Charlie Chaplin

(Sir) Charles Spencer Chaplin,
perhaps the greatest screen
comedian of our time, was born on
April 16, 1889 to a London Cockney 
family of variety entertainers. He
grew up while traveling with his
mother from one small stage to the
next.  At the age of 8, Charlie joined
a children’s dancing group, the Eight
Lancashire Lads.  He and Sidney
later signed up with the Fred Karno
Co., which fielded comedians and
entertainers throughout Britain.  At
Karno, Chaplin was able to hone his
skills as a comedian.
     Following two U.S. tours, in 1910
and 1912, Chaplin was offered a
contract with Keystone, but his first
movie “Making a Living” was a dis-
appointment. For his second movie,
“Kid Auto Races at Venice”, he first
donned his trademark bowler hat,
toothbrush mustache and baggy
pants. Shortly thereafter, the love-
able figure of the Tramp began to
emerge in full. By the time he finished
his 35th picture for Keystone and
switched to Essanay, he was a highly
popular and well-paid screen actor.
     He made 14 movies at Essanay
(not including “Triple Double”, a
compilation of outtakes) of which the
1915 release “The Tramp” is univer-
sally regarded his best. In 1916 he
went over to Mutual and began
what is considered his most creative
period, shooting some 12 pictures per
year. When in 1918 he signed with
First National, his contract awarded
him the then astronomical sum of
over $1 million for only 8 pictures.
This included the 1918 picture “The
Bond” and the 1921 feature “The
Kid”, one of the most successful
movies of its time. Also in 1918, he
married a 16-year starlet called
Mildred Harris, but divorced her two
years later.
     Chaplin then joined Douglas
Fairbanks and Mary Pickford in the
equivalent of a 1919 Dreamworks
venture, United Artists. These years
saw the production of “The Gold
Rush”, considered by some his finest
work, released in 1925. In 1924 he
once again exchanged wedding
vows, this time with another 16-year
old, Lita Grey. The marriage pro-
duced two sons but ended in a bitter
divorce. In 1927 he was awarded a
special Oscar (during the first
Academy Awards® event) for “The
Circus”. 
     The coming of sound did not deter
Chaplin from continuing to make
“quasi-silent films”, including “City
Lights” in 1931 and “Modern Times”
in 1936.  While equipping these reels
with a music and effects track,
Chaplin himself stuck to mime. The
last time he played the little tramp
was in the classic 1940 release “The
Great Dictator”, meant to mock
Hitler.  Meanwhile, he had been
briefly married to Paulette Goddard,
but in 1943, the then-54 year old
Chaplin married his fourth wife,
Oona O’Neill, daughter of Eugene,
and barely 18 years old.
     His last attempt at a come-back
was the 1966 production of “The
Countess of Hong Kong”,  featuring
Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren,
which was a critical and financial
flop.
     Chaplin remained a British citizen
throughout his American film career
and openly sympathized with the
plight of the Russian people during
World War II. He was called to
testify in front of the House
Committee on un-American activ-
ities (which he ignored) and was
denied re-entry into the United
States during a trip to London. He
vowed never to set foot on American
soil, but relented in 1972 to accept a
second Academy Award for his
lifetime achievements. In 1975, he
was knighted; two years later, he
died on his estate in Switzerland.