Sydney Chaplin's acting career is perhaps more comparable to that of his namesake uncle than to his internationally loved father Sir Charles Chaplin. The second son from his father's ill-fated marriage to young actress Lita Grey, Sydney and his elder brother Charles Jr. were raised by Grey following her divorce from the elder Chaplin. The young actor got his start in his father's Limelight (1952) following military service. He later went on to appear in his father's swan song, A Countess From Hong Kong (1964). Chaplin appeared regularly in films of varying quality through the mid-'70s. He is also noted as a stage actor and has starred in several Broadway musicals including Bells Are Ringing and Funny Girl.