Charlie Chaplin – The legacy of the iconic comedian, from his Great Dictator speech to his 11 children
Here's what we know about the man famous for playing The Tramp
THE king of silent film Charlie Chaplin has left an indelible mark on British cinema by stretching the boundaries of film and satire time and time again.
His own private life was imbued with controversy and tragedy. Here's what we know about the man famous for playing The Tramp, whose appetite for the silver screen would last a lifetime.
Who was Charlie Chaplin?
Inimitable artist Charlie Chaplin was a multi-talented performer who wowed international audiences over nearly seven decades.
He was born Charles Spencer Chaplin in London on April 16, 1889.
His parents both worked in the creative industries - his father as a vocalist, his mother as an actress and singer.
But his fortunes were to change at the age of just ten, when his dad's death and mum's illness left him and brother Sydney to fend for themselves.
With a gift for performing, he quickly realised he could make a living from his knack for acting alone.
He made his professional debut as a member of a group called The Eight Lancashire Lads, where his tap dancing skills made him a serious hit.
At 12, Charlie started appearing in different productions of Sherlock Holmes before starting a career as a comedian in vaudeville.
This eventually led him to the US in 1910 with the Fred Karno Repertoire Company, where US audiences also loved him.
Returning there two years later he was offered a motion picture contract, and there his prolific film career began.
What were Chaplin's first silent films?
In his first five years in comedy between 1912-17, Chaplin's impressive output included:
- The Floorwalker
- The Fireman
- The Vagabond
- One A.M
- The Count
- The Pawnshop
- Behind the Screen
- The Rink
- Easy Street
- The Cure
- The Immigrant
- The Adventurer
After this flurry Chaplin began his own studios in the heart of Hollywood in 1917.
His first film A Dog’s Life was followed by The Bond, a film made for the US government to popularise the Liberty Loan.
Shoulder Arms, a comedy released in 1918 dealing with the war, was an instant box office hit.
Further films included The Kid (1921), where he worked with child actor extraordinaire, Jackie Coogan.
Returning to Europe on vacation he was given a hero's welcome, touring around London, Paris and Berlin.
Chaplin first turned his hand to writing and directing in Woman of Paris (1923), followed by The Gold Rush (1925), The Circus (1928), and his first sound-era film City Lights (1931).
To keep his famous Tramp character intact he kept the character silent in City Lights, despite the new era of sound.
The film, whose entire score he composed himself, was met with rapture.
What was his last speech from the Great Dictator?
In The Great Dictator (1940), Chaplin played a dual role as a Jewish barber and Hynkel, the dictator leader of Tomania.
His final speech included the lines: "I'm sorry, but I don't want to be an emperor.
"That's not my business.
"I don't want to rule or conquer anyone.
"I should like to help everyone if possible.
"Jew - Gentile - Black Man, White."
The satire, also Chaplin's first true sound-era film, became his most commercially successful film.
When the film was released in France in 1945, it became the most popular film of the year, with admissions of 8,280,553.
Later however, he appeared to regret the levity, stating in his 1964 autobiography that he would not have made the film had he known about the true extent of the Nazi concentration camps at the time.
What were his later films?
Chaplin was made an exile after his visa was rescinded because of allegations around his morals and politics.
He settled in his later years in Corsier sur Vevey, Switzerland, where he rented studios to continue making films.
Throughout his filmmaking he continued to busy himself with the political landscape of his time.
In A King in New York he was the first filmmaker to explore the political intolerance to overtake the United States during the Cold War.
He also directed Monsieur Verdoux (1947), Limelight (1952) and a A King in New York (1957).
He created his final picture A Countess from New York in 1966, starring Sophia Loren and Marlon Brando.
In the film, Chaplin appears as a ship steward, while his son Sydney and three of his daughters have bit parts.
What about his private life?
Charlie Chaplin married a total of four times, every time to actresses much younger than him.
He married 16-year-old Mildred Harris in September 1918, but soon tired of marriage.
Harris gave birth to a son on July 7, 1919, but the child died just three days later.
They split in April 1920, with Chaplin explaining in his autobiography that they were "irreconcilably mismated".
While making Goldrush (1925), Chaplin married for a second time, again to a teenage actress.
Lita Grey, who was also just 16 to his 35, was set to star in the film and found out she was pregnant with his child.
Chaplin, who could have been charged with rape under California law, married Lita quietly in Mexico on November 25, 1924.
Their first son, Charles Spencer Chaplin, Jr, was born on May 5, 1925, followed by Sydney Earl Chaplin on March 30, 1926.
This too proved an unhappy marriage, and in November 1926, Grey left the family home with their children.
In Grey's application of divorce she accused Chaplin of infidelity, abuse and of having "perverted sexual desires" - all claims that were leaked to the press.
MOST READ NEWS
The scandal caused an uproar, with Chaplin's lawyers agreeing to a cash settlement of $600,000 – the largest awarded by American courts at that time.
Chaplin met American actress Paulette Goddard in 1932, later moving into his home in Beverley Hills.
They married in secret in China in June 1936.
However, aside from referring to Goddard as "my wife" at the October 1940 premiere of The Great Dictator, neither Goddard nor Chaplin publicly commented on their marital status.
On June 4, 1942, Goddard was granted a Mexican divorce from Chaplin.
Fourth time round, Chaplin claimed to have found true love with 18-year-old Oona O'Neill. Chaplin was 54 years old when they married.
They remained together until Chaplin's death, and had eight children over 18 years: Geraldine Leigh, Michael John, Josephine Hannah, Victoria, Eugene Anthony, Jane Cecil, Annette Emily, and Christopher James.
In total, Chaplin had eleven children, including his first who died in childbirth.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.