Virginia Cherrill

Virginia Cherrill (April 12, 1908 – November 14, 1996), styled as Virginia Child Villiers, Countess of Jersey between 1937 and 1946, was an American actress best known to modern audiences for her role as the blind flower girl in Charlie Chaplin's City Lights.

Early life Virginia Cherrill was born on a farm in rural Carthage, Illinois, to James E. and Blanche (née Wilcox) Cherrill. She attended schools in Chicago and Kenosha, Wisconsin. however, Chaplin wrote in his autobiography that she approached him on the beach wanting him to cast her in his film while acknowledging that he had met her before.

Career

Chaplin soon cast Cherrill in City Lights. Although the film and her performance were well-received, her working relationship with Chaplin on the film was often strained. As indicated in the documentary Unknown Chaplin, Cherrill was briefly fired from the film: by her account, for returning late from lunch; by Alastair Cooke's account (quoting Chaplin) for asking, on the day of the emotional climactic shoot, to leave early for a hairdressing appointment. Chaplin planned to re-film all her scenes with Georgia Hale, but ultimately realized too much money had already been spent on the film.

Personal life Cherrill married four times. She had no children.

Her first husband, Irving Adler, was a rich Chicago lawyer (not the famed scientist Irving Adler).

Considerable publicity attended an engagement to the wealthy William Rhinelander Stewart Jr. (1888–1945) that was announced in July 1932. The two sailed from Hawaii on Vincent Astor's yacht, on which the ceremony was planned, but returned thereafter, having broken off the wedding by mutual consent.

Cherrill married actor Cary Grant on February 9, 1934, in London. She received a divorce on March 26, 1935, in Los Angeles after alleging that Grant was abusive toward her.

She married George Child-Villiers, 9th Earl of Jersey in 1937, becoming the Countess of Jersey until their divorce in 1946. Cherrill died at a hospital at 88.

Recognition Cherrill has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1545 Vine Street.

Filmography