Birth Place: Los Angeles, CA, USA
After serving in the United States Army during World War II in Europe, Chaplin returned to California, where he became involved in acting both on stage and in films. He gained early acting experience in The Circle Theater, now known as El Centro Theatre, including acting in three plays directed by his father.
He also appeared in several Broadway productions, including Bells Are Ringing opposite Judy Holliday in 1957, for which he won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical. In 1959, he costarred with Lauren Bacall in George Axelrod's comedy Goodbye Charlie and headlined Jule Styne's 1961 musical Subways Are for Sleeping. He played in Funny Girl opposite Barbra Streisand in 1964, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award. Chaplin also had supporting roles in two of his father's films, Limelight (1952) and A Countess from Hong Kong (1967).
Chaplin retired from acting in the 1970s. In the 1980s, he owned and managed a restaurant, Chaplin's, in Palm Springs, California.
Following his retirement from acting, Chaplin seldom made public appearances. Exceptions included his attendance at Cinecon in Los Angeles in 1998, and at the Cineteca di Bologna 2002 festival (Il Cinema Ritrovato), which mounted a fiftieth-anniversary screening of Limelight. He appeared also at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival in 2004, where he spoke after screenings of his father's film The Circus to promote film historian Jeffrey Vance's Chaplin books.
Sydney Chaplin, Funny Girl
Sydney Chaplin, Bells Are Ringing
Sydney Chaplin, Bells Are Ringing
Sydney Chaplin has appeared on Broadway in 5 shows.
Sydney Chaplin has not appeared in the West End.
Sydney Chaplin has been nominated for several awards including Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical at the Tony Awards for "Funny Girl," Best Performance (Theatre World Awards) for "Bells Are Ringing," and Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical at the Tony Awards for "Bells Are Ringing."
Sydney Chaplin has won the Performance award at the Theatre World Awards for "Bells Are Ringing" and the Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical at the Tony Awards for the same show.
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