Wheeler Dryden
Encyclopedia
George Dryden WHEELER was an English
actor and film director, the son of Hannah Chaplin
and music hall entertainer Leo Dryden
and thus the half brother of Charles and Sydney Chaplin
. He was also the father of rock musician Spencer Dryden
.
and the Far East as a vaudeville comedian in 1915 when he first learned from his father that the newly famous Charlie Chaplin
was his half brother.
At this point, he wrote several letters to Chaplin and his half-brother Sydney but got ignored by both of them. In 1917, he got in touch with Chaplin's lead actress Edna Purviance
who likely convinced Chaplin to recognize him as his relative. He then joined the Chaplin brothers and their mother in America in 1918, and became a U.S. citizen in 1936.
He later appeared in Stan Laurel
's Mud and Sand
and was the "other man" in the melodrama False Women. In 1928, he directed Syd Chaplin
in A Little Bit of Fluff
, and later, worked at the Chaplin Studios as Charlie's assistant director on The Great Dictator
and Monsieur Verdoux
. He also appears in the supporting roles of a doctor and a clown in Chaplin's last American film, Limelight.
After Chaplin left America for Switzerland in 1952, Dryden managed the winding down of Chaplin's Hollywood business affairs until 1954, when the studio was sold. He suffered from mental illness and reclusiveness in his final years, exacerbated by aggressive FBI inquiries (hounded) into his brother's politics.
. Dryden took his son to Los Angeles jazz clubs in the 1950s, which inspired his musical ambitions as a jazz and rock drummer.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
actor and film director, the son of Hannah Chaplin
Hannah Chaplin
Hannah Chaplin was the founding matriarch of the Chaplin family of actors as the mother of Sir Charlie Chaplin....
and music hall entertainer Leo Dryden
Leo Dryden
George Dryden Wheeler , was an English music hall 'vocal comic'. In 1892, he met Hannah Chaplin , mother of Charlie, and also a music hall performer. They had an affair, and a son, George Dryden Wheeler , leading to the breakdown of her marriage to Charles Chaplin, Sr...
and thus the half brother of Charles and Sydney Chaplin
Sydney Chaplin
Sydney Chaplin was an English actor. He was the elder half-brother of Sir Charlie Chaplin and served as his business manager, and the half-uncle of the actor Sydney Chaplin , who was named after him.-Early life:...
. He was also the father of rock musician Spencer Dryden
Spencer Dryden
Spencer Dryden was an American musician best known as the longest-serving drummer for Jefferson Airplane. He also played with New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Dinosaurs, and The Peanut Butter Conspiracy.-Early life:...
.
Biography
Dryden was the youngest of Hannah Chaplin's children, and his father Leo removed him from his mentally troubled mother as an infant. He was touring IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and the Far East as a vaudeville comedian in 1915 when he first learned from his father that the newly famous Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
was his half brother.
At this point, he wrote several letters to Chaplin and his half-brother Sydney but got ignored by both of them. In 1917, he got in touch with Chaplin's lead actress Edna Purviance
Edna Purviance
Edna Purviance was an American actress during the silent movie era. She was the leading lady in many Charlie Chaplin movies. In a span of eight years, she appeared in over thirty films with Chaplin.-Early life:...
who likely convinced Chaplin to recognize him as his relative. He then joined the Chaplin brothers and their mother in America in 1918, and became a U.S. citizen in 1936.
He later appeared in Stan Laurel
Stan Laurel
Arthur Stanley "Stan" Jefferson , better known as Stan Laurel, was an English comic actor, writer and film director, famous as the first half of the comedy team Laurel and Hardy. His film acting career stretched between 1917 and 1951 and included a starring role in the Academy Award winning film...
's Mud and Sand
Mud and Sand
Mud and Sand is a silent film starring Stan Laurel, that was filmed in 1922. Laurel plays a matador who makes a fool of a famous Spanish dancer. The dancer demands revenge and, in the end, kills the matador by throwing a concealed brick at him after a fight with the fiercest bull in Spain...
and was the "other man" in the melodrama False Women. In 1928, he directed Syd Chaplin
Sydney Chaplin
Sydney Chaplin was an English actor. He was the elder half-brother of Sir Charlie Chaplin and served as his business manager, and the half-uncle of the actor Sydney Chaplin , who was named after him.-Early life:...
in A Little Bit of Fluff
A Little Bit of Fluff
A Little Bit of Fluff or Skirts is a comedy genre silent film made in England, starring Syd Chaplin and Betty Balfour, and directed by Wheeler Dryden and Jess Robbins.-Production background:...
, and later, worked at the Chaplin Studios as Charlie's assistant director on The Great Dictator
The Great Dictator
The Great Dictator is a comedy film by Charlie Chaplin released in October 1940. Like most Chaplin films, he wrote, produced, and directed, in addition to starring as the lead. Having been the only Hollywood film maker to continue to make silent films well into the period of sound films, this was...
and Monsieur Verdoux
Monsieur Verdoux
Monsieur Verdoux is a 1947 black comedy film directed by and starring Charles Chaplin. The supporting cast includes Martha Raye, William Frawley, and Marilyn Nash.-Plot:...
. He also appears in the supporting roles of a doctor and a clown in Chaplin's last American film, Limelight.
After Chaplin left America for Switzerland in 1952, Dryden managed the winding down of Chaplin's Hollywood business affairs until 1954, when the studio was sold. He suffered from mental illness and reclusiveness in his final years, exacerbated by aggressive FBI inquiries (hounded) into his brother's politics.
Family
Dryden was married from 1938–1943 to Radio City Music Hall prima ballerina Alice Chapple (1911–2005), and they had a one child Spencer DrydenSpencer Dryden
Spencer Dryden was an American musician best known as the longest-serving drummer for Jefferson Airplane. He also played with New Riders of the Purple Sage, The Dinosaurs, and The Peanut Butter Conspiracy.-Early life:...
. Dryden took his son to Los Angeles jazz clubs in the 1950s, which inspired his musical ambitions as a jazz and rock drummer.
External links
- Wheeler Dryden at the Internet Broadway DatabaseInternet Broadway DatabaseThe Internet Broadway Database is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade association for the North American commercial theatre community....