Legendary actor from the silent-movies era Charile Chaplin has always been a mysterious bloke for many years specially in Europe and America. The British MI5 agents were asked in 1952 to conduct a probe into the history of Charlie Chaplin and find out his real name and birthplace. The American spy agencies had believed that his real name was Israel Thornstein who had sympathy for left wing ideology.
The British spy agency was assigned the task to verify these American claims. But surprisingly even after years of hard work MI5 found no record of his birth anywhere. A news report filed by Reuters has quoted Professor Christopher Andrew, the official historian of MI5, “It’s very unusual, particularly after investigation by MI5, for the date and place of birth for such a well-known celebrity as Charlie Chaplin to remain so mysterious.”
The documents revealed by the British agency shows no one called Charles or Israel was born on April 16, and further inquiries into suggestions Chaplin had been born in France near Fontainebleau also proved fruitless.
In its letter to the American Embassy MI5 said, “We can find no evidence that Chaplin’s name is or ever has been Israel Thornstein, nor can we find any evidence of the existence of such a person. We have, however, been unable to discover any other name by which he has been known.”
Latest theory about Charlie Chaplin’s birth which emerged after this probe suggested that Chaplin was born in a caravan belonging to a woman known as “the Gypsy Queen” in central England and his mother was a member of what is now referred to as “the travelling community.”
