Lita Grey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lita Grey
Grey in 1925
Born	Lillita Louise MacMurray (1908-04-15)April 15, 1908 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	December 29, 1995(1995-12-29) (aged 87) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupation	Actress
Spouse(s)	Charlie Chaplin ​ ​ (m. 1924; div. 1927)​ Henry Aguirre ​ ​ (m. 1936; div. 1938)​ Arthur Day ​ ​ (m. 1938; div. 1948)​ Patsy Pizzolongo ​ ​ (m. 1956; div. 1966)​
Children	3, including Charles Chaplin Jr. and Sydney Chaplin

Lita Grey (born Lillita Louise MacMurray, April 15, 1908 – December 29, 1995) was an American actress. She was also known as Lita Grey Chaplin for much of her life. Lita Grey was the second wife of the famous actor and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin. She appeared in some of his well-known films, including The Kid, The Idle Class, and The Gold Rush.

Early Life and Family Background

Lita Grey was born in Hollywood, California, on April 15, 1908. Her birth name was Lillita Louise MacMurray. Her mother was Lillian Carrillo Curry Grey, and her father was Robert Earl McMurray.

Lita's father had Scottish roots. Her mother's family was from a very old and respected Hispanic family in California. This family, the Lugos, came from Andalusia, Spain. They were among the first families to bring horses to California. Lita Grey once said in an interview that she was a great-grandniece of a former California governor, Henry Gage.

Acting Career and Marriage

Lita Grey met Charlie Chaplin when she was very young. She first worked with him at age 12 in his film The Kid. In this movie, she played a small part as a "flirting angel." She also had a brief role as a maid in another film called The Idle Class. After these small roles, her acting contract was not renewed.

When she was 15, Lita met Chaplin again. She heard he was looking for actresses for his new film, The Gold Rush. She was chosen to be the main actress in the movie. Lita Grey and Charlie Chaplin married in secret in Empalme, Sonora, Mexico, in 1924.

They had two sons together. Their first son, Charles Chaplin Jr., was born in May 1925. Their second son, Sydney Chaplin, was born in March 1926.

Grey in The Kid (1921)

Their marriage faced challenges. Charlie Chaplin spent a lot of time working on his films, The Gold Rush and later The Circus. Lita and Charlie Chaplin divorced on August 22, 1927. The divorce settlement was very large for its time. Charlie Chaplin was ordered to pay over US$600,000 to Lita. He also had to set aside US$100,000 in trust for each of their children.

Lita Grey married three more times after her divorce from Charlie Chaplin. She married Henry Aguirre and then Arthur Day. In 1940, Lita and Arthur adopted a baby boy named Robert. After they separated in 1946, Robert lived with his paternal grandmother. Lita had little contact with him after that. Her fourth husband was Patsy Pizzolongo, whom she married in 1956. They divorced in 1966.

In the 1970s and 1980s, Lita Grey worked as a clerk at a department store called Robinson's in Beverly Hills. She also wrote two books about her life with Charlie Chaplin. The first was titled My Life with Chaplin (1966). Her second book, Wife of the Life of the Party, was published in 1998. Lita Grey was briefly shown in the 1992 film Chaplin, where she was played by Deborah Moore.

Later Life and Death

Lita Grey passed away from cancer on December 29, 1995, in Los Angeles. She was 87 years old. She was buried at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood, California.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Lita Grey para niños