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Actor Charlie Chaplin is seen in the film "City Lights," in 1931.
They foiled plots and cracked Nazi codes, but Britain's spies were unable to solve the mystery of Charlie Chaplin's birth.
Although the entertainer is celebrated as one of London's most famous sons, newly declassified files reveal that Britain's MI5 domestic intelligence service found no records to back up Chaplin's claim that he was born in the city on April 16, 1889.
Uncertainty about Chaplin's origins linger to this day — a mystery Chaplin himself may have helped to nurture.
The previously secret file, released Friday by Britain's National Archives, shows that MI5 investigated the silent film star in the 1950s at the request of the FBI, which had long suspected him of communist sympathies. MI5 historian Christopher Andrew said the FBI's red-hating chief, J. Edgar Hoover, privately denounced Chaplin as "one of Hollywood's parlor Bolsheviks."
To the spies' surprise, there was no record of the performer's birth.
"It would seem that Chaplin was either not born in this country or that his name at birth was other than those mentioned," MI5 concluded.
Chaplin's life is a Dickensian rags-to-riches story. Raised in London in a family of music-hall entertainers, he moved to the United States in 1910 and became one of Hollywood's first megastars with his shabby, bowler-hatted everyman persona, the Little Tramp.
He was a box office sensation in movies such as "The Gold Rush," "City Lights" and "The Kid," but his left-wing friends and activities alarmed the FBI, which began tracking the actor in the early 1920s.
In 1952, as fears of Soviet infiltration raged in the U.S., the FBI asked MI5 to investigate Chaplin's political allegiances and personal background, including a long-standing rumor that Charlie Chaplin was an alias and the performer's true name was Israel Thornstein.
But British spies could find no trace of him in the birth records at London's Somerset House under Chaplin, Thornstein or Harley, his mother's stage name.
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The spies also checked French records amid rumors that he might have been born in the town of Fontainebleu — but that, too, drew a blank.
Elsewhere in the file, agents speculate that Chaplin might have Russian roots. There was an allegation that he had once spoken of "going back to Russia."
"This might refer to paying another visit, or it might denote his origin as Russia," noted senior MI5 officer W.M.T. Magan, speculating that Chaplin might have come from a Jewish family fleeing pogroms at the end of the 19th century.
Film historian Matthew Sweet said rumors about Chaplin's roots had been swirling well before the 1950s. The French claim stemmed from a fan magazine article from the 1910s that suggested Chaplin was born while his performer mother was on tour. The idea he was Jewish appears to have been an assumption by some fans that came to be widely believed. Chaplin did little to correct the record.
"The borderline between fact and fiction about celebrities was much less clearly policed than it is today," Sweet said.
MI5 seemed content to let the mystery of Chaplin's birth remain. British agents were skeptical of American claims that the star was a communist threat, with John Marriott, the head of MI5's counter-subversion branch, calling the U.S. allegations "unreliable."
"It is curious that we can find no record of Chaplin's birth, but I scarcely think that this is of any security significance," he wrote in 1952.
The U.S. thought differently and Chaplin was refused re-entry to the United States in 1952. He settled in Switzerland and lived there until his death in 1977.
The dossier shows MI5 continued to track Chaplin for several years. It contains newspaper clippings about the actor, snatches of conversation from suspected radicals who knew him and letters sent from Russia to "Comrade Charly Chaplin" via the communist magazine Challenge.
But by 1958, MI5 had concluded Chaplin was not a threat.
"We have no substantial information of our own against Chaplin, and we are not satisfied that there are reliable grounds for regarding him as a security risk," the agency noted. "It may be that Chaplin is a Communist sympathizer but on the information before us he would appear to be no more than a 'progressive' or radical."
Nonetheless, a taint of impropriety lingered. Files released in 2002 showed that the British government blocked a knighthood for Chaplin for nearly 20 years because of American concerns about his politics and private life — he was married four times, twice to 16-year-old girls. He eventually became Sir Charles Chaplin in March 1975, two years before his death at age 88.
