Person Biography:
Wheeler Dryden was born George Dryden Wheeler, Jr. on August 31, 1892, to George Dryden Wheeler, Sr. and Hannah Chaplin. Wheeler's mother struggled with mental illness, alcoholism, and prostitution, and his father removed him from her custody when Wheeler was just six months old. Wheeler was raised by his father and never knew about his mother or half-brothers until 1915.
Wheeler discovered his family connections when he was 23 years old, and he began to reach out to his half-brothers, Charles and Syd Chaplin. After some effort, he was able to connect with them, and his half-brother Syd became his personal manager.
Wheeler moved to the United States in 1918 and pursued a career in acting, eventually becoming a US citizen in 1936. He married Alice Chapple in 1938 and had a son, Spencer Dryden, who would go on to become a musician and drummer.
Wheeler's life was marked by both success and tragedy. He worked with his brother Charlie Chaplin on his last three films, but was also affected by the stigma surrounding Charlie's exile from the United States. Wheeler became a recluse and struggled with mental illness, eventually dying on September 30, 1957, in Los Angeles, California. He never got to see his son's success in music.
