Charlie Chaplin

Sir Charles Sainser “Charley” Chaplin, KBE (English Charles Spencer “Charlie” Chaplin; April 16, 1889 – December 25, 1977) – an outstanding American and English film actor, screenwriter, composer and director, universal master of cinema, creator of one of the most famous images of the world cinema – the image of Charlie the stroller, which appeared in the short comedies, put on stream in the 1910s at the Kistoun studio. Chaplin actively used the techniques of pantomime and slapstick, although since the 1920s, much more serious social themes began to take place in his work than was the case in the early period of short films. Beginning in April 1914, Chaplin began to act as director and scriptwriter of most films with his own participation, since 1916 he also produced films, and from 1918 he wrote music.

Together with Mary Pikford, Douglas Fairbanks and David Griffith, Charles Chaplin founded the famous United Artists studio in 1919.
Winner of the 1973 American Film Academy Award and twice winner of the non-competitive honorary Oscar of 1929 and 1972. The 1972 Academy Award of Honor Chaplin received the artist’s merit with the following wording for his invaluable contribution to the fact that cinema has become art in this century. The younger brother of the actor Sydney Chaplin.
Chaplin was one of the most creative and influential people in the era of silent cinema. Chaplin’s work was greatly influenced by the French comedian Max Linder, to whom he dedicated one of his films. His career began in the Victorian era, when little Charlie first appeared on the stage of the Music Hall in the UK and, stretching for 75 years, lasted almost until the artist’s death at the age of 88 years. After a resounding success in Hollywood, Chaplin was forced to leave the United States under the onslaught of scandals, revealing details of his personal life and accusations of sympathy for the ideas of communism in the McCarthy era in the early 1950s.

In 1999, the American Film Institute put Charlie Chaplin on the 10th place in the list of the 100 greatest movie stars in 100 years among men. In 2008, Martin Siff in a book review Chaplin: life wrote: “Chaplin was not just a big man, he was a giant. In 1915, he broke into the world like a ghost with his gift of comedy, laughter and help, at a time when everything was torn apart in the First World War, and for the next 25 years – both during the Great Depression and during the rise of Adolf Hitler , – he continued to create … It is unlikely that any other person will ever be able to bring more joy, pleasure and relief at the moment when most people need them. ” George Bernard Shaw called Chaplin “the only genius who came out of the film industry.”

Interesting Facts

* Chaplin is four days older than Hitler, parodied by him in the “Great Dictator”.

* Chaplin had blue eyes.

* Chaplin was left-handed, and even played the violin with his left hand.

* Chaplin’s first car was a luxurious high-speed Locomobile worth Locobile’s $ 4900.

* Chaplin’s favorite sport was boxing. Chaplin met Virginia Cherrill (the leading woman in the movie “Lights of the Big City”) at the stadium during a boxing fight. And in the film “Champion” Chaplin plays the role of a boxer.

* Chaplin’s favorite dance was tango. In the movie “The Fires of the Big City,” he “combined” the fight in the ring with tango.
Chaplin earned about $ 10.5 million on his films.

* Chaplin sold all his shares in 1928, based on data on unemployment – before the Great Depression.

* During the filming of Chaplin’s films, there was only one accident. Chaplin himself was injured on the set of the film “Silent Street”.

* Chaplin once incognito took part in the Strollers’ doubles competition at the San Francisco Theater and wasn’t even able to reach the final of this competition.

* The favorite comedian Chaplin in the last years of his life was the Briton Benny Hill. When Hill visited the Chaplin family in 1991, he was shown a large collection of videos from the Benny Hill show collected by Chaplin.

* In the 1920s, Chaplin’s character (“little man”) was known in Europe by the name of “Charlot”.

* In pre-revolutionary Russia, Chaplin’s films did not enjoy considerable success. A typical statement about them, published in the journal Projector: “… Chaplin is far from a comic actor. He’s just a clown, just one who gets a slap in the face. ” <…> In Russia, Chaplin cannot have such success: he is too rude, too primitive, too graceful. <…> Comedians like Max Linder, Prince, Patashon, even Andre Deed, are much closer and clearer to us. “