Charles Manson's Real Name: Charles Milles Maddox
Charles Manson → Charles Milles Maddox
Quick answer: Charles Manson's birth name was Charles Milles Maddox. He was born on November 12, 1934, in Cincinnati, Ohio, and died on November 19, 2017.
Real name and early life
BBC News records that he was born Charles Milles Maddox in Cincinnati on November 12, 1934, the son of 16-year-old Kathleen Maddox. Shortly after his birth his mother married William Manson, and the boy took his stepfather's surname. The Library of Congress name authority lists Manson, Charles, 1934-2017. Reuters reported his death at age 83 in November 2017.
His childhood involved an alcoholic mother, periods in relatives' care and boys' homes, and a long juvenile and adult criminal record—car theft, robbery, and repeated incarcerations—before his 1967 release into the San Francisco counterculture scene.
Quick facts
- Real name / birth name: Charles Milles Maddox
- Known as: Charles Manson
- Born: November 12, 1934, in Cincinnati, Ohio
- Died: November 19, 2017 (Reuters; BBC coverage)
- Known for: Cult leader whose followers committed the 1969 Tate–LaBianca murders
- Sources checked: BBC News, Reuters, Library of Congress Name Authority
Career highlights
This page documents a criminal notoriety case, not an entertainment career. After leaving prison in 1967, Manson gathered followers later called the Manson Family, mixing drug use with messianic claims. BBC reporting describes how he ordered followers to kill, including the August 1969 murders at the rented home of Sharon Tate (then married to director Roman Polanski) and, the next night, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Manson did not personally stab the Tate victims but was convicted for directing the crimes.
He and co-defendants received death sentences that were later converted to life imprisonment after California abolished the death penalty. Multiple parole bids failed. Prison interviews kept him in the public eye for decades. Reuters announced his death in 2017; he died while still incarcerated.
Name notes
Charles Milles Maddox is the birth name; Charles Manson is the stepfather surname he used thereafter. Searchers sometimes confuse Maddox with later aliases. Death is stated here only because Reuters and BBC confirmed it. Fan sites often copy names from one another, so we checked this page against BBC, Reuters, and the Library of Congress.
FAQ
What was Charles Manson's real name?
Charles Milles Maddox at birth; he took the surname Manson from a stepfather.
When and where was he born?
November 12, 1934, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
When did he die?
November 19, 2017, according to Reuters reporting.
Did he personally kill Sharon Tate?
BBC notes he sent followers to commit the Tate murders and did not carry out those stabbings himself; he was convicted for orchestrating the killings.
What was the Manson Family?
The group of followers who carried out murders under his direction in 1969.
Sources
Further reading: Wikipedia