived in England. The census listed her occupation as "singer", and Arthur's as "manager personal". Lita and Arthur adopted a baby boy in 1940, whom they named Robert. When they split up in 1946, Bobby went to live with his paternal grandmother, and Lita had little contact with him after that.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Grey Chaplin |first1=Lita |last2=Vance |first2=Jeffrey |title=Wife of the Life of the Party: A Memoir |publisher=Scarecrow Press |year=1998 |pages=120}}</ref> She married her fourth husband, Patsy Pizzolongo (aka Pat Longo), on September 22, 1956, in Los Angeles, California. They were divorced in June 1966.{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}
+In the 1970s and 1980s, she worked as a clerk at [[J. W. Robinson's|Robinson's Department Store]] in Beverly Hills. She wrote two autobiographical volumes covering her life with Chaplin. ''My Life with Chaplin'' (1966) was, by her own admission, largely a work of exaggeration and fabrication. She claimed to tell the story as it really was in her second memoir ''Wife of the Life of the Party'' (1998).<ref>{{cite book |last1=Grey Chaplin |first1=Lita |last2=Vance |first2=Jeffrey |title=Wife of the Life of the Party |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uY1ZAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live |publisher=Scarecrow Press |date=1998 |pages=306 |access-date=October 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704201048/http://books.google.com/books/about/Wife_of_the_life_of_the_party.html?id=uY1ZAAAAMAAJ |archive-date=July 4, 2014 |isbn=9780810834323}}</ref> She is portrayed by [[Deborah Moore]] in the 1992 film ''[[Chaplin (film)|Chaplin]]'', but Grey was depicted on screen for less than a minute in the final film.
 ==Death==
+She died of cancer on December 29, 1995, in Los Angeles, aged 87, and was buried in [[Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery]] in North Hollywood, California.<ref name="Ind-Ship" /><ref name="nytimes/1995/12/30">{{cite news |title=Lita Grey Chaplin Actress, 88 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/30/arts/lita-grey-chaplin-actress-88.html |work=The New York Times |date=December 30, 1995 |access-date=February 23, 2022}}</ref><ref name="latimes-1995-12-30">{{cite news |last=Folkart |first=Burt A. |title=Lita Grey; Married Charlie Chaplin at 16 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-12-30-mn-19327-story.html |work=Los Angeles Times |date=December 30, 1995 |access-date=February 23, 2022}}</ref>
-She died in Los Angeles, at age 87 of cancer, and was buried in [[Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery]] in North Hollywood, California.
 ==Filmography==
@@ Line 46: / Line 53: @@
 !style="background:#B0C4DE;" | Note
 |-
-|1983 ||''[[Unknown Chaplin]]'' ||Herself ||TV
+|1921 ||''[[The Kid (1921 film)|The Kid]]'' ||Flirtatious Angel ||Uncredited
 |-
-|1979 ||''[[The Hollywood Greats]]'' || Herself || TV
+|1921 ||''[[The Idle Class]]'' ||Maid ||Uncredited
 |-
-|1953 || ''[[This Is Your Life]]'' || Herself || TV
+|1925 || ''[[The Gold Rush]]'' ||Extra ||Uncredited
 |-
-|1949 ||''[[The Devil's Sleep]]'' || Judge Rosalind Ballentine ||
+|1933 ||''Seasoned Greetings'' ||Store Owner ||Short
 |-
+|1933 ||''[[Mr. Broadway (1933 film)|Mr. Broadway]]'' ||Lita Grey ||
-|1938 ||''Skyline Revue''|| Party Guest ||Short
 |-
-|rowspan=2|1933 ||''Seasoned Greetings'' || Store Owner ||Short
+|1949 ||''[[The Devil's Sleep]]'' ||Judge Rosalind Ballentine ||
 |-
+|1953 || ''[[This Is Your Life (American franchise)|This Is Your Life]]'' ||Herself || Television, one episode
-|''[[Mr. Broadway (1933 film)|Mr. Broadway]]'' ||Lita Grey ||
 |-
-|1925 || ''[[The Gold Rush]]'' ||Extra ||Uncredited
+|1979 ||''[[The Hollywood Greats]]'' ||Herself || Television, one episode
 |-
-|rowspan=2|1921 ||''[[The Idle Class]]'' ||Maid ||Uncredited
+|1983 ||''[[Unknown Chaplin]]'' ||Herself ||Television film
 |-
-|''[[The Kid (1921 film)|The Kid]]'' ||Flirtatious Angel ||Uncredited
 |}
-== Bibliography ==
+== Written works ==
+* {{cite book |last=Chaplin |first=Lita |title=Complaint of the young movie star against her elderly husband |date=1928 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=9781461674320 |oclc=1051461671}}
-* {{cite book |last1=Chaplin |first1=Lita |title=Complaint of the young movie star against her elderly husband |date=1928 |oclc=1051461671}}
+* {{cite book |last1=Chaplin |first1=Lita |last2=Cooper |first2=Morton |title=My life with Chaplin; an intimate memoir |publisher=Bernard Geis Associates |date=1966 |oclc=1304298}}
+* {{cite book |last1=Chaplin |first1=Lita |last2=Vance |first2=Jeffrey |title=Wife of the Life of the Party |publisher=Scarecrow Press |date=1998 |isbn=9780810834323 |oclc=1064282220}}
-* {{cite book |last1=Chaplin |first1=Lita |last2=Cooper |first2=Morton |title=My life with Chaplin; an intimate memoir |date=1966 |publisher=Bernard Geis Associates |oclc=1304298}}
-* {{cite book |last1=Chaplin |first1=Lita |last2=Vance |first2=Jeffrey |title=Wife of the life of the party |date=1998 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=9780810834323 |oclc=1064282220}}
 ==References==
-{{Reflist|2}}
+{{reflist|2}}
 ==External links==
-{{commons category}}
+{{Commons category}}
-* video: {{YouTube|_E7fYb2jIKY|Lita Grey describes Charlie Chaplin}}, 15 min. - 2-parts
 * {{IMDb name|0340614}}
+* {{YouTube|_E7fYb2jIKY|Lita Grey interviewed about her life, 1993}} (15:00)
 * [http://www.virtual-history.com/movie/person/4904/lita-grey Lita Grey] at Virtual History
@@ Line 94: / Line 97: @@
 [[Category:American people of Scottish descent]]
 [[Category:Deaths from cancer in California]]
-[[Category:Deaths from cancer of unknown primary origin]]
 [[Category:Actresses from Hollywood, Los Angeles]]
 [[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
 [[Category:Chaplin family]]
 [[Category:Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery]]
+[[Category:Child marriage in the United States]]

v t e Chaplin family
Charlie Chaplin's parents	Charles Chaplin Sr. Hannah Chaplin
Hannah Chaplin's children	Sydney J. Chaplin Charlie Chaplin Wheeler Dryden
Charlie Chaplin's wives	Mildred Harris Lita Grey Paulette Goddard Oona O'Neill
Charlie Chaplin's children	Charles Chaplin Jr. Sydney E. Chaplin Geraldine Chaplin Michael Chaplin Josephine Chaplin Victoria Chaplin Eugene Chaplin Christopher Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin's grandchildren	Oona Castilla Chaplin Carmen Chaplin Aurélia Thierrée James Thiérrée Kiera Chaplin
Other members	Spencer Dryden

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