OONA O'NEILL AND CHARLIE CHAPLIN

Oona O'Neill (1925-1991) had a life of legendary proportions. She was the daughter of Nobel Prize - winning American playwright Eugene O'Neill and English-born writer Agnes Boulton. She was embedded into East Coast elite society and partied with the Vanderbilts. She had a love affair with J.D. Salinger, then an unknown writer. In Hollywood, O'Neill was introduced to Charlie Chaplin who considered her for a film role. The film was never made, but O'Neill and Chaplin began a romantic relationship and married in June, 1943 - a month after she turned 18. The 36-year age gap between them caused a scandal and severed O'Neill's relationship with her father, who was only six months older than Chaplin. She was Chaplin's fourth wife. Following the marriage, O'Neill gave up her career plans. She and Chaplin were inseparable and remained married until his death (1977). They had eight children together. The oldest of those children, Geraldine Chaplin, an American actress, named her own daughter after Oona in 1986.