Lita Grey

Lita Grey (born Lillita Louise MacMurray, April 15, 1908 – December 29, 1995), who was known for most of her life as Lita Grey Chaplin, was an American actress. She was the second wife of Charlie Chaplin, and appeared in his films The Kid, The Idle Class, and The Gold Rush. Background She was born in Hollywood, California, to Lillian Carrillo Curry Grey and Robert Earl McMurray, and christened Lillita Louise MacMurray. Her father was of Scottish descent, and her mother's family was descended from an illustrious ninth-generation Californian Hispanic family, whose luminaries included Antonio Maria Lugo. The Lugos were from Andalusia, Spain, and were one of the first families to bring horses to the country. In a 1993 interview, Grey claimed to be a great-grandniece of former California governor Henry Gage. Life and career Grey married four times. By her own account she first met Charlie Chaplin at the age of eight at a Hollywood café, and first worked with him at the age of 12 in the part of the "flirting angel" in The Kid. She also appeared briefly as a maid in The Idle Class. Her one-year contract was not renewed. At the age of 15, she met Chaplin again when she heard he was testing brunettes for his next film The Gold Rush. She was initially cast as the leading lady in the film, and began an affair with the then-35-year-old Chaplin.