Chaplin’s real name and birthplace still a mystery, despite probe

The real name and birthplace of Charlie Chaplin is shrouded in mystery, Britain’s domestic spy agency concluded after a probe into US claims he was a communist sympathiser, newly released documents reveal.

British MI5 agents were asked in 1952 to investigate Chaplin’s background by the FBI, which believed he was using an alias and that his real name was Israel Thornstein, over long-running US suspicions about the actor’s left-wing leanings.

Chaplin, one of Hollywood’s first and greatest stars famed for his ‘Little Tramp’ character, believed he was born on Apr 16, 1889, in south London.