Eric Campbell

Alfred Eric Campbell (April 26, 1879 � December 20, 1917) was a Scottish actor, born in Dunoon, Argyll & Bute.

A star of the silent era, he featured in 11 silent films starring Charlie Chaplin, where he would generally play the part of a large, intimidating villain. His character became familiar as the burly, long haired, bushy bearded nemesis of Chaplin.

The villain

Campbell took up acting as a child and toured the Scottish music halls of the day. Reputed to have been quite a good actor, he was spotted by a talent scout and travelled to Hollywood where he worked with several famous actors, both on stage and screen, before being teamed up with Chaplin. A big screen career was beckoning but it was all to go wrong in Los Angeles, California, on December 20, 1917, when he was driving home after a drinking heavily during a party, lost control of the car and lost his life in the crash.

Eric Campbell was cremated after the crash, but his ashes remained unclaimed for more than 30 years, finally being laid to rest at Rosedale Cemetery, Los Angeles. No marker was placed, and the location of is unknown.

Memorial plaque, Dunoon

In 1996 a documentary, Chaplin's Goliath: In Search of Scotland's Forgotten Star was produced, exploring Campbell's life and work. During the making of the film, a cenotaph commemorating Campbell was placed at Rosedale Cemetery, and a memorial plaque was fixed to a rock near the Castle House Museum, Dunoon, in Castle Gardens.^[1]