A Legacy of Laughter: The Life and Last Days of Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin was named after his father, a British music-hall entertainer. After his parents separated, he spent his early childhood with his mother, singer Hannah Hall. He made his stage debut at age five, filling in for her. Later, due to her mental instability, Hannah was confined to an asylum. Consequently, Charlie and his half-brother Sydney were sent to a series of bleak workhouses and residential schools.

With help from his mother’s show-business contacts, Charlie became a professional entertainer in 1897 by joining the Eight Lancashire Lads, a clog-dancing act. He later performed in a small role in the play 'Sherlock Holmes' (1899) and with the vaudeville act Casey’s Court Circus. In 1908, he joined the Fred Karno pantomime troupe and quickly became famous for his role as" The Drunk" in the sketch 'A Night in an English Music Hall.'

While touring America with the Karno company in 1913, Chaplin was signed by Mack Sennett to appear in Keystone comedies. His first film, 'Making a Living' (1914), didn't fully showcase his talent. Under Sennett's orders to create a more memorable character, Chaplin improvised an outfit with a small coat, large pants, floppy shoes, and a battered derby. He added a small mustache and a cane. This iconic look debuted in his second film, 'Kid Auto Races at Venice' (1914), introducing the world to "The Little Tramp."

In 1915, Chaplin left Sennett for a $1,250-per-week job at Essanay Studios. There, he started adding more emotion to his comedy in shorts like 'The Tramp' and 'Burlesque on Carmen.' He then got an even better deal at Mutual Film Corporation, earning $670,000 per year. Over 18 months, he made 12 two-reel films, considered some of his best, including 'One A.M.' 'The Rink,' 'The Vagabond,' and 'Easy Street.'

Chaplin didn't always play a "tramp"; his characters often worked as waiters, clerks, stagehands, and more. He was a misfit, shunned by society, unlucky in love, and a jack-of-all-trades. Despite his struggles, he was a resilient survivor, always moving on to new adventures. The Tramp's universal appeal came from his cheekiness, deflation of pomposity, casual savagery, unexpected gallantry, and resilience. Historians link the Tramp's origins to Chaplin's Dickensian childhood or his mentor Fred Karno’s motto: “Keep it wistful, gentlemen, keep it wistful.” Within months of his debut, Chaplin became the screen’s biggest star.

In 1918, Chaplin switched studios again, accepting a $1 million offer from the First National Film Corporation for eight shorts. That same year, he married 16-year-old film extra Mildred Harris, the first of several young brides. At First National, he made shorts like 'Shoulder Arms' (1918) and 'The Pilgrim' (1923), and his first starring feature, 'The Kid' (1921), featuring Jackie Coogan. After divorcing Mildred in 1921, Chaplin married 16-year-old Lillita MacMurray in 1924, who became known as film star Lita Grey. They had a noisy divorce in 1927.

In 1932, Chaplin started a relationship with young starlet Paulette Goddard. His next film, 'Modern Times' (1936), mixed silent film with music, sound effects, and some dialogue. In this film, Chaplin's "Little Tramp" character spoke for the first time, singing a gibberish song. Chaplin played a factory worker dehumanized by his job of tightening bolts on an assembly line, and Goddard played "A Gamin," a waif he cares for. 'Modern Times' was the last silent feature from Hollywood, but audiences still loved it. It was also the "Little Tramp’s" final appearance.

'The Great Dictator' (1940) was Chaplin’s first sound film and his most political satire. He played a dual role as a nameless Jewish barber and Adenoid Hynkel, Dictator of Tomania—a parody of Adolf Hitler, to whom Chaplin bore a striking resemblance. Paulette Goddard played "Hannah", the barber’s Jewish friend who flees after the barber is arrested and sent to a concentration camp. The film was a box office success and earned Chaplin his only Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

When Charlie Chaplin married Oona O’Neill in June 1943, he finally found true happiness despite their age difference—Oona was 18, and Charlie was 53. They met when he considered her for a role in an unmade film, 'Shadow and Substance,' in 1942, and were inseparable from then on. Oona supported Charlie through a difficult court case in the 1940s and his exile from the U.S. in 1952. They eventually settled in Switzerland and had eight children together: Geraldine, Michael, Josephine, Victoria, Eugene, Jane, Annette, and Christopher.

Chaplin's talents extended beyond acting to writing, music, and sports. He authored at least four books—'My Trip Abroad,' 'A Comedian Sees the World,' 'My Autobiography,' and 'My Life in Pictures'—as well as all his film scripts. A self-taught musician, he played various instruments, including the violin and cello left-handed. He was also a composer, writing many songs such as “Smile,” “Eternally,” “You Are My Song,” and the soundtracks for all his films. Chaplin uniquely financed, produced, wrote, directed, acted in, and composed the music for all his films, except 'A Countess from Hong Kong.'