Birth Name: James Spencer Henry Edmond Marcel Thierrée
Place of Birth: Lausanne, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland
Date of Birth: May 2, 1974
Ethnicity:
*French (father)
*English, Irish (mother)
James Thiérrée is a Swiss circus performer, actor, violinist, and director. He is the son of Jean-Baptiste Thiérrée, an actor and writer, and Victoria Chaplin, a circus performer. His father is French. His mother is British, of English and Irish ancestry. His sister is actress Aurélia Thiérrée. Among his first cousins are actresses Carmen Chaplin, Kiera Chaplin, and Oona Chaplin.
James’ maternal grandfather was actor Charlie Chaplin (born Charles Spencer Chaplin, the son of Charles Chaplin and Hannah Harriet Pedlingham Hill, both of whom were entertainers). Charlie was born in England. His documented ancestry was English and some Irish. Kiera’s great-grandfather Charles was the son of Spencer Chaplin and Ellen Elizabeth Smith. Hannah was the daughter of Charles Frederick Hill and Mary Ann Terry.
James’ maternal grandmother was Oona O’Neill, an actress (the daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill [Eugene Gladstone O’Neill] and writer Agnes Boulton). Oona was born in Warwick Parish, Bermuda. Eugene was born in New York City, New York, the son of actor James O’Neill, who was born in Kilkenny, Ireland, and of Ella O’Neill (born Mary Ellen Quinlan), who was born in New Haven, Connecticut, to Irish parents, Thomas Joseph Quinlan and Bridget Lundigan. Agnes was English, born in London, the daughter of Edward William Boulton, an artist, and of Cecil Maud/Maude Williams.
Charlie Chaplin is often stated to have had some degree of Romani (Gypsy) ancestry. It does not appear that this ancestral claim has ever been documented/verified. Charlie was sometimes believed to have been Jewish (especially during his lifetime), but his parents were not of Jewish heritage.
Sources: Genealogies of James Thiérrée (focusing on his mother’s side) – https://www.geni.com
http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com
Genealogy of James’ maternal grandfather, Charlie Chaplin (Charles Spencer Chaplin) – http://www.wargs.com
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