My Take
Mildred Harris is one of those early Hollywood figures who gets footnoted as "Chaplin's first wife" and then promptly overlooked, which honestly does her a disservice. She was already a working actress at age ten, grinding through the vaudeville circuit and silent film sets long before Chaplin came into the picture. She married him at seventeen, and their brief, unhappy union ended in divorce — but she kept working through the 1920s and into the sound era, which was more than most silent-film contemporaries could manage. She died at just forty-two, which cuts the story painfully short. Her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is a quiet acknowledgment that she was a real presence in early cinema, not just a famous man's ex-wife.
Overview
Mildred Harris (November 29, 1901 – July 20, 1944) was an American stage, film, and vaudeville actress during the early part of the 20th century. She began her career in the film industry as a child actress at age 10. She was also the first wife of Charlie Chaplin.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Mildred Harris
- Name (Japanese)
- ミルドレッド・ハリス
- Reading
- みるどれっど・はりす
- Born
- November 29, 1901 – July 20, 1944
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Ox
- Origin
- Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- film actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.