It's no joke: Charlie Chaplin in birth mystery

In 1991, following the death of Oona O'Neill, fourth and last wife of legendary comedian Charlie Chaplin, their daughter Victoria Chaplin inherited a piece of furniture from her father's bedroom. Hidden inside was a stunning secret — a locked drawer containing a decades-old letter that would cast doubt on one of cinema's most enduring legends.

The letter, written by a man named Jack Hill, accused Chaplin of fabricating his origins. "You are a liar," it declared, claiming the global icon was not born in London as widely believed, but in a gypsy caravan in Smethwick, a town near Birmingham.

Though discovered over 30 years ago, the revelation has only recently come to light for movie fans through the new documentary Chaplin: Spirit of the Tramp, which was screened at the 2nd Macao International Comedy Festival and the 15th Beijing International Film Festival, both held last month.

Spanning 89 minutes, the documentary — a combination of interviews, clips from Charlie Chaplin's classic films, and archival materials — explores the comedic giant's family ties and his Romani heritage, which helped inspire his iconic character, the Tramp: a childlike and mischievous vagrant who symbolized resilience and charm during the silent film era.

Sharing more of the details, Dolores Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin, tells China Daily that the letter seemed quite mysterious, as her grandfather received millions of letters from fans all over the world, keeping them stacked in piles in special offices.

"But this one was locked in a drawer with nothing else," she continues. "The letter said, 'I'm not asking for money. I'm not trying to blackmail you. But if you want to know more about where you come from, please contact me.' I don't think my grandfather ever contacted him."

Her father, Michael Chaplin, was the first person to develop a passion for uncovering the story behind the letter and to propel the project forward.

"My father is a very secretive person who doesn't speak much about his own father. We have to ask him for stories, and then he'll share all these anecdotes and different memories from his childhood," explains Dolores, also a producer of the documentary.

As the second of eight children of Charlie Chaplin and O'Neill, Michael Chaplin grew up in Switzerland. In 1952, Charlie Chaplin had traveled to Europe to promote his film Limelight when he learned that he had been exiled from the United States as a victim of McCarthyism. On the advice of a relative, he decided to settle in Vevey, a small town situated on the eastern shore of Lake Geneva during his last 25 years.

For Dolores Chaplin, the documentary marking a journey of seeking roots is "healing" for her father and other family members.

"I found that my father had a lot in common with his own father — more than he realizes. They had a tumultuous relationship when he was a child and a teenager because his father was quite strict and very demanding," she shares.

Recalling that the movie began production before the COVID-19 outbreak, Dolores says they faced several difficulties — from raising money to taking care of Michael, who fell ill during the shoot — while continuing the "detective work" of tracing the mystery.

Aside from the filmmaking process, Dolores also recalls her grandfather's connection with China.

Charlie Chaplin visited Shanghai twice in 1936, meeting prominent figures of the time, including Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang, renowned painter Liu Haisu, and movie star Hu Die. In 1954, Premier Zhou Enlai met with him on the sidelines of the Geneva Conference.

"He was a big fan of China. He had a lot of beautiful artworks from China, and I could see that it was a culture he really liked," she comments.