Kiera Chaplin

7th Annual Hollywood Film Festival Premiere for 11:14 Movie

Chaplin in 2007, photo by Prphotos

Birth Name: Kiera Victoria Chaplin

Place of Birth: Belfast, Northern Ireland

Date of Birth: July 1, 1982

Ethnicity: English, Irish, Northern Irish, 1/32 Scottish

Kiera Chaplin is a British and Swiss actress and model.

Kiera was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and grew up in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland. She is the daughter of Bernadette (McCready) and actor Eugene Chaplin (born in Eugene Anthony Chaplin). Her father has English, Irish, and 1/16th Scottish, ancestry. Her mother is presumably Northern Irish.

Among her first cousins are actresses Dolores Chaplin, Carmen Chaplin, and Oona Chaplin, circus performer and actor James Thiérrée, and actor and rapper Orson Chaplin. She is the niece of actors Geraldine Chaplin and Sydney Chaplin.

Kiera’s paternal grandfather was actor Charlie Chaplin (born Charles Spencer Chaplin, the son of Charles Chaplin and Hannah Harriet Pedlingham Hill, who were entertainers). Charlie was born in England. His documented ancestry was English and some Irish. Kiera’s great-grandfather Charles was the son of Spencer Chaplin and Ellen Elizabeth Smith. Hannah was the daughter of Charles Frederick Hill and Mary Ann Terry.

Kiera’s paternal grandmother was Oona O’Neill, an actress (the daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill [Eugene Gladstone O’Neill] and writer Agnes Boulton). Oona was born in Warwick Parish, Bermuda. Eugene was born in New York City, New York, the son of actor James O’Neill, who was born in Kilkenny, Ireland, and of Ella O’Neill (born Mary Ellen Quinlan), who was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Irish parents, Thomas Joseph Quinlan and Bridget Lundigan. Kiera’s great-grandmother Agnes was born in Chelsea, London, England, the daughter of Edward William Boulton, an artist, who was American, of English and Scottish descent, and of Cecil/Cecille Maud/Maude Williams.

Charlie Chaplin is often stated to have had some degree of Romani (Gypsy) ancestry. It does not appear that this ancestral claim has ever been verified/documented. Charlie was sometimes believed to have been Jewish (especially during his lifetime), but his parents were not of Jewish heritage.

Sources: Genealogies of Kiera Chaplin (focusing on her father’s side) – https://www.geni.com
http://www.wikitree.com

Genealogies of Kiera’s paternal grandparents, Charlie Chaplin (Charles Spencer Chaplin) and Oona O’Neill – https://www.findagrave.com

Genealogy of Kiera’s paternal grandfather, Charlie Chaplin (Charles Spencer Chaplin) – http://www.wargs.com

Draft card of Kiera’s paternal grandfather, Charlie Chaplin (Charles Spencer Chaplin) – https://www.archives.gov

2 Responses

  1. madman says:

    1/32 Scottish

  2. madman says:

    Why was “paternal” changed to “maternal”?

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