Charlie Chaplin and actress Paulette Goddard were associated romantically and professionally during the 1930s and early 1940s. Their relationship became particularly well known through Goddard's leading role in Chaplin's 1936 film Modern Times.
Paulette Goddard was born Marion Levy on June 3, 1910, in Whitestone Landing, New York. She began her entertainment career as a dancer and model before establishing herself as a film actress. She adopted the professional name Paulette Goddard and later became a prominent Hollywood performer.
Goddard met Chaplin during the early 1930s. Their relationship developed while Chaplin was working on new film projects following the release of City Lights in 1931. By the middle of the decade, Goddard was closely associated with Chaplin both personally and professionally.
Goddard appeared as the female lead in Modern Times, released in 1936. She played the Gamin, a young woman who becomes involved with Chaplin's character, the Little Tramp. The film was Chaplin's final appearance as the Little Tramp in a feature-length production.
Goddard was 25 years old when Modern Times was released, while Chaplin was 46. Their age difference was approximately 21 years. Goddard was therefore an adult during their relationship and was substantially older than Chaplin's second wife, Lita Grey, had been when she married him.
Chaplin and Goddard's marital status has been disputed by biographers and historians. Chaplin later stated that they were married in secret in Canton, China, in 1936. Goddard also described herself as having been married to Chaplin, although accounts differ concerning the date and circumstances of the ceremony.
The couple did not publicly emphasize their marital status during their relationship. This contributed to uncertainty in later biographical accounts concerning whether the marriage was legally documented and exactly when it occurred.
Goddard continued her acting career during her relationship with Chaplin. After Modern Times, she appeared in films including The Great Dictator, released in 1940, and So Proudly We Hail!, released in 1943. Her career was therefore not limited to her work with Chaplin.
Chaplin and Goddard eventually separated. They had no children together. Their relationship ended during the early 1940s, after which Goddard continued her career and later married actor Burgess Meredith.
Goddard subsequently married German writer Erich Maria Remarque in 1958. The couple lived primarily in Switzerland, where Goddard remained for much of the later part of her life.
Goddard died in Switzerland on April 23, 1990, at the age of 79. Chaplin had died in Switzerland on December 25, 1977, at the age of 88.
The Chaplin-Goddard relationship is distinct from Chaplin's marriages to Mildred Harris and Lita Grey because Goddard was an adult when their relationship developed. It is also distinct from the Joan Barry controversy, which involved a legal dispute over paternity and a federal criminal prosecution but no marriage between Barry and Chaplin.
The available historical record includes Chaplin's autobiography, Goddard's statements, contemporary newspaper reports, film records, and later biographies. Because Chaplin and Goddard provided differing accounts concerning their marital status, the precise legal circumstances of their alleged marriage remain uncertain.
Paulette Goddard was of Jewish ancestry through her father, Joseph Russell Levy. She was born Marion Levy and later adopted the professional name Paulette Goddard. Her mother, Alta Mae Goddard, was of English and Protestant background. Goddard's family background has been described in biographical sources as including Jewish ancestry, although her personal religious beliefs and practices were not necessarily the same as her family's ancestry.
