15 Things You Should Know About Charlie Chaplin

With Chaplin’s much-beloved character ‘Little Tramp’, he is considered to have been one of the best actors and directors of the silent-film era. Behind the art, however, there are many curious things you didn’t know about Chaplin himself.

Both Chaplin’s parents were in the entertainment industry. It is reported that, at age five, Chaplin replaced his mother (who was suffering from laryngitis) at a music-hall show, singing his first song Jack Jones in front of a crowd of soldiers. At age 12, he appeared as ‘Billy the page boy’ in a rendition of Sherlock Holmes.

In 1915, Chaplin took part in the Charlie Chaplin look-a-like contest. Unbelievably, the judges and audience didn’t realise that he was the real one! It is reported that, instead of winning, he took home third place.

Chaplin was the first actor ever to appear in Time Magazine in the 6th July 1925 issue. The magazine is famous for its influential and controversial covers and this was a big step for the actor.

Chaplin composed the music for many of his own movies, despite never having had proper music training. In 1972, Chaplin actually won an Oscar for the music in Limelight (1952), which he helped compose.

During this time, the president of the United States was paid $75,000 per year. In 1916, after Chaplin signed a contract with the Mutual Film Corporation of New York, his salary increased to $670,000.

Becoming one of the most iconic representatives of silent cinema, Chaplin refused to adopt audio and dialogue for a long time, even though sound technology in the film industry was becoming increasingly popular. He continued with his own idea of cinema, convinced that sound would ruin the Little Tramp. However, he gradually introduced music and other sounds as a device in his later movies, including City Light (1931), Modern Times (1936) and The Great Dictator (1940).

Chaplin never became an American citizen, despite having lived in the United States for almost 40 years. After the movie Modern Times, he gained a reputation as a communist sympathiser. In 1952, the U.S. government revoked his permit, meaning Chaplin was not allowed to return to the United States after a holiday to England. As a result, Chaplin moved to Switzerland, where he spent the rest of his life. He only returned to the United States in 1972, to accept his honorary Oscar.

Chaplin’s first marriage was with Mildred Harris in 1918. After their divorce, he married the actress Lita Grey in 1924. When the actor was 47, he married his third wife, Paulette Goddard. His fourth and final marriage was with Oona O’Neill in 1943, when Chaplin was 54. She gave birth to 8 of the 11 Chaplin children, and they lived together until Chaplin’s death.

In 1937, Disney released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, its first feature-length animated movie. Walt Disney was unsure about how well the movie would do, but Chaplin reportedly encouraged the filmmaker to complete and distribute Snow White. The two became business associates and Chaplin played an important role in the spread of Disney’s name.

The audience had always believed that Chaplin had brown eyes. This is due to the black and white cinema era; most people were not able to recognise that Chaplin had fabulous blue eyes!

Albert Einstein was a guest of honor during the premiere of Chaplin’s movie City Lights in Los Angeles on the 2nd February 1931.

When Lyudmila Karachkina discovered a main-belt asteroid on the 4th October 1981, four years after the death of the actor, she decided to call it 3623 Chaplin. Not many actors can say they have had the same honour!

In 1992, Geraldine Chaplin portrayed the role of her grandmother Hannah Chaplin in the movie Chaplin, the adaption of the actor’s life.

On the 22nd September 1931, Chaplin met the pacifist leader in Canning Town, East End Dock — one of the poorest London boroughs — before Gandhi attended a conference.

The only time Chaplin returned to the United States after his exile was in 1972, when he finally received his first Oscar and a star on the Walk of Fame. The project to give him a star had begun 20 years prior to release, but was initially refused due to his political views.