Biography: Charlie Chaplin

by Mike Breitigan

Charles Spencer Chaplin was born in England on April 16, 1889. His parents were Charles Chaplin Sr. a singer and mother Hannah Hill. Charlie Chaplin was born on East Street in London during a time when London was still very much separated by class. During the 19th century people in society had to maintain a well-dressed look and education was very important. Charles senior refused to pay child support and this made life very difficult for both Charlie and his half-brother spencer. The family was forced to move from English flat to flat trying to make ends meet and sometimes avoiding unpaid rent. The young boys were forced to work as gutter snipes trying to earn money through talents. The longest that young Charlie stayed in one school was for a year and a half they were constantly moving. When Charlie was still an adolescent his mother was institutionalized. The two young boys were put into the care of others when their dad was seen as unfitting parent. His father would later die from alcoholism.

At 19 Charlie signed with the prestigious Karno Company which immediately found work for him in the United States. When in America Charlie started making movies for Keystone studios. There he got his start playing a drunk even though in real life he never touched alcohol. Chaplin was great at observing human behavior and had amazing comedic timing that had not been witnessed in the U.S. at this point. Chaplin had a knack for being able to focus on his characters reaction to situations and did not focus on the situation itself. It was during his time at Keystone that he was able to come up with his lovable tramp persona. On the way to wardrobe during his film Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914) he decided at wardrobe he wanted big shoes, a small hat, baggy pants and a tight jacket. He wanted the look to be contrasting. He decided to start walking like some of the people that he had seen on the street that had had foot problems. During the filming of this movie he discovered that the new character worked.

Chaplin with the help of his tramp character became Hollywood’s first international superstar. He was able to accomplish this stardom in the silent movie era. He was able to capture an audiences emotions without words. When watching his movies you could relate to the tramps struggles and you always would pull for him to be successful. He was able to produce the first full length comedic feature The Kid (1921).Somebody making a silent comedic movie that long was unheard of at the time. The story of the kid was that of an orphan who the tramp was taking care of it was a look back at his own upbringing as an orphan. It was one of the first films to use both comedy and drama to tell a story. He was a natural at comic motion and being funny without trying. Chaplin was able to help people forget about the hard times and lose themselves in his movies. His movie events became must see events and were shared by the people of the time. His movies stretched across both world Wars and the Great Depression and were a way for people to escape their situation.

As an Artist Chaplin wanted complete control of his films it made his relationships with the studios tumultuous at times. Chaplin was a perfectionist often doing scenes over and over until they were up to his standards. He started taking on more roles in his latter films even producing and directing. He wanted complete control and was able to get it in his later films paying for everything himself and keeping the studios out of it as much as possible. He would usually go into a movie without a script this often lead to him taking longer than most other film makers. He would direct the other actors and often read their lines to show them exactly how he wanted it done he was a perfectionist. 

Chaplin first movie with sound was The Great Dictator in (1940). In this movie Chaplin dressed a lot like Hitler bounced a ball of the world. The movie ended with Chaplin giving a speech on how they needed to stop Fascism and war. At the time of its release it was a very controversial film. 

Chaplin had many different problems throughout his life including 3 failed marriages and several affairs. He had problems with the IRS on some unpaid taxes and was even investigated by the United States government for being a communist sympathizer. He was looked at differently in Hollywood because of his political views. In 1952 he was not allowed to renter the U.S after a trip overseas. This pretty much ended his time as a big box office draw. He and his wife moved to Switzerland in his old age. He did return to the United States in 1972 to receive a life time achievement award. He died because of a stroke in 1977 he was 88yrs old. 

Chaplin received three academy awards and a best picture nomination in his lifetime. He was given a star on the Hollywood walk of fame in 1972. Chaplin is Hollywood first international stars. He had the unique ability of telling a story thru movements. He had unreal comedic timing and had a way of capturing an audience and getting them to cheer for him. His tramp persona is one of the most iconic looks in Hollywood. His influence will be felt for generations.