Mabel Normand
Keystone Films
Mabel Normand (Born 1892; Died 1930)
An artist's model before going into movies with Vitagraph Studios, Mabel later met Mack Sennett, and they became lovers. When Sennett formed Keystone, Mabel became the leading actress. Chaplin famously quarrelled with her on the set of "Mabel at the Wheel", but they later became good friends. Mabel and Charlie appeared in 11 films together during Chaplin's Keystone era. Personal scandal rocked her later career, however, and she died of tuberculosis at the age of 38.
Edna Purviance
Essanay/Mutual/First National Films
A Woman of Paris
Edna Purviance (Born 1895; Died 1958)
Undoubtedly the best loved of all the Chaplin leading ladies, Edna Purviance starred in virtually all the Essanay, Mutual and First National films, as well as Chaplin's first United Artists film, "A Woman of Paris" (35 films in total).
Edna was working as a secretary when Chaplin met her in 1915. He had recently left Keystone and was putting together a stock company of actors to feature in his films for Essanay. Edna became the leading lady, after captivating Chaplin at a party.
Edna stayed with the company for the next 9 years, appearing in some of Chaplin's classic short films, including "The Tramp", "Easy Street", "The Immigrant" and "The Kid".
Her career nose-dived in 1924, soon after filming "A Woman of Paris", when a scandal ruined her reputation. Her confidence began to falter and she rarely acted again.
Interestingly, Edna remained on the payroll of Chaplin's studio throughout her life, and it has been claimed that she had walk-on parts on "Monsieur Verdoux" and "Limelight".
On her death from cancer in 1958, Chaplin was later to remark - "And so the world grows young. And youth takes over."
Georgia Hale
The Gold Rush
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Merna Kennedy
The Circus
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Virginia Cherrill
City Lights
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Paulette Goddard
Modern Times/The Great Dictator
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Marilyn Nash
Monsier Verdoux
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Claire Bloom
Limelight
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Dawn Addams
A King in New York
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Sophia Loren
A Countess from Hong Kong
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