Charlie Chaplin interesting facts from life. Biography of Charlie Chaplin. Interesting facts from life, creativity. He edited most of his films himself.

1. During the McCarthy era, Chaplin was accused of being a communist and not telling anyone about it. Particularly active wrestlers tore off the tiles with paintings and prints of Chaplin's feet and hands from the Walk of Fame. She was lost, so it was not possible to return her to her place.

Wikimedia Commons

2. Chaplin, already a world-famous actor, entered the competition for the best "Charlie Chaplin Double" and lost, taking only third place.

3. Chaplin's body was stolen from the grave. The kidnappers demanded a ransom from the relatives and threatened to destroy the prey if they did not get their way. 11 weeks later, the police caught them, the actor's body was returned, but in order to avoid a repetition of events, this time they did not fill the grave with earth, but filled it with cement.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

4. Charlie Chaplin became the first actor ever to be featured on the cover of a magazine. July 6, 1925 did it.

Wikimedia Commons

5. Charlie Chaplin never won an Oscar in the acting category. Nevertheless, he became the only person in history who was first awarded two Oscars for the overall contribution to the development of cinema (usually this award is given to those who have already completed their careers), and then another in the Best Film Music nomination.

Wikimedia Commons

6. Charlie Chaplin was a famous heartthrob. Several women sued him, demanding compensation for the maintenance of their common, not very legally born children. In 1940, actress Joan Barry sued, and despite the fact that Chaplin's paternity was not proven, the judge, tired of having to deal with Charlie's women several times a year, forced the actor to pay monthly alimony of $ 75 (huge money in those days) until that child, not his, comes of age. And Chaplin paid.

Wikimedia Commons

7. Chaplin considered the image of the Tramp so successful that he used it in 70 films over a period of 26 years. To all the attacks that he was unoriginal, Chaplin answered: "It is your claims that are unoriginal."

Wikimedia Commons

8. In his autobiography, which Chaplin called simply “My Autobiography,” the actor wrote 12 truths, the knowledge of which will make you a happy person:

If you didn't laugh today, consider that the day is lost.

Everything in the world is impermanent - especially troubles.

Life seems tragic only when viewed from too close a distance. Step back and enjoy.

We think too much and feel too little.

To learn how to really laugh, learn to play with what hurts you.

Don't get used to luxury. It is sad.

Failure means nothing at all. It takes a very brave person to fail miserably.

Only clowns are truly happy.

Beauty is something that doesn't need to be explained. She is always visible.

Sometimes you have to do the wrong things at the right time and the right things at the wrong time.

Don't give in to despair. This is a drug that does the most terrible thing to a person - it makes a person indifferent.

Only the crazy can survive in this crazy world. Don't be ashamed of yourself.

Charlie Chaplin, a British and American actor, writer, producer and director, was one of Hollywood's top stars, best known during the silent film era.

His name is associated with the Little Tramp, a character with a mustache, a bowler hat, a bamboo cane and a funny walk. Biography of Charlie Chaplin reveals the interesting life of the actor both in his films and behind the camera.

Hard childhood

Charles Spencer Chaplin was born in Walworth, London, England on April 16, 1889. His mother, Hannah Harriet Pedlingham (Hill), a talented actress and singer, spent most of her life in psychiatric hospitals, and his father, Chaplin Sr., a talented vocalist, died early from drunkenness. When his parents divorced, Charlie and his brother lived in orphanages.

Charlie Chaplin's nationality remains a mystery. There are opinions that the real name of the actor was Israel Thornstein, and he is Jewish, but his parents were not of Jewish origin.

It appears from the letter found that the boy was born in a gypsy wagon outside London and had some degree of gypsy ancestry, but this hereditary claim has not been verified.

Having barely learned to read, the future actor and his brother left school and left with a group of comic artists. Having inherited the natural talent of their parents, young people entered the scene, which became the best opportunity for their career. Charlie, at the age of nine, made his debut as a member of a youth group called the Eight Lancashire Boys and quickly gained popularity with the audience.

He subsequently starred in several comedies and by the age of nineteen had become a popular music hall performer in England.

Carier start

Chaplin began his acting career at the age of nine, touring with a group of comic artists. When he was twelve, he landed his first role in a stage show and performed as "Bill" and then in various productions of William Gillette's Sherlock Holmes.

At the age of 18, the young man worked as a comedian in the Fred Carnot vaudeville troupe, joining them on a US tour in 1910, and gained popularity with American audiences. The future film actor was first offered to star in the comedy film Making a Living.

