Charlie Chaplin was, and still is, one of the most famous actors and filmmakers of the early, silent era of filmmaking. Over the course of dozens of beloved short films and multiple classic features — like “The Gold Rush,” “City Lights,” “Modern Times,” and “The Great Dictator” — he gave audiences unforgettable comedy sequences, like the dancing bread rolls, death-defying roller skates, and a vicious parody of Adolf Hitler playing with a globe like a balloon.
He spent his most productive years making movies in America, but he was denied entry back into the country because, at the height of the “Red Scare,” he was declared a communist sympathizer. So he wound up living in Switzerland until he died on December 25, 1977.
Just two months later, Charlie Chaplin’s corpse was stolen, and the thieves demanded $600,000 for the return of his body. (That would be nearly $2.8 million today, adjusted for inflation.) Oona Chaplin, the filmmaker’s widow, refused to play ball and an investigation eventually revealed that the culprits were Roman Vardas and Gantscho Ganev, who had planned to use the money to start their own auto mechanic business. They were sent to prison and Charlie Chaplin’s body was found in a cornfield, not far from the Chaplin family home.
And in case anyone’s getting any ideas, Charlie Chaplin was re-buried — with concrete this time — to prevent any future copycats.
But that didn’t stop grave robbers from plundering other celebrity tombs!
