Sydney Chaplin

In choosing a professional acting career, Sydney Chaplin had to contend with the powerful shadow of his famous father, Charles Chaplin. While his older brother, Charles Chaplin Jr., struggled under the pressure and died of an alcohol-related illness at age 43, Sydney found success in theater by avoiding films. Sydney was the oldest surviving Chaplin child at the time of his death from a stroke on March 3, 2009. Though he could not match his father's ambition and genius, Sydney carved his own path, unburdened by his father's need for recognition. Charismatic and charming, Sydney was a successful stage performer known for his wit and mimicry. Sydney Earle Chaplin, born in Beverly Hills, California, on March 31, 1926, was the second son of Charlie Chaplin and his second wife, Lita Grey. Lita, an aspiring actress, married Charlie when she was 16. Sydney was named after his half-uncle, actor Syd Chaplin. His parents' marriage ended before Sydney was a year old, and the acrimonious divorce in 1927 was widely publicized. Sydney was raised by his maternal grandmother and saw little of his father during his upbringing. He struggled with restlessness and a lack of discipline, leading to erratic schooling and expulsion from three boarding schools by age 16. His life changed with the outbreak of World War II, when he was drafted into the infantry at 18 and served as a bazooka man in the Third Army under General George S. Patton in Europe. After his discharge, he was encouraged to try acting and found he enjoyed it. In 1946, he co-founded the Circle Theatre in Los Angeles with George Englund. His father directed him in a few of the company's productions, including "Rain." Impressed, Charlie gave him his first film role as the composer in *Limelight* (1952). Though his film debut was strong, his later film roles were largely overlooked. He was often cast in ethnic support roles, including Indian and Egyptian characters. His film credits included *Act of Love* (1953) with Kirk Douglas, *Columbus entdeckt Krähwinkel* (1954) with his brother Charlie Jr., *Land of the Pharaohs* (1955) with Joan Collins, *Abdullah's Harem* (1955) with Kay Kendall, and *Follow That Man* (1961) with Dawn Addams. He also appeared in American films such as *Pillars of the Sky* (1956), *Four Girls in Town* (1957), and *Quantez* (1957). Sydney starred in one above-average film, the British thriller *The Deadliest Sin* (1955) with Audrey Dalton, but it received little attention. His stardom came on the New York stage, particularly in the musical *Bells Are Ringing* (1956), where he played Jeff Moss after being encouraged to audition by Judy Holliday. He won a Tony Award in the "featured" category in 1957 and also received a Theatre World Award. He and Holliday had a brief romantic involvement, which led to his replacement by Hal Linden. He did not rejoin the cast when the show moved to London. He continued on Broadway in *Goodbye, Charlie* (1959), *Subways Are for Sleeping* (1961), and *In the Counting House* (1962). His modest baritone was also featured in the television musical *Wonderful Town* (1958) with Rosalind Russell. His second major success came in the Broadway musical *Funny Girl* (1964), co-starring Barbra Streisand. Playing Nick Arnstein, an inveterate gambler and ladies' man, he received a Tony nomination, but the production was marred by a feud with Streisand, leading to his departure from the cast. Both his original roles in *Bells Are Ringing* and *Funny Girl* were later played by Dean Martin and Omar Sharif in the film adaptations. In the late 1960s, Sydney appeared in another of his father's films, *A Countess from Hong Kong* (1967), supporting Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren. This marked Charlie's final film as director. Sydney later worked in foreign-made film fare, most of them of little note.