Chaplin's origins remain cloudy, although the 1891 census records the then 2-year-old as living in south London with his mother and elder brother Sydney.
Evidence unearthed last year added another layer of mystery.
In a locked drawer of a bureau left behind after Chaplin's death, his family found a letter from a man in England named Jack Hill. It claimed Chaplin had been born "in a caravan (that) belonged to the Gypsy Queen, who was my auntie" in a Roma community near Birmingham in central England.
Chaplin had alluded to Roma roots in his autobiography, writing that "Grandma was half-Gypsy. This fact was the skeleton in our family cupboard."
Sweet said the letter was not proof of Chaplin's birthplace but evidence he cultivated the mystery of his origins.
"It is very widely accepted that he was born in London in 1889, but the piece of paper just isn't there," Sweet said.
"That letter is not proof that he was born in a Gypsy encampment. It is proof that he was terrifically attracted to the idea of that story, enough to keep the letter and lock it away and think of it as something important.
"The idea of the mystery of his own birth is something that he quite enjoyed, I think."
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Leave a Comment:
Wonder if he was an Anglo-Indian!
What's the big deal? Give him a B.S. birth certificate, and he could have become President of the United States.
MONGOOSE: Didn't know you were a document and forgery expert. Guess we should clear things with Limbaugh and Fixed Noise before swearing in our presidents.
Here's a tip; Consider getting a brain transplant.
The public display of shameless ignorance provides a certain prurient thrill for people like hungrymongoose.
No Sailcat,
It's just people like you, who deserve no response, that keep me laughing all day long.
Hence the response, eh?
Fail.
Birthers ... what a tiresome old joke. How many generations will it take before they fully die off? One can only hope sooner than later.
It's obvious that Charlie was an alien from another planet sent to distract the inhabitants of earth, while his fellow space travelers searched for "Unobtainium."
I wonder how many people in Hollywood are the offspring of these space invaders?
There sure are a lot of them who act differently than the other 99% of the world's population.
Mongoose dont piss off the libs here man they hate being told that they are wrong for America.
Had that ever been the "hope" then the whole mystery would never have been given so much of a boost by the person who bent over backward to keep the story and the evidence buried at all cost for so long. Now, even if the long form really is genuine, it can never be credible simply because too much time passed between "Not gonna show you! So there!" and "What's the big deal? Here it is. End of story." No. There will never be an end to this story precisely because this is not the sequence that ever occurs over a legitimate document.
Why did the grandmother have nothing to say to the American people when her grandson was running for president? You can believe that an American grandmother would have nothing to say about something like that? Why did she die the day before the election? Fell free to imagine that these things are merely coincidental. And while you're at it, you might as well entertain the notion that the man's obvious skill in locating and shamelessly murdering individuals who stand between him and power--including a youth--is not the man's only demonstrated skill thus far, either--that is, if you must believe in fairy tales. And if this is your style, then add one more little detail: before he popped up into the public eye he was Little Red Riding Hood, not the wolf.
John- Fell free to learn to write a sentence.
I like it when the "authorities" don't know everything about everybody.
It is interesting to think of a time hen our every major action from birth to death was not cataloged in some computer database by the government. The level of information collected on the average citizen is unbelievable. If you have ever worked for the government or had a security clearance it is that much worse. There is very little that a dedicated snoop with hacking skills can not find out about a person today.
Chaplin was investigated by the Left for his Hitler moustache, and the Right for his activities with the down trodden masses ( the Little Tramp). Now, it's revealed no one knew for sure where he was born. A new birther scandal. Show us the birth certificate Mr. Chaplin !
Hitler couldn't be confirmed to wearing the "tooth brush" 'stache til 1919 & Chaplin was sporting it by 1914.
annon -2801871 Good to hear, The Little Tramp beat The Austrian Corporal on style.