Charlie's youth was spent in California. Here he signed a contract with popular director Mac Sennett of the Keystone film company for $150 a week.

At the request of Sennett to look lyrical and memorable on screen, Chaplin came up with an outfit consisting of an oversized jacket, very wide trousers, large shoes and a shabby coat. As a final touch, he glued on a mustache, put on makeup and took a cane as a universal support. Thus was born the immortal image of Chaplin - little tramp, and films with his participation began to bring big profits.

These years were the most fruitful in the work of the film actor. He starred in 35 films and played the Little Tramp in almost all of them. After appearing in more than thirty short films, Chaplin realized that the speed and craziness of Sennett's productions were holding back his personal talents, and in 1915, at the end of his contract with the producer, he moved to the Essanai company with a fee of $ 1,200.

Filmography and independence

The following year, 1916, Charlie became more in demand and signed with the Mutual Film Corporation for a large fee ($10,000) and starred in 12 comedies in which he used sharper humor for the first time. These include:

• "Firefighter";
• "Tramp";
• "Graph";
• "Pawnshop";
• "Behind the screen";
• "Rink";
• "Easy Street"
• "Medicine";
• "Immigrant";
• "Adventurer".

In 1918, Charlie, along with the stars of husband and wife Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, as well as director D. Griffith, built his own studio and signed a contract with National Films for a million dollars.

He created classics of silent cinema in films such as:

• "A Dog's Life" about the existence of vagrants;
• "Shoulder" about the First World War;
• "Kid" about the touching story of life in the slums.

Feeling the need for a complete rest from his cinematic activities, Chaplin sailed for Europe in September 1921. After an extended vacation, he returned to Hollywood and began to work actively in his United Artists studio.

Chaplin made nine feature films:

• "Kid" (1921);
• "The Great Dictator" (1940);
• "King in New York" (1957);
• "Paris Woman" (1923);
• "Gold Rush" (1925);
• "Modern Times" (1936);
• "Circus" (1928);
• "City Lights" (1931);
• "Monsieur Verdu" (1947);

Many films have become bestsellers and become more famous over time. They showed through Little Tramp's positive outlook on a life full of chaos that the human spirit exists and will always remain in this world.

City Lights and the Great Dictator

In 1931, Charlie Chaplin made the film City Lights, which shows the friendship of a tramp with a blind flower girl and a drunken millionaire. Many critics considered the motion picture the best work of the artist.

It was a sentimental and sweet story in which the Little Tramp falls in love with a blind flower girl and vows to restore her sight. The musical score, the only "sonic" element of this film, was written by the author himself. The painting "City Lights" turned out to be a difficult and long work in the creative career of the master. Filming lasted two years and eight months.

Before the start of the film, there was a sound film. This great revolution in cinema was a difficult task for Chaplin, as the character of his silent tramp was universal, his pantomime is understood in all corners of the world. But if the tramp starts speaking English, this large audience will instantly shrink. Chaplin solved this problem by ignoring the speech and making City Lights silent. The opening nights were some of the most spectacular cinemas have ever seen.

Albert Einstein was his guest in Los Angeles, and Bernard Shaw attended the screening in London.

The Great Dictator (1940) is Chaplin's most outspoken political satire and his first sound film. In the film, the film actor played a dual role - a Jewish hairdresser who lost his memory in a plane crash in World War I and spent years in a hospital, and Adenoid Hynkel, the dictator of Thomania (Germany), a parody of Adolf Hitler. Paulette Goddard played Hannah, the barber's girlfriend, and Jack Oakie played Italian dictator Benito Mussolini as Napaloni. The film did well at the box office and won the 1941 Academy Award for Best Picture and Actor.

Last years

In the late forties, the Cold War in America reached its peak, and Chaplin, as a foreigner with liberal and humanistic views, became the main target of the FBI.

He was charged with committing immoral acts and political suspicion. This was the beginning of the last and unhappy period of the actor's life in the United States, which he finally left in 1952. Chaplin, who was never a US citizen, sold all American property and settled in Geneva, Switzerland with his wife Oona O'Neill and children.

In 1966, the film director made his last film, The Countess from Hong Kong. for Universal Pictures, the only color film starring Italian Sophia Loren and American actor Marlon Brando. The film was planned back in the 1930s specifically for Paulette Goddard, but it wasn't until the 1970s that the project came to fruition. In the film, Chaplin briefly appears as a ship's steward, son Sydney plays the lead role again, and the three daughters have small scenes.

The film was unsuccessful at the box office, but one song from the soundtrack was a hit and is still very popular.

