It is customary to think that a charming irresistible teenage beauty Lolita and her middle aged admirer Humbert Humbert were both products of Nabokov’s outstanding gift and wild imagination. In spite of the fact that Nabokov’s genius is unquestionable, those characters were inspired by real life people and a true story of a love affair between thirty-five year old man and a teenage girl. The legendary movie star of all times Charlie Chaplin fell desperately in love with 15-year-old Lillita MacMurray (the name speaks for itself!) during the filming of The Gold Rush. Lillita MacMurray later became scandalously famous as Lita Grey Chaplin.
Charlie Chaplin’s Nymphets
Throughout his whole life Charlie Chaplin was drawn to young innocent teenage girls. According to Lita Grey’s own chilling description in her book My Life With Chaplin: Intimate Memoir the legendary movie star couldn’t stand the thought of another man even touching the object of his desire before him. Being the first young woman’s intimate partner was his fixed idea. The list of Charlie Chaplin’s wives is an incredibly vivid illustration of him having a lot in common with the infamous fictional character Humbert Humbert.
Chaplin’s first wife Mildred Harris was only sixteen when they wed. She was followed by Lillita MacMurray who was carrying his baby by the time she was 15. After a messy divorce battle with Lita Grey, Chaplin married Paulette Goddard – his “oldest” wife (he was approaching 40 while she was in her early twenties). Chaplin’s last wife was Oona O’Neil - at the time they eloped she was 18 while the legendary comic actor was 54.
Lita Grey’s Nerve Wrecking Love Story
Lita Grey was a child actress and appeared in small roles by the time she was twelve. She was introduced to Chaplin in 1920 while he was filming The Kid. Lita played a flirtatious angel. According to Lita Grey’s memoirs Chaplin was completely mesmerized by her and showed her very clear interest of a romantic nature. Needless to mention that a teenage girl could not stand a chance against an experienced 35 year old superstar adored by millions.
Lita Grey was chosen to play Chaplin’s leading lady in The Gold Rush several years later. By the time she was 15 Lita has lost her virginity to Charlie Chaplin. In her book Lita Grey describes her painful first sexual experience – although she was madly in love, a teenage girl was not emotionally or physically ready to have sex. She was also extremely naïve and relied on her much older lover to keep her from unwanted pregnancy. After she did get pregnant, Lita was replaced as a leading lady. Chaplin insisted on an abortion – he was afraid that another teenage wife would ruin his reputation. Lita refused and with the help of her family’s pressure (they threatened Chaplin with criminal charges for molesting a minor) he married her very reluctantly. Their scandalous divorce was a walk in the park in comparison to Lita’s married life full of infidelity, verbal abuse and sexual perversion.
The three-year-old troubled marriage ended in 1927. Lita Grey gave birth to two sons – Charles Chaplin, Jr. and Sydney Earle Chaplin.
Life After Chaplin
During the scandalous, painful, long and very public divorce process Lita started drinking. Although she managed to maintain her acting career, a young woman was hospitalized several times for alcoholism. Her union with Chaplin was followed by three more failed marriages.
In her thirties, however, Lita Grey managed to beat her drinking problem. A scared lovesick teenager turned into a talented successful woman with great sense of humor. Around that time Lita Grey wrote her first book about her life with Chaplin I Am The Wife Of The Life Of The Party. Lita Grey lived a long life at died at the age of 87 in her Beverly Hills home.
Bibliography:
Grey, Lita. My Life With Chaplin: An Intimate Memoir. New York: Alpina Non Fiction, 1966.
Nabokov, Vladimir. Lolita. New York: Olympia Press, 1955.
Anna Inger - My name is Anna Inger. I was born and raised in Moscow, Russia, spent most of my life in Israel and for the last few years I've been ...
