How well said Charlie Chaplin, the famous Academy Award winning English comedian, actor and filmmaker. An iconic personality, considered to be one of the most pivotal stars of the early days of Hollywood, who had an intersting life both in his movies and behind the camera, films of whom each one of us have seen and still see.

Charles Spencer Chaplin was born on April 16th 1889, in London, England to Charles and Hannah Chaplin. His father was a versatile vocalist and actor. While his mother was a beautiful actress and singer with a well acclaimed reputation in the field of light opera. Thus having talent in his genes took to the stage as the best opportunity for his career at the tender age of 10, after the seperation of his father & mother and due to prolonged illness of his mother.

Although his first stage appearance in 1894 was for singing a song, in place of his mother who had fallen ill, at the age of 5. Then he toured in a musical, "The Eight Lancaster Lads" at the age of 8 and got popularity as an outstanding tap dancer.

When he was about fourteen, Charlie chaplin got his first chance at the age of 14, to act in a stage show. He acted as “Billy” the page boy, in support of William Gillette in “Sherlock Holmes”. At the end of the series, Charlie started his career as a comedian in Vaudeville. Eventually in 1910 this took him to the United States where he started as a featured player with the Fred Karno Repertoire Company.

In November 1913; he first appeared in front of the camera and thus began his career in motion films when he joined Mack Sennett and the Keystone Film Company. Initial his salary was $150 a week. But his overnight success brought him producers to start negotiations.

After the Sennett Contract, Charlie worked for Essanay Company (1915) and then joined Mutual Film Corporation to make 12 two-reel comedies - The Vagabond, The Fireman, One A.M, The Floorwalker, The Cure, The Rink, Easy Street, The Count, The Adventurer, The Pawnshop, The Immigrant and Behind the Screen.

ln 1917, Chaplin went on to become an independent producer, after his conract with Mutual expired in order to get more freedom and in making his movies. He made his own studios, situated in the residential section of Hollywood at La Brea Avenue.

In 1966 he produced his last picture, “A Countess from Hong Kong” for Universal Pictures, his only film in colour, starring Sophia Loren and Marlon Brando.

A Woman of Paris (1923)

The Gold Rush (1925)

The Circus (1928)

City Lights (1931)

Modern Times (1936)

The Great Dictator (1940)

Monsieur Verdoux (1947)

Limelight (1952)

A King in New York

Charilie's life and career was full of scandals, love affairs and controversies. The first big scandal happened during World War I. At that time time his loyalty to England, his home country, was questioned.

The other big scandal occurred when he had a brief affair with Joan Barry. Although his relationship ended with her in a very short time, this involvement proved to be a nightmare for him. Barry filed a paternity suit against him, after having a child in 1943. However the blood tests proved that he was not the father of Barry's child, still her lawyer, Joseph Scott, convinced the court that the tests were inadmissible as evidence. The result was that Charlie had to pay $75 per week till the child was 21.

Charlie Chaplin's first true love was Hetty Kelly, a dancer with whom he madly fell in love and wanted to marry when she was fifteen and he was nineteen, in 1908. Although she refused breaking his heart. 

Chaplin was married four times and had a total of 11 children. His first wife was Mildred Harris whome he married on 23 October 1918, at the age of 29, and she was 16. They divorced in 1920. In 1924 he married Lita Grey and divorced her in 1927. Chaplin married Paulette Goddard was his third wife whome he married in 1936. His final marriage was to Oona O'Neill in 1943, daughter of famous playwright Eugene O'Neill.

He died on Christmas day 1977

Charlie Chaplin got a special Academy Award "for versatility and genius in acting, writing, directing and producing for the film The Circus".

He came out of his exile to accept his second honorary award in 1972 for his contribution to motion pictures, and got the longest standing ovation in Academy Award history, which lasted a full 5 minutes. In the same year he also won an Oscar for the Best Music in an Original Dramatic Score for the 1952 film Limelight.

On 4 March, 1975 he was knighted at age eighty-five by the Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II as a Knight Commander of the British Empire (KBE).

Charlie Chaplin was the first actor to appear on July 6, 1925 issue of Time magazine."He was the first actor ever to appear on the magazine known for its influential cover photo."

Three months after Chaplin died on Christmas, 1977, his corpse was stolen in order to extort money from his family. Recovered after 11 weeks and now buried under 6 feet of concrete.

Charlie had a fetish for young wives. He was 29 and his first wife was 16. His second wife was 16 and he was 35. He was 47 and his third wife was 28. In his final married to Oona O'Neill, she was 18 and he was 54.

Ukrainian astronomer, Lyudmila Karachkina, named an asteroid residing in the asteroid "belt" between Mars and Jupiter, after him after 4 years of his death.

Geraldine Chaplin, his daughter from Oona portrayed his mother Hannah Chaplin in the movie "Chaplin" based on his life in the year 1992.

Lastly, Charles Chaplin was one of the rare comedians who was the author, actor, director and soundtrack composer of his films, as well as financed and produced all his films (with the exception of “A Countess from Hong Kong”).

This hub is winner of Hubmob- My Favourite Entertainer