By the 1970s, times had changed in America and Chaplin was again recognized for his rich contributions to cinema. In 1972 he visited the United States, where he received high honors in New York and Hollywood. In 1975 this respectable old man became Sir Charles Chaplin. And on December 25, 1977, he died at his home in Vevey, Switzerland, at the age of 88 from old age.

His funeral was a small and private Anglican ceremony, in accordance with his wishes. In 1978, the actor's coffin was stolen from the grave and discovered only three months later. The remains were reburied, and the gravestone was reinforced with a layer of cement. The famous comedian left a will. A million dollars will be won by the one who releases five rings of cigarette smoke from his mouth and passes the sixth through them. A million is waiting for its owner.

Personal life and interesting facts

Charlie Chaplin was married four times and had eleven children. In 1918 he married Mildred Harris, who gave birth to a boy who lived only three days, and in 1920 the couple divorced.

Chaplin on the set of the film became interested in actress Cast Grey. Six months later, Lita discovered that she was pregnant, and he was forced into a marriage that brought misfortune to both spouses. Charlie Chaplin's wife Lita Gray gave birth to two sons - Charles Jr. and Sydney Earl. They separated in 1927.

In 1936, Chaplin married Paulette Goddard, and the last marriage was in 1943 with eighteen-year-old Wona O'Neill, daughter of the playwright Eugene. The fourth wife gave birth to three sons - Eugene, Michael and Christopher, and five daughters - Geraldine, Josephine, Victoria, Jane, Annette-Emily. Charlie Chaplin's children, son Sydney and daughter Geraldine, became actors.

The life and career of the artist was full of contradictions and unexpected stories.. The first sandal occurred during the First World War, when Chaplin's allegiance to England was called into question, although he never applied for American citizenship, claiming to be a "visitor" to the United States. The FBI believed that the actor was introducing communist propaganda into his films. The painting "The Great Dictator" aroused even greater suspicions. However, the film grossed over $5 million and received five Academy Award nominations.

Another scandalous story happened when Chaplin was dating 22-year-old Joan Barry. Feelings were short-lived, and soon the relationship ended. The girl said she was pregnant and filed a paternity suit. Laboratory tests showed that Chaplin was not the father of the child. But at the time, blood tests were inadmissible evidence, and he was ordered to pay $75 a week until the child was 21.

There was an article in the English newspapers that in the theater of San Francisco, California, in 1915, the famous film actor took part in the competition as a double of himself and did not even go to the final of the competition.

creative legacy

Unlike many of his flamboyant characters, Chaplin was a quiet man. He had a "not a millionaire" lifestyle.

Even after earning a lot of money, he continued to live in simple hotel rooms and lead a modest lifestyle. In 1921, Chaplin was awarded by the French government for his outstanding work as a director, and in 1952 he was promoted to the rank of officer of the Legion of Honor.

In 1972, the filmmaker was awarded an Oscar for his "great contribution to the transformation of cinema into the art form of the century." He was appointed a Knight of the Order of the British Empire by the Queen of England in the 1975 New Year Honors List. No formal reason for the honor was given. The quote simply read: "Charles Spencer Chaplin, film actor and producer."

The personality of the famous director extended to writing and music. He was the author of My Trip Abroad and The Comedian Sees the World. A brief biography of Charlie Chaplin was embodied in his books "My Autobiography", "My Life in Pictures". The translation of the works was subsequently made into Russian. He was also a composer, composed many songs, including: “Sing a song”, “Smile”, “Eternity”, “Letter to your beloved”.

Charles Chaplin is one of the rare comedians who not only financed all of his films (with the exception of The Countess from Hong Kong), but was also their author, actor, director and composer of the soundtrack for them. Six of Chaplin's films were selected in National Film Registry by the US Library of Congress:

• "Immigrant" (1917);
• "Kid" (1921);

Charlie Chaplin is the most famous actor of the early 20th century. One of the few representatives of the silent film era whose name we hear through the decades.

At Charles Spencer Chaplin, popularly known as "Charlie Chaplin" had a tragic childhood. His father died when he was 12 due to alcohol abuse. His mother suffered from periodic bouts of insanity and was committed to a psychiatric hospital. As a result, Charlie had to start working at a very early age in order to support himself.

He chose the stage and made his professional debut at the age of eight with a children's dance group called the Eight Lancashire Boys.

At the age of eighteen, he toured the United States and this was the beginning of his brilliant career. The path of the Great Actor lasted more than 75 years, starting as a child in the Victorian era and finishing it a year before his death at the age of 88.