I guess chaplin wouldn't sleep with J. Edgar
There may be more truth to your comment than people know. Why did Hoover demand to be buried in a lead lined coffin; one said to be so heavy that the six men nearly had heart attacks trying to carry it? Why are "Hoovarian" methods still being used today to shut some people up? The article is long and still rather vague. Then again, I forget a lot of the old "trivia." The article mentions M15, isn't that really MI 5, ( Military Intelligence, Section 5)? That was and still is, I think, Britain's "Domestic" Intelligence. M16 or MI 6, a la James Bond, which began as I recall around 1990 is Britain's Secret Intelligence Service for foreign matters. Is that right? Right, Britain has their M16, We have our CIA, Russia their KGB, and Israel has their Mossad. Less the KGB could not the others handle Ali Khamenei and we could forget these "sanctions?" There are stories, written in many books, about men like Chaplin. In the old days ( Chaplin's era) in many cases, the lack of knowledge of a mans past, place of birth, name, proper spelling and such was an intentional evasive move on their part as they did not want to be known as Jews or descendants from Jewish parents. Yes I know the Mossad, unlike our CIA, has maintained their "license to kill."
MI5 Birthers?
I have it on firm deep throat source that Charles Chaplin was a muslim, Kenyan, socialist, fascist, communist, anti-US Globalist who does not qualify for POTUS. Oops, sorry, wrong article, never mind.
Hell, no. That is an all purpose right wing response, good for every article. Even food stuff.
Youb are a sick puppy! You need to quit smoking hash and try to think beyond political relms if you expect to survive,ahole!
Um, mas098, I think that was meant as a joke.
mas098.......he/she surely is a sick puppy......but damn.....that WAS funny!! I wish I woulda thought it up.
Your so thilly aspore. almost had me goin' there.. You don't happen to have a peanut butter samwich do ya'..?
Well, we need to get to the bottom of this! :-)
Who gives a rat`s A$$ where Charlie was born?
He`s still dead, isn`t he?
Chaplin had enormous talent.
Hoover had little if any talent at all.
I understand he could hum a Beethoven sympathy without taking a breath!
mas...your talking about Hoover....right? Would that be when he was in a ladies dress, or with it off?
Well, we've certainly come a long way.
Yea right.Which is in your book,Obama or Bush!Never have seem two men denigrated more than those two!
We threw out Chaplin.
We threw out Ingrid Bergman.
We kept Hoover and McCarthy.
That should give some insight.
Why is there always a political slant to everything in this country,right or left! It's either Bush or Obama!Never just a story!I'm tiring of all this bull sh*t! even tiring of not being able to write bull syhit!
The U.S. thought police: protecting America from thoughts since 1875.
Kacee
Good one!
They were working on Lucy also.
We should throw out Obama.
I believe it was meant as a joke...still, I understand your weariness. The political pervasiveness of some people does get tiresome, doesn't it?
He was probably born in Gary, Indiana.
Chaplin was, without a doubt, one of the supreme movie stars, entertainers, and personalities in American history. His exile from America will stand as one of our great and enduring shames. Anyone who has seen Modern Times, The Kid, or particularly City Lights will understand Chaplin's genius and grieve for his unconscionable treatment by the US government in the 1950s. Everyone should watch a Chaplin movie and remember him as one of America's...and England's...most talented and underappreciated artistic trailblazers.
Here's to Charlie! *clink*
Sailcat who cares where he was born or what ethnic origin he was.HE WAS A GENIUS! You are exactly right, this guy was one of the supreme movie stars,entertainers,and personalities in American History!
I toast with you! Here's to Charlie!*clink*
Well said, Gloria! *clink*
I'm with you, Gloria.
Who cares where he was born?
"clink" Gloria and sail cat!
He was a great entertainer. Unfortunately I did not know much about him other than a couple of his movies. Clink!
Many 19th Century births went unrecorded in official records. My father was born in 1913 and his birth was unrecorded in this country.
J Edgar Hoover was, at the very least, paranoid, and we all know McCarthy who saw Reds hiding behind every tree and under every placemat on everyone's dinner table.
