Charlie Chaplin

The great Charlie Chaplin and a young Jackie Coogan (later Uncle Fester) as featured in the 1921 film THE KID. Considered to be one of the most pivotal stars of the early days of Hollywood, Chaplin lived an interesting life both in his films and behind the camera. He was born Charles Spencer Chaplin in Walworth, London, England on April 16, 1889. He began performing at an early age, touring music halls and later working as a stage actor and comedian. At 19, he was signed to the Fred Karno company, which took him to America. He was scouted for the film industry and began appearing in 1914 for Keystone Studios. He soon developed the Tramp persona and attracted a worldwide fan base. He directed his own films and continued to hone his craft as he moved to the Essanay, Mutual, and First National corporations. In 1919, Chaplin co-founded distribution company United Artists, which gave him complete control over his films. His first feature-length film was “The Kid” (1921), followed by “A Woman of Paris” (1923), “The Gold Rush” (1925), and “The Circus” (1928). He initially refused to move to sound films in the 1930s, instead producing “City Lights” (1931) and “Modern Times” (1936) without dialogue. His first sound film was “The Great Dictator” (1940), which satirised Adolf Hitler. The 1940s were marked with controversy for Chaplin, and his popularity declined rapidly. He abandoned the Tramp in his later films, which include “Monsieur Verdoux” (1947), “Limelight” (1952), “A King in New York” (1957), and “A Countess from Hong Kong” (1967). Chaplin's other works included musical scores that he composed for many of his films. He also authored two autobiographical books, "My Autobiography" (1964) and its companion volume, "My Life in Pictures" (1974). The comedy icon passed away at age 88 of natural causes on December 25, 1977 at his home in Vevey, Switzerland.

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