Charlie Chaplin - Comedian _ Mini Bio _ BIO

I don't think anyone's been as famous as Charlie Chaplin. He transcended all boundaries. On April 16, 1889, Charles Spencer Chaplin was born to music hall entertainers in London, England. After his parents separated, his mother was committed to an asylum, forcing Chaplin and his brother to fend for themselves. Chaplin entered the stage at about the age of 13, thanks to his brother Sidney, who was several years older and had already gone to the stage. He hadn't created his Tramp character yet, but he was really a gifted comedian. At 19, Chaplin joined the Fred Carno pantomime troupe. And during a tour of the United States, he landed a film contract with Mack Sennett's Keystone Film Company. Sennett saw Chaplin on stage when he first appeared in New York back in 1910. And three years later, when Chaplin was back in the United States, Sennett sent him a telegram saying that he wanted him to come join the movies for the then-incredible sum of $150 a week. After appearing in at least 36 movies for Keystone, Chaplin moved to the Essanay Company in 1915 and rose to fame with films such as A Night Out, The Champion, and The Tramp. It was really at Essanay and the films he made there that he became a megastar. And more importantly, Chaplin took total control of making the films. He didn't just act in them. He wrote them. He directed them. He produced them. At 26 years old, Chaplin signed a contract with the mutual company for $670,000 a year, making him one of the highest-paid people in the world. As an actor, he's without peer. I mean, he's really the consummate performer. His performances are, of course, honed by hours and hours of rehearsal. In a bid to gain more control over his work, Chaplin and three major stars formed United Artists in 1919. Two years later, he released The Kid, which became the second-highest-grossing film of the year. The Kid was an amazing film because it was truly autobiographical. Charlie was abandoned by his mother, put into a workhouse. And this was the story of The Tramp finding an abandoned child, raising him as his own. And then in the end of The Kid, Charlie returns the kid, played by Jackie Coogan, to his mother. And I always thought that was, in a way, Charlie trying to fix his own childhood. During the 20s and 30s, Chaplin made a succession of hit films, including The Circus, which won Chaplin a Special Academy Award. The Gold Rush, The Circus, City Lights, and Modern Times is probably the peak of Chaplin's career. He had slowed his output just so he was producing films at the pace that he wanted, and it was a very solid time for him. In 1940, The Great Dictator saw the final appearance of The Tramp. Although nominated for five Academy Awards, the film's left-wing politics raised a red flag with the U.S. government. And by 1952, Chaplin's U.S. visa was revoked. The Great Dictator was released in 1940 at a time when we had not declared war yet. And so for many isolationists and conservative politicians in this country, they considered Chaplin a warmonger because he was advocating the United States getting involved in World War II. Chaplin returned to the U.S. to receive an honorary Oscar in 1972. In 1975, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth, and two years later, on December 25th, Sir Charles Chaplin died in his sleep. Charlie Chaplin is so relevant today because he still inspires people, and those moments that he created are so iconic. The Globe Dance and The Great Dictator, the Bread Roll Dance and The Gold Rush, they're just legendary moments that will live throughout history. For more UN videos visit www.un.org