We have selected for you some little-known facts about Chaplin:

He was the first actor to appear on the cover of Time magazine.

He married 4 times and fathered 12 children.

Charlie Chaplin took third place in the competition of his own doubles.

Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator

He portrayed Adolf Hitler in The Great Dictator.

Feature film by Charlie Chaplin.

It won the Academy Award for Lime Lights for Best Film Score.

His daughter, actress Geraldine Chaplin, played the role of his mother in the film Chaplin.

Due to the suspicion that he was a communist, his prints were removed from the Hollywood Walk of Fame and were subsequently lost.

His body was stolen after he died. The criminals tried to extort money from his family. Chaplin's body was returned 11 weeks later after the robbers were found and apprehended. Now the burial is under 2 meters of concrete to prevent further theft attempts.

Charlie Chaplin never became a US citizen and was expelled from the country in 1953 because he renounced US citizenship. He spent the rest of his life in Switzerland, died in his sleep, in the city of Vevey, on the night of December 25, 1977 at the age of 88.

Charlie Chaplin was born in England (London) in 1889. But he became famous in the United States, where he first arrived in 1921. His portrayal of The Little Tramp is considered one of the best of the silent film era. Besides the art, however, there are many interesting things that you may not have known about Chaplin himself. He lived a difficult life and often found himself at odds with the American political and social mores of the day. Which ultimately led to his self-imposed exile in Switzerland, where he died at the age of 88. In addition, the actor was known for his love for very young girls, was married 4 times and each time the difference in the age of the spouses was more and more significant. Here are some more interesting facts about the life of the great actor.

He started performing as a child

Chaplin was born into a family of actors, but his childhood was unhappy. His father was an alcoholic and died when he was only 12 years old. His mother suffered from periodic bouts of insanity and was committed to a psychiatric hospital. As a result, Charlie started working at a very early age to support himself.

First work

Chaplin considered his first film work to be intellectually insignificant and called the films 'gross'. However, this was the first chance he got to get out of poverty. He started making over $100 a week, which was a lot of money in the early 1900s.

He didn't win the doppelgänger contest

In 1915, Chaplin entered the Charlie Chaplin Double competition. Judges and spectators did not recognize him, and he took only third place.

He was a talented composer

Chaplin composed music for many of his films despite never having the proper education.

He made more money than the president

Chaplin was one of the earliest professional actors to become wealthy through film work. By 1915, he was earning over $1,000 a week, which was far more than what most Americans earn these days. In 1916, while the President of the United States was paid $75,000 a year, after signing a contract with the New York Film Studio, his salary increased to $670,000.

He refused to talk

Chaplin for a long time refused to add audio accompaniment and dialogue to his films, although sound technology in the film industry was becoming increasingly popular. He was convinced that the sound would ruin his image of a little tramp. However, gradually the actor and director began to add music and other sounds as an accompaniment to his later films.

He never became a US citizen

Despite the fact that the actor lived in the United States for almost 40 years, he never received American citizenship. After the film "New Time" he was suspected of sympathizing with the communists. In 1952, the US government canceled his visa, and the actor was not allowed into the US after a vacation in England. Therefore, Chaplin moved with his family to Switzerland, where he spent the rest of his life. He returned to the US only in 1972 to receive a well-deserved Oscar.

He had four wives and 11 children

Chaplin was notorious for suffering from depression in his personal life and having extremely rocky relationships with very young girls of school age. He married four times, each time to a girl much younger than him. His wives were often teenagers at the time of their wedding, no matter how old Charlie Chaplin was. With his first wife, he had a difference of 12 years, with the second - 19, with the third - 25. Chaplin decided on his fourth marriage at the age of 54. His fiancee was 18-year-old Una O'Neill. She gave birth to 8 of Chaplin's 11 children, and they lived together until the death of the actor. The last time Chaplin became a father was at 72.

He helped Disney

In 1937, Disney released the first animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Walt Disney doubted the success of the film, but Chaplin convinced the director to complete and release Snow White. They became business partners and Chaplin was instrumental in Disney's popularity.

He had blue eyes

The audience was sure that Chaplin had brown eyes. This is due to the era of black and white cinema; in fact, Chaplin had beautiful blue eyes.

He knew Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein was the guest of honor at the Los Angeles premiere of Chaplin's City Lights on February 2, 1931.

His daughter played his mother in the biopic

In 1992, Geraldine Chaplin portrayed the role of her grandmother Hannah Chaplin in Chaplin, an adaptation of an acting life.

Chaplin VS. Hitler

Some people speculate that Charlie Chaplin was a supporter of Adolf Hitler due to the physical resemblance between Hitler and Chaplin's signature character, the little tramp. In fact, Charlie Chaplin did not sympathize with the Nazis. And even filmed a parody of Adolf Hitler in The Great Dictator, which was banned in Nazi Germany.

He received a star on the Walk of Fame in 1972.

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.

After death

After his death in 1977 in Switzerland, Chaplin's body was buried in a Swiss cemetery. However, he did not stay there for long. Fraudsters exhumed his corpse and stole it in 1978, hoping for a ransom, and it took the local police over a month to find it.

The name of this great man is familiar to all movie lovers. The biography of Charlie Chaplin is studied at directorial courses around the world as an example of a combination of talent and a business approach to the production process. The king of comedy, the genius of directing - what epithets he did not deserve! And the life of Charles Spencer Chaplin began in very difficult conditions. Most of the people in his then environment could not even think that he could achieve such success.

Hard childhood

Charlie Chaplin was born in 1889 in London. His family was very poor. The parents of the future king of comedy were also artists, but they did not gain worldwide fame. The father first tried his hand at pantomime, later retrained as a "genre singer". Charlie Chaplin's mother, Hannah Hill, played in the music hall, her career was also not distinguished by its brilliance. The life of the actors was unsettled even then, moving and touring were exhausting, and besides, family troubles began. Sydney and Charlie, half-brothers, after the divorce of their parents, stayed with their mother, the father (his name was also Charles) did not help his ex-wife to raise children, most likely because he simply could not. Hannah left the acting profession, took on any job, but even despite great efforts, she could not overcome the need. In order for one of the brothers to be able to go to a charity for free food, he had to put on the only shoes that belonged to his mother. The rest of the family waited patiently for his arrival. They ate once a day. Then Hannah fell ill, lay in a mental hospital, and the children, after a period of vagrancy, ended up in an orphanage. When the mother was released from the hospital (in 1898), their little family was reunited. Charlie Chaplin's career began at the age of nine.

The example of his parents did not inspire Charlie with disgust for the acting profession, although he had a chance to try many things in his life. All this experience was later reflected in numerous screenwriting and directorial works, but for now the nine-year-old boy danced in the Eight Lancashire Boys ensemble, and this lasted for two years. Then Charlie went on his own voyage through the cruel world of show business: he performed with his own program, performing skits and singing songs. It brought little money, they had to sell newspapers, teach someone to dance, cut firewood, work as a servant, a printer and even a glass blower.

America. Keystone and Essenay Studios

The life of Charlie Chaplin was most seriously influenced by participation in the Carnot troupe. Thanks to this work, in 1912 he found himself in a country of great opportunities (this is true, without a shadow of irony) - the United States of America. The eighteen-year-old guy was noticed by the managers of the Keystone film company, signed a contract with him and offered to move to Los Angeles. Of course, the young man worked at full strength, acting in studio tapes as an actor, but in addition he wrote scripts. Of the thirty-five Keystone films, twenty-four were inspired by Charlie Chaplin. Films with his participation were successful with the audience.

A dozen more short films were made by him in 1915 for Essenay Studios (Chicago, Illinois). Then the image of a little tramp in a bowler hat with a cane appeared. The best of them were "Tramp", "Champion" and "Woman". A peculiar imperturbable demeanor of the main character was also formed (it could be a policeman, a painter, a mechanic, and a laborer - yes, anyone), maintaining dignity and calmness in the most hopeless circumstances. Charlie Chaplin himself, obviously, was like that in his early youth. The image of a tramp, funny and touching, he wrote from himself.

Mutual Studio

The creative success of the young screenwriter and actor, exuding ideas in unlimited quantities, attracted the attention of the managers of the Hollywood studio Mutual. They considered it quite a reasonable decision to lure him away by offering a contract for $670,000, which was a fabulous sum at that time. And the film company did not lose, it got a talented author who releases a film a month. Spectator success fully paid off the costs, besides, the plots became much more meaningful, tragedy and drama appeared in them, interspersed with comedy, which distinguished Charlie Chaplin from other representatives of the entertainment genre. The years of the First World War were marked by the pacifist comedy "On the Shoulder!" and other works ridiculing militarism.

In 1918, a successful actor and director married for the first (and far from the last) time. Actress Mildred Harris was only fifteen, she announced that she was pregnant (which was somewhat exaggerated). The fact that the young wife of Charlie Chaplin was not quite ripe for marriage became