Charlie Chaplin was a film genius. He had an effect on films that's still felt today. Charlie, you were wonderful! I raise my glass to you in thanks for all you brought us! Gloria, Tina, Sailcat, salute! 'clink'
What fun. Nearly 35 years after his death, and folks are trying to figure out the heritage of an old film icon. What does it matter now? Is someone going to benefit from this effort? Wow.
On the other side of the coin, bless Charlie Chaplin for leaving behind a mystery.
He was Whitney's grandfather!
eli or jc...
I imagine Charlie laughing like crazy at some of this stuff!! I liked yours Bob!
So what.
Grow a brain!Trogladite
John is merely displaying his ignorance. Ignore him.
That time of the month, mas098?
They just suspended John and Ken on KFI Radio for making comments about the drug ho who killed herself!Are we expected to glorify someone out of control,not an example to our children or HERS just because she sang the F'en Star Spangled Banner with soul!We are twisted up in this country!No values and we worship the wrong people!Good bye internet.I lived 69 years without you and I will live until I die without you!Caan't say it has been fun!
You mean like Elvis?
No fool like an old fool. I have no idea who John and Ken are, but you obviously take your instructions from them. mas, you must be without sin, feel free to throw stones.
lot's of singer's die'n on drug's for long time...well at least they made a heavenly sound...the griper's need to gripe...
J. Edgar was a disgrace to the U.S. and his name should be removed from F.B.I. headquarters.
You are a disgrace to mankind.You should remove yourself not only from this site but the planet,peacefully!
I'm done!Dont bother replying because you will be the only person reading it!
And here I tough that by age two we outgrew the notion that if we closed our eyes others couldn't see us. I stand corrected. Since mas098 logged off, I guess no one can see this. Can I curse now?
TODAY: Agree completely. The notion of that gangster's name still on the FBI building is an insult to law enforcement, not to mention our entire country.
Hoover was a piece of work, alright.
J.E.H. was a crosss dresser and a loneytoon.
Charlie arrived as an infant in a pod that was identical in construction and origin to Clark Kent's.
J.E.H. was a crosss dresser and a loneytoon.
As Hussein Obama told the American public. Who needs a stinking birth certificate?
Oh, yet another Birther nutcase. Keep it up, you're succeeding brilliantly at making a fool out of yourself.
It's BARACK Obama, Ray.
Such drivel.
What a marune you are, Ray. President Obama's birth certificate has been produced and verified as genuine. The delivering physician's wife wept for the joy that her late husband had the honour to have delivered a future President.
What colour is the sky on your planet, Ray? You surely don't live on this one.
J. Edgar was a dirtbag, Chaplin was a capitalist, made a fortune and helped build Hollywood. The right wing has disgraced this country on numerous occasions and is attempting to do it again.
Birth records in the 19th Century were often spotty, so I'm not surprised Chaplin didn't have a birth certificate or baptismal record. It's said that when a colleague of J. Edgar Hoover "accused" Chaplin of being Jewish, he is reported to have said, "I fear I cannot claim that honor." When he emigrated to the US in 1910, the immigration laws were not as severe as they would be after 1924, so he probably never needed to produce anything but a British passport. At this point, it's only of minor interest, considering he has been dead for 35 years.
Why did the FBI never keep files on suspected Nazi sympathizers? Or did they and just called them FBI personnel employment records?
Hmm. Hungarian. Sadly, he didn't profess to be related to the great Houdini (now that would be an interesting pair off!) As for communist sympathies...blacklisting individuals thought to be communist did nothing but destroy lives. Attempting to kill said actual communists with cigars went laughably off. Does this remind anyone else of the War on Terror? We've just switched the color we're scared of from red to green.
Very creepy revelations about the seamy side of US and UK governments. Proof neither can be nor should be trusted with anything of value, including your personal information, welfare, liberty or freedom. Definitely not your money.
You have nothing to fear except the fed.gov. Defunding the fed.gov is just desserts.