The English-born actor, director, screenwriter, composer, film producer and comedian is one of the pioneers and trailblazers of humorous cinematic acting. As the typical “tramp” with bowler hat, walking stick, brush beard and a frock coat with trousers that were too wide and too short, he became the most popular character in film history. However, he celebrated his greatest successes in tragic comedies, in which he embodied the little man who defies fate in the style of a gentleman. Against all the hurdles of modernity, he embodied this character in the ominous world of a vagabond to perfection, without ever losing his dignity. As one of the fathers of the Hollywood dream factory, he founded the film company United Artists in 1919 together with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and David Wark Griffith. Sir Charlie Chaplin created film classics with films such as “The Great Dictator” (1938), “Monsieur Verdpux” (1947) and “Limelight” (1952). In 1929 and 1972 he received an honorary Oscar for his “invaluable services to the art of film”. ..
Charlie Chaplin, actually Charles Spencer Chaplin, was born in London on April 16, 1889 to the impoverished couple Charles and Hannah Chaplin.
Charlie Chaplin began an apprenticeship as a hairdresser at an early age and also appeared in variety shows. From 1906 to 1912 he played the role of pantomime with the London Comedians. With this troupe he traveled through England, France and the USA. After a performance in New York he got an engagement with the Keystone Company. Chaplin’s first two films “Making a Living” and “Kid Auto Races at Venice” were released in 1914. In them he was seen in his famous outfit, big pants, frock coat, bowler hat, cane and brushed beard. At the end of the same year he switched to the film production company Essanay. In the tragic-comic roles of the little man, he worked with pantomime and psychological effects. In 1915 Chaplin went to Hollywood. Since then he has written and directed the screenplays for his own films.
Chaplin produced a total of twelve films that year. His love affair with his film partner Edna Purviance also began during this time. Chaplin became one of the most famous actors in the world. In 1917 the USA entered the First World War. Chaplin refused to enlist in the army. His stance sparked a political campaign against him. In 1918 the Chaplin Studios in Hollywood were inaugurated. That same year he married seventeen-year-old Mildred Harris. Two years later he divorced her again. This started another campaign against him. As one of the fathers of the Hollywood dream factory, he founded the film company United Artists in 1919 together with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and David Wark Griffith. This was followed by the premiere of his first feature film “The Kid”. He then went on a tour of Europe, which was also mentioned in his novel “My Trip Abroad”. In 1924, Chaplin married Lita Gray in Mexico. Two sons were born of this marriage. But this marriage also failed four years later. Chaplin retired to New York.
This was followed by trips to Europe, Japan and India. It was not until 1932 that he returned to Hollywood and married Paulette Goddard for the third time. This was followed by the 1936 film Modern Times, which denounced the alienation of people in industrial society. This was banned in Italy and Germany because of communist tendencies. The premiere of his first talkie “The Great Dictator” took place in 1940. The anti-Hitler film, which parodied the German Nazi leader, initially failed to pass American censorship. In 1941 her marriage to Paulette Goddard was divorced again. Two years later he married Oona O’Neill, with whom he had four children. One of these children was the famous actress Geraldine Chaplin. In 1948, the front against supposedly left-wing actors and directors worsened. Charlie Chaplin was also affected. Four years later, a case was opened against him while he was on a European tour. He was denied re-entry into the United States.
Chaplin then settled with his family in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland. The 1952 film Limelight was one of Chaplin’s most touching and popular works. He was awarded the Oscar for Best Original Music. Five years later, the cinematic answer to the political agitation in the USA was created. In the comedy “A King in New York,” Charlie Chaplin parodied, in his inimitable way, American life and the persecution of being a communist alien. This work triggered further attacks against him – because of alleged communist attitudes and activities. In 1964 Chaplin’s autobiography was published. The film “A Countess from Hong Kong” with Sophia Loren and Marlon Brando followed two years later. In 1972, Chaplin received the “Oscar” for his life’s work. In the USA he was rehabilitated. In 1975 the English royal family bestowed on him the aristocratic title “Sir”.
Sir Charlie Chaplin died on December 25, 1977 in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland.
In the summer of 2005, the entertainer’s acting and film skills were celebrated in a glittering exhibition “Chaplin et les Images” at Paris’s Jeu de Paume exhibition hall.
Filmography
1916 – “The Fireman”.
1917 – “The Tram;p”.
1917 – “A stormy night”.
1917 – “The Adventurer”.
1921 – “The Tramp and the Child”.
1927 – “The Circus”.
1923 – “A Dog’s Life”.
1925 – “Gold Rush”.
1931 – “Big City Lights”.
1936 – “Modern Times”.
1940 – “The Great Dictator”.
1947 – “Monsieur Verdoux”.
1952 – “Limelight”.
1960 – “When laughter was king”.
Who was Charlie Chaplin?
Charlie Chaplin was one of the greatest and widely loved silent movie stars. From “Easy Street” (1917) to “Modern Times” (1936), he made many of the funniest and most popular films of his time. He was best known for his character, the naive and lovable Little Tramp.
When did Charlie Chaplin die?
Chaplin died on Christmas on 25 December 1977, in Vevey, Vaud, Switzerland. He died of a stroke in his sleep, at the age of 88.
How tall was Charlie Chaplin?
1.65 m
What were Charlie Chaplin’s last words?
Charlie Chaplin — His last words after a priest read him his rites, “May the Lord have mercy on your soul.”
What made Charlie Chaplin famous?
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. KBE (16 April 1889 – 25 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered one of the film industry’s most important figures.
