From rags to riches, bowler hat to Hollywood legend! Join us as we explore the extraordinary life of cinema's greatest silent comedian. We'll trace his journey from Victorian poverty to worldwide fame, examining how his iconic Tramp character captured hearts across generations and how his genius forever changed the art of filmmaking.
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00:00He is considered one of the most pivotal stars of the silent film era and of early Hollywood.
00:09Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we'll be taking a look at the life and career of Charlie Chaplin.
00:14Born April 16, 1889 in Walworth, London, Charles Spencer Chaplin grew up in a family of music hall performers.
00:22Interestingly, his start as a performer came especially early in life.
00:26The musically inclined five-year-old Chaplin was discovered by his mother's stage manager after her voice broke unexpectedly on stage.
00:33The young boy was promptly ushered on stage to save the show by singing a popular melody.
00:38I love you dilly dilly and I want you to love me.
00:45Already comfortable with audiences and interested in becoming an entertainer, Chaplin started his acting career only three years later
00:53when he began touring with the eight Lancashire lads musical troupe.
00:56A decade later in 1910, at the age of 18, he joined the vaudeville troupe's variety entertainment show to perform in America.
01:04In 1913, Keystone Studios' popular comedy director Max Sennett discovered the gifted performer on stage in New York.
01:12In short order, Charlie landed several film studio contracts to direct and appear in dozens of films as his comedic persona The Little Tramp,
01:20a role that debuted in 1914's Kid Auto Races at Venice.
01:25As the popular character with a toothbrush mustache, bowler hat, bamboo cane and funny walk,
01:31the comedian starred in such silent comedies as The Tramp and The Bank.
01:35Due to his instant success and his interest in sitting in the director's chair, he formed Chaplin Studios in 1916.
01:43Three years later, he joined forces with other Hollywood heavyweights to form United Artists.
01:48Despite a highly successful film career, both on and off the screen, and his achievement of worldwide popularity,
01:54Chaplin was not immune to scandal.
01:57The first instance of gossip occurred during World War I, when his loyalty to his home country of England was called into question,
02:03Due to the fact that he had never applied for U.S. citizenship and had chosen to stay away from battle,
02:08critics in his home nation labeled him a coward.
02:11This negative backlash was further exasperated with the help of FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover,
02:16who voiced suspicions that Chaplin's films, such as The Great Dictator, used comedy to spread Communist propaganda.
02:23As a result, when Chaplin traveled to London for the premiere of his 1952 film, Limelight,
02:40he was denied re-entry to the United States due to these suspicions of Communist ties.
02:44Without recourse, the actor decided to resettle his family in Switzerland.
02:49Despite this negative press, he was awarded several honors around the world.
02:53For example, he was given the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor by France in 1952,
02:59and 20 years later, was honored with an Academy Award for his immeasurable contributions to the motion picture industry of the 20th century.
03:07The words seem so futile, so feeble. I can only say that thank you for the honor of inviting me here.
03:21Living an unconventional lifestyle, he married four times over the course of his life,
03:25and raised 11 children, all while preferring to live in shabby accommodations despite his immense fortune.
03:31Not even his death of natural causes in 1977, at the age of 88, kept him out of the tabloids,
03:37as his corpse was stolen from its grave and not recovered for three months.
03:41To this day, Charlie Chaplin is considered one of the greatest filmmakers in the history of American cinema.
03:47His movies are still popular throughout the world, and he continues to make audiences laugh as the little trend.
03:53The The meio of the Temporal