Geraldine Chaplin

Bearing more than a passing physical resemblance to her famous father Sir Charles Chaplin, graceful, versatile Geraldine Chaplin is an internationally respected leading and character actress. The eldest daughter from Charles Chaplin's marriage to Oona O'Neill, the daughter of famed playwright Eugene O'Neill, she spent her first eight years in Hollywood, but then moved with her family to Switzerland when her father was persecuted by the U.S. government for his political beliefs. In her new home, Ms. Chaplin attended private schools and was trained in classical ballet at the Royal Ballet School in London with the English Royal Ballet. She made her film debut in the elder Chaplin's Limelight (1952) as a dancer. She also played a small role in her father's last film, Countess From Hong Kong (1964). She had her first major adult role in 1965 playing Omar Shariff's wife, Tonya, in Doctor Zhivago. Much of the film was shot in Spain and it was there that Chaplin began a long romance with director Carlos Saura, who featured her in several films. She has subsequently worked with some of Europe's finest directors. She has also worked with American directors, most notably Robert Altman, who first utilized her in Nashville (1975) as the chatty, shallow BBC reporter Opal. In addition to her busy film career, Chaplin also appeared on-stage and in television miniseries such as Gulliver's Travels (1996) and The Odyssey (1997). Though she has often played leads, the diminutive, willowy, and offbeat beauty with the haunting blue eyes claims she is more comfortable in character roles. - Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide