Grant first encountered Chaplin when he saw the Fred Karno troupe perform in England as a young boy. He was also briefly married to the blind girl from City Lights, Virginia Cherrill. In 1953, a few months after Chaplin's reentry permit was revoked by the U.S. government, Grant held a press conference to announce his retirement. He used this opportunity to speak out publicly in defense of Chaplin, his idol: "He has given great pleasure to millions of people, and I hope he returns to Hollywood. Personally, I don’t think he is a Communist, but whatever his political affiliations, they are secondary to the fact that he is a great entertainer. We should not go off the deep end."
Cary Grant was born 110 years ago today.