Charlie Chaplin
Born 1889 · Age 136
English comic actor, filmmaker, composer and global film icon best known for his Tramp persona; career spanned 1899–1975. Co‑founder of United Artists and a major creative force in silent and early sound cinema.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in London
Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. is born to music-hall entertainers Hannah Hill and Charles Chaplin Sr. in South London.
Sent to Lambeth Workhouse
Due to family poverty and hardship Chaplin is sent to a workhouse and housed at Central London District School for paupers.
Mother committed to Cane Hill asylum
Hannah Chaplin is committed to Cane Hill mental asylum (psychosis); Chaplin and brother are briefly sent to live with their father.
Joins Eight Lancashire Lads
Joins the clog‑dancing troupe The Eight Lancashire Lads and tours music halls across the UK.
Father dies
Charles Chaplin Sr. dies (reported cause: cirrhosis of the liver), leaving the children in difficult circumstances.
Plays Billy the pageboy in Sherlock Holmes tours
Performs the Billy role in Charles Frohman's production of Sherlock Holmes on nationwide tours and later in the West End.
First professional stage role in Jim, a Romance of Cockayne
Registers with a theatrical agency and gets role as a newsboy in Harry Arthur Saintsbury's play; show opens July 1903.
West End run of Sherlock Holmes
Stars as Billy the pageboy in the West End production (Duke of York's Theatre) from Oct to Dec 1905.
Joins Casey's Circus juvenile act
Joins the troupe Casey's Circus and develops burlesque pieces, becoming a star of the show.
Signed by Fred Karno company
At about 19 he joins Fred Karno's prestigious comedy troupe (pantomime/vaudeville), a major step toward his US tour.
Tours North America with Karno troupe
Begins touring North America's vaudeville circuit with Karno company (tour included Stan Laurel and lasted ~21 months over later tours).
Lead role in Jimmy the Fearless
Given the lead in a new sketch 'Jimmy the Fearless' in Karno company (big success and press attention).
Signs with New York Motion Picture Company / Keystone
Offered and signs a contract reportedly at $150 per week to work in films for Keystone (New York Motion Picture Company).
Begins work at Keystone Studios
Arrives in Los Angeles and starts at Keystone; rapidly makes many short comedies.
Film debut: Making a Living
Makes film acting debut in the Keystone one-reeler Making a Living (released 2 Feb 1914).
Tramp persona debuts publicly
The Tramp persona appears to audiences in Kid Auto Races at Venice (released 7 Feb 1914); costume created and adopted.
Directorial debut: Caught in the Rain
Directs Caught in the Rain (released 4 May 1914) — Chaplin's first film as director and a success.
Supporting role in Tillie's Punctured Romance
Has supporting role in the feature Tillie's Punctured Romance (Nov 1914), boosting profile.
Leaves Keystone; joins Essanay with large offer
Essanay offers $1,250 per week and $10,000 signing bonus; Chaplin signs and moves studios to gain more creative control.
Chaplin mania peaks
Merchandise, cartoons and songs proliferate; a Motion Picture journalist coins 'Chaplinitis' — Chaplin becomes first international film star.
The Tramp (1915) marks emotional development
Releases The Tramp (Apr 1915) at Essanay; the character becomes gentler and more pathos-driven.
Tops Pictures & Picturegoer poll
Wins the poll of greatest British film actors with 142,920 votes (Sept 1915).
Essanay contract ends; seeks larger deals
Essanay contract finishes (Dec 1915); Chaplin requests big signing bonus ($150,000) and negotiates with other studios.
Signs with Mutual — huge salary
Mutual Film Corporation contract reported at $670,000 a year (making Chaplin among the highest‑paid people globally).
Opens own Los Angeles studio (Mutual era)
Mutual gives Chaplin his own LA studio to work in (studio opens March 1916); expands stock company and production scale.
Signs First National for $1M
Signs to make eight films for First National Exhibitors' Circuit in return for $1,000,000 (June 1917), seeking independence.
Charlie Chaplin Studios completed
Builds his own studio on five acres off Sunset Boulevard; studio completed January 1918, granting him production freedom.
A Dog's Life released
First film under First National contract (released Apr 1918), featuring the Tramp's evolving portrayal as a 'Pierrot'.
Marries Mildred Harris
Marries 16‑year‑old actress Mildred Harris quietly in Los Angeles (Sept 1918) amid pregnancy reports.
Shoulder Arms released and war fundraising
Releases the war‑set comedy Shoulder Arms (Oct 1918); tours for the Third Liberty Bond campaign and produces a propaganda short 'The Bond'.
Co‑founds United Artists
Co‑founds distribution company United Artists with D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks (Jan 1919) to secure creative control.
Birth of son Norman Spencer Chaplin
Mildred Harris gives birth to Norman Spencer Chaplin on 7 July 1919; the infant dies three days later, a traumatic personal event.
Begins filming The Kid
Begins production of his first feature‑length film The Kid (Aug 1919) starring Jackie Coogan; nine months in production.
The Kid released
Releases The Kid (Jan 1921), his first feature combining comedy and drama; becomes widely successful and screened internationally.
Returns to England; publishes My Wonderful Visit
Returns to England for the first time in nearly a decade and writes about the journey in a book titled My Wonderful Visit.
Begins filming A Woman of Paris
Starts A Woman of Paris (Nov 1922), a dramatic picture intended as a star vehicle for Edna Purviance (Chaplin largely absent on screen).
A Woman of Paris premieres (box‑office disappointment)
Premieres Sept 1923; critically praised but commercially disappointing because Chaplin did not star in it.
Begins filming The Gold Rush
Begins production of The Gold Rush in Feb 1924, inspired by the Klondike Gold Rush; ambitious location shoots and effects.
Marries Lita Grey (second marriage)
Marries Lita Grey in Mexico (25 Nov 1924); she was 16 and the marriage was prompted by an announced pregnancy.
Birth of son Charles Spencer Chaplin III
Charles Spencer Chaplin III is born (5 May 1925) to Chaplin and Lita Grey.
First movie star on Time cover
Becomes the first movie star featured on the cover of Time magazine (6 Jul 1925).
The Gold Rush released; major box office success
The Gold Rush (Aug 1925) opens after 15 months of filming; production cost nearly $1,000,000 and US box office ~$5,000,000.
Birth of son Sydney Earl Chaplin
Sydney Earl Chaplin born on 30 March 1926 (son with Lita Grey).
Divorce from Lita Grey; large cash settlement
Divorce is bitter and highly publicised; lawyers settle for approximately $600,000 (reported as largest US award at the time).
Completes The Circus production (troubled shoot)
Production of The Circus plagued by personal turmoil and a studio fire; filming suspended and completed Oct 1927.
The Circus released
Releases The Circus (Jan 1928) to positive reception though Chaplin personally associated it with stress.
Begins City Lights production (silent in talkie era)
Despite the arrival of sound, begins work on City Lights (end of 1928); seeks perfection and composes its musical score.
Special Academy Award for The Circus
At the 1st Academy Awards Chaplin receives a special trophy 'For versatility and genius in acting, writing, directing and producing The Circus'.
Leaves on extended world travels
Takes a 16‑month travel period across Western Europe and Asia (begins early 1931) — influences future films and political awareness.
City Lights released; major success
City Lights (Jan 1931) released as a silent with sound effects and a score by Chaplin; grosses over $3,000,000 and is critically acclaimed.
Meets Paulette Goddard
Meets 21‑year‑old actress Paulette Goddard in July 1932; they begin a relationship that later becomes a marriage.
Marries Paulette Goddard (reported)
Chaplin and Paulette Goddard become married around 1936 (sources indicate marriage in mid‑1930s; later divorced 1942).
Modern Times released
Releases Modern Times (Feb 1936), a largely silent film satirising industrialisation and the Depression; includes one sung gibberish number.
The Great Dictator (first true sound film)
Releases The Great Dictator (1940), his first full talking picture, satirising Adolf Hitler and fascism; nominated for Best Actor and Best Picture.
Pays Orson Welles $5,000 for Monsieur Verdoux idea
Purchases the idea (or treatment) from Orson Welles for $5,000 in 1941 for what becomes Monsieur Verdoux; long script development follows.
Marries Oona O'Neill
Marries 18‑year‑old Oona O'Neill in 1943; marriage lasts until his death and they have eight children together.
Joan Barry paternity suit; popularity declines
Involved in a highly publicised paternity suit (Joan Barry) that damages his public standing; contributes to later scrutiny and investigations.
Monsieur Verdoux released
Releases Monsieur Verdoux (1947), a black comedy/drama with controversial reception in the US amid rising Cold War tensions.
Exile from the United States; relocates to Switzerland
Due to moral/political allegations and an FBI investigation (accusations of communist sympathies), Chaplin leaves the U.S. and relocates to Corsier‑sur‑Vevey, Switzerland.
Limelight released; US re‑entry refused
Releases Limelight (1952). While in London for its premiere the U.S. Immigration Service announces he will be refused re‑entry; he then settles in Switzerland.
A King in New York released (as exile)
Releases A King in New York (1957) while living in exile; film satirises American Cold War paranoia and McCarthyism.
A Countess from Hong Kong (last film produced)
Produces and directs A Countess from Hong Kong (1967), his only color feature and final film project; stars Marlon Brando and Sophia Loren.
Returns to US to accept Honorary Academy Award
Returns to the U.S. to accept an Honorary Academy Award for 'the incalculable effect he has had in making motion pictures the art form of this century'; receives a lengthy standing ovation (1972).
Officially ends active career (years active 1899–1975)
Career recorded as active from 1899 until 1975; last professional work completed by mid‑1970s.
Death in Switzerland
Charles Chaplin dies at his home in Corsier‑sur‑Vevey, Switzerland on 25 December 1977 at age 88; buried at Cimetière de Corsier‑sur‑Vevey.
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