Mildred Harris was a film and vaudeville actress. She was Charlie Chaplin’s first wife, and the two wed in 1918 when Harris was just 16 years old after thinking she was pregnant. It turned out to be a false alarm, and the couple stayed together for a couple of years before divorcing in 1920, as reported by Hollywood Forever. During their marriage, Harris went by the name Mildred Harris Chaplin, which boosted her career. At that time, Chaplin was already an established actor, and Harris became popular by association.
Harris and Chaplin were estranged months before their union officially came to an end. Per What a Culture, Chaplin felt there was no intellectual connection between him and his bride, who was 12 years younger than her. Admittedly, the actor said he wasn’t in love with the young woman when he married her, but he wanted the union to work (via World History Project). Harris, on the other hand, alleged that Chaplin was mentally cruel to her, and she stated that it was difficult to be “the wife of a genius,” per Chaplin: A Life. Their divorce was finalized in November 1920, and Harris received $200,000 (about $2.89 million in today’s money) in the settlement.
