Sydney Chaplin, the oldest surviving Chaplin child at the time of his death in 2009, was a professional actor who achieved respectable success in his own right, despite the powerful shadow of his famous father, Charles Chaplin. Born in 1926 in Beverly Hills, California, Sydney was the second son of Charlie and his second wife, Lita Grey, an aspiring actress who married Charlie at the age of 16.
Sydney's childhood was marked by a lack of discipline and extreme restlessness, which led to his expulsion from three boarding schools by the age of 16. However, his life took a turn during World War II, when he was drafted into the infantry and served as a bazooka man in the Third Army commanded by General George S. Patton. After the war, Sydney was asked by a friend to try acting, and he found that he enjoyed it.
In 1946, Sydney co-founded the Circle Theatre in Los Angeles with George Englund, and his father even directed him in a couple of productions, including a production of "Rain". Sydney's film debut was in the classic Limelight (1952),and he went on to appear in a number of films, including Act of Love (1953),Columbus entdeckt Krähwinkel (1954),and Land of the Pharaohs (1955).
However, Sydney's film career was marked by a lack of leading roles, and he often found himself cast in ethnic support roles. He did, however, have success on the New York stage, particularly in the hit musical "Bells Are Ringing" in 1956, for which he won a Tony Award. He also appeared in the musical "Funny Girl" in 1964, alongside Barbra Streisand, although the two actors had a difficult working relationship.
Sydney continued to work in film and television throughout the 1960s and 1970s, although his career began to decline in the latter part of the decade. He ended his career in the late 1970s with a series of uneventful television guest appearances and roles in a couple of horror films.
In later years, Sydney opened a celebrity-friendly bistro and dinner club called "Chaplin's" in Palm Springs, California, which ran for about a decade. He also enjoyed playing golf and was a regular on the desert's golf courses. Sydney Chaplin died at the age of 82 in 2009, survived by his third wife, Margaret Beebe, and his only child, Stephan.
