Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr. was born on April 16, 1889, in Walworth, London, England, the son of two music hall entertainers, Charles Chaplin, Sr and Hannah Harriet Hill. His parents separated shortly after his birth and his mother, who was unstable, became solely in charge of his care. When Charlie was twelve, his father died an alcoholic, and his mother had a nervous breakdown and was temporarily committed to a mental institution. In 1926, she went to the US to live with her successful son, dying there two years later.
He first performed in the Music Hall in 1894 at the age of five. At age eleven, in 1900, with the help of his brother, he landed the role of a comic cat in the pantomime, “Cinderella” at the London Hippodrome. Over the next few years, he got a variety of theatrical roles and on October 2, 1912, came to America with the Karno Troupe. In that very same company was a man named Arthur Stanley Jefferson who would later become known as Stan Laurel. The two performers shared a room together, but Laurel soon returned to England. Producer Max Sennett hired Chaplin after seeing his act for his own studio, The Keystone Film Company.
He became “The Tramp” and world famous. He built his own Hollywood studio in 1918 which gave him complete creative control of all his productions. Some of his best works include “A Dog’s Life” (1918), “The Pilgrim” (1923), “The Kid” (1921), “A Woman Of Paris” (1923) and “The Circus” (1928), just to name a few.
In 1919, he formed the United Artist Film Distribution Company with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and DW Griffith and served on the board until the early 1950s.
Chaplin resisted the “talkie” film all through the 1930s. A very versatile performer, he also composed the song, “Smile,” which was so beautifully recorded by Nat King Cole and others. His first dialogue picture, “The Great Dictator” (1940) was an act of defiance against Adolph Hitler and the terrible rise of fascism. It was quite controversial and daring for its time, and it was said that monster Hitler himself was known to have seen the film twice (from records kept in his personal theater).
Chaplin retained his British citizenship even though he was a US resident from 1914-1952. He returned to Europe in 1952 and remained there, making his home in Vevey, Switzerland. He won two honorary Oscars and his final film was “A Countess From Hong Kong” (1967) starring Sophia Loren.
Personally, he had a pattern of relationships with much younger women, starting with Mildred Harris and ending with Oona O’Neil, daughter of playwright, Eugene O’Neil whom he married in 1943. He had three sons with her and two sons with Lita Grey.
He died on Christmas Day, 1977, at the age of 88, following a stroke. In 1978, his body was stolen in an attempt to extort money from the family. Eleven weeks later, the body was recovered.
What are some of YOUR favorite Charlie Chaplin performances?