Charlie Chaplin
1889 - 1977
English film actor, director, producer, and composer, one of the most creative artists in film history, who first achieved worldwide fame through his
performances in silent films. His full name was Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin.
Born in London, as a child Chaplin appeared in music hall and pantomime performances. In 1910 he toured the United States with a pantomime
troupe and decided to remain in the country. Chaplin first appeared on the screen in 1914 with the Keystone Film Company of American director
Mack Sennett. In Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914), wearing baggy pants, enormous shoes, and a bowler hat and carrying a bamboo cane, he
originated his world-famous character, the Tramp. He played this classic role in more than 70 films during his career. He was associated later with
the Essanay Film Company, the Mutual Film Company, and the First National Film Company. In 1918 his own studio in Hollywood, California, was
completed. During these years Chaplin gradually developed the tramp character from a jaunty, slapstick stereotype into the compassionate
human figure that came to be loved by audiences throughout the world. In 1919 he helped found the United Artists Corporation, with which he
was associated until 1952. He also composed background music for most of his films.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s Chaplin was criticised for his leftist political views. As a result, he left the United States in 1952 and established
permanent residence in Switzerland. In 1972 he briefly returned to the United States to receive several tributes, among them a special Academy
Award for his contributions to the film industry. He was knighted in 1975.
Chaplin perfected an individual style of performing, derived from the circus clown and the mime, combining acrobatic elegance, expressive
gesture, facial eloquence, and impeccable timing. His portrayal of the little tramp, a universally recognised symbol of indestructible individuality
triumphing over adversity and persecution, both human and mechanical, won him critical renown as a tragicomedian