Actress Geraldine Chaplin is the daughter of the great comedian Charlie Chaplin. Geraldine’s career in films has been going on for more than half a century - she has played roles in both European and Hollywood films. And at the same time three times she became a nominee for the Golden Globe - for her roles in the films Doctor Zhivago (1965), Nashville (1975) and Chaplin (1992).
Childhood and youth
Geraldine Chaplin appeared on July 31, 1944 in the USA, in the California town of Santa Monica. She was Charlie Chaplin's first child from his fourth legal wife, Una O'Neill. They got married the year before, in June 1943. Moreover, at the time of the wedding, Charles Chaplin was already 54, and Una was only 18. It is also worth noting that Geraldine’s maternal grandfather was the famous American playwright, Nobel laureate in literature Eugene O'Neill.
In 1952, the actress first appeared in a movie - in the film of her wonderful father, "Ramp Lights." In the autumn of the same 1952, Charlie Chaplin with his whole family (including, of course, with Geraldine) went on vacation by ship to the UK. Two days after the family sailed from American shores, the US Attorney General signed his order prohibiting Chaplin from entering the country. This was due to politics - supporters of the so-called "McCarthyism" accused the comedian of "anti-American activity", as well as sympathy for communist ideas
As a result, Chaplin moved his family to Switzerland. And it was in this country that Geraldine received school education.
At 17, the young girl decided to connect her life with dancing, and for the next two years she studied ballet (including at the Royal Ballet School in London). After that, Chaplin tried to act as a professional ballerina. However, pretty quickly she realized that she needed to start practicing ballet from an earlier age - only in this case could she count on really great successes.
The life and career of the actress in the 1960s and 1970s
When her dream of becoming a first-class ballerina collapsed, Geraldine Chaplin decided to try herself as an actress. In 1965, she appeared in the European crime film "A Beautiful Summer Morning." This was Geraldine's first serious film work, and her partner in the frame here was Jean-Paul Belmondo.
A little later, in the same 1965, she starred in David Lean's famous film "Doctor Zhivago." She played in this film Tonya Gromeko, the wife of Dr. Zhivago. For this role, she was nominated for the Golden Globe film award in the category “Actress's Most Promising Debut” (now this category does not exist, in the eighties it was abolished).
In 1967, Geraldine starred in her father’s last full-length film, The Countess of Hong Kong.
Literally in the same 1967, her connection with the Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura began, which lasted about twelve years - until 1979. In 1974, their son Shane was born. And even during this period, Geraldine starred in several really good Hispanic films, directed by Saura. Among them are "Chilled Peppermint Cocktail", "Feed the Crow", "Ana and the Wolves", "Mom turns 100 years old."
Also in the seventies, Geraldine proved herself in French cinema. For example, in 1971, she starred with comedian Louis de Funes in the comedy "Piling On a Tree".
In addition, in 1975, Geraldine participated in the filming of the Hollywood film by Robert Altman "Nashville". Here she appeared in the image of a colorful journalist named Opal. For this role, she received another nomination for the Golden Globe (this time in the category "Best Supporting Actress").
