Hannah Chaplin

Hannah Harriet Pedlingham Chaplin (née Hill; 6 August 1865 – 28 August 1928 ), also known by the stage name Lily Harley, was an English actress, singer and dancer who performed in British music halls from the age of 16.

Chaplin was the mother of actor and filmmaker Charlie Chaplin and his two half-brothers, the actor Sydney Chaplin and the film director Wheeler Dryden, and grandmother of Jefferson Airplane drummer and songwriter Spencer Dryden. As a result of mental illness, now thought to have been caused by syphilis, she was unable to continue performing from the mid-1890s. In 1921, she was relocated by her son Charlie to California, where she was cared for in a house in the San Fernando Valley until her death in August 1928.

Early life Hannah Chaplin was born on 6 August 1865 at 11 Camden Street in the London district of Walworth. Her father, Charles Frederick Hill, the son of a bricklayer, was a shoemaker. Her mother, Mary Ann Hodges, the daughter of a mercantile clerk, had previously been married to a sign writer who had died in an accident.

Acting career At the age of 16, Chaplin left home to improve her fortunes by becoming an actress. Inspired by Lillie Langtry, one of the most successful female performers of the time, she adopted the stage name Lily Harley, performing as an actress and singer in the music halls. While taking part in an Irish sketch Shamus O'Brien in the early 1880s, she fell for her stage partner Charles Chaplin Sr, attracted by his charm and good looks. Reflecting on this period, Charlie Chaplin described his mother as "divine-looking". He was later told that she had been "dainty and attractive and had compelling charm". While there is little record of performances by Charles in the mid-1880s, Hannah Chaplin appeared in Bristol and Dublin in 1885, and in Belfast, Glasgow, Peckham, Aberdeen and Dundee in 1886. Press notices referred to her as "the refined and talented artist Lily Harley" who had been "a most brilliant hit at Gaity and Star, Glasgow, four and five turns every night and heaps of flowers".

In the early 1890s, it appears that Chaplin spent time with her sister Kate, also a music hall artist, known on stage as Kitty Fairdale. It appears the two sisters lived together around 1892. Chaplin wrote a number of successful songs for her, including "My Lady Friend" and, in particular, "The Lady Judge" which proved to be quite a success from 1893 to 1896. She continued to work as a seamstress and also benefited from some assistance from Charlie's father until he died of cirrhosis of the liver at age 38. Hannah Chaplin was readmitted to Cane Hill two years later on 9 May 1903, where she continued to experience serious signs of syphilis.

Final years When her son Charlie reached the age of 14, his career began to evolve. His half-brother Sydney assisted him in finding work through theatrical agencies. They were soon in a position to assist their mother again, bringing her back home. Her reprieve did not last, as she was soon sent back to hospital after being found wandering the streets. By the time he was 21, Charlie had earned enough from his performances to travel to the United States where, by 1921, he had become very wealthy by virtue of being one of the film industry's highest-grossing stars. His mother's health deteriorated further into a state of dementia. Desperate to see her, he brought her to Hollywood where he was now living with Sydney and his other half-brother, Wheeler Dryden.

There, her sons ensured Hannah Chaplin received round-the-clock care in the new home they had found for her in the San Fernando Valley, California. Seven years later she died in hospital in Glendale, California, on 28 August 1928, with Charlie at her side. She is buried in Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

In popular culture English model, actress and singer Twiggy portrayed Hannah in the U.K. TV series Young Charlie Chaplin (1989). Hannah Chaplin's granddaughter, actress Geraldine Chaplin, portrayed her in the biographical film Chaplin (1992), directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Robert Downey Jr. as Charlie Chaplin. Geraldine Chaplin was nominated for a Golden Globe award in the category of Best Supporting Actress for her performance.