Chaplin, Charlie (Charles Spencer)
1889 - 1977. 
English film actor and director. 

He made his reputation as a tramp with a smudge moustache, bowler hat, and twirling cane in silent comedies from the mid-1910s, including The Rink 1916, The Kid 1920, and The Gold Rush 1925. His work combines buffoonery with pathos, as in The Great Dictator 1940 and Limelight 1952. He was one of cinema's most popular and greatest stars. KBE 1975. Chaplin was born in south London and first appeared on the music hall stage at the age of five. He joined Mack Sennett's Keystone Company in Los Angeles 1913. Along with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D W Griffith, Chaplin formed United Artists 1919 as an independent company to distribute their films. His other films include City Lights 1931, Modern Times 1936, and Monsieur Verdoux 1947. Limelight 1952 was awarded an Oscar for Chaplin's musical theme. When accused of communist sympathies during the McCarthy witchhunt, he left the USA 1952 and moved to Switzerland. He received special Oscars 1928 and 1972.