Charlie Chaplin’s Granddaughter Looks Just Like The Comic Great

Charlie Chaplin is, of course, one of the most famous names in cinema history. The actor is an icon in every sense of the word and one of the stars people most strongly associate with the silent era. And his legacy continues this day. Indeed, fans of a hugely popular fantasy TV show may be unaware that they were actually watching Charlie’s granddaughter play a starring role.

In 2011 Charlie’s granddaughter Oona was profiled by The Independent. The reporter tried to ascertain if he could pick up on any tell-tale resemblance to her grandfather. The British newspaper described her as ”strikingly beautiful” and added, “She is dark like him, but I suspect that owes more to her Chilean ancestry.”

“[Oona] has a dancer’s way of sitting – perched like a resting ballerina – and reckons she got her hoofing feet from her grandfather,” The Independent writer went on. The actress added, “[Charlie] was an incredible dancer and I can move.” And when Oona was asked if there were any other similarities, she joked, “Only in the mustache, which I occasionally have to sort out.”

The Independent article continued, “[Oona] is splendidly, almost ludicrously international. [She has] a background that incorporates a childhood travelling in the caravan of the international movie industry. [She also has] roots – or tendrils at least – in Spain, Switzerland, Cuba, Scotland, Chile and England.” On one side is Charlie and on the other is the New York playwright Eugene O’Neill, who was reportedly described as “the American Chekhov.”

But who exactly was Oona’s grandfather? Well, Charlie Chaplin was born in the U.K. capital of London in April 1889. His father Charles senior was a heavy drinker who walked out on the family shortly after Charlie was born. The future actor and his older half-brother Sydney were then raised by their mom Hannah – a music hall and vaudeville star whose stage name was Lily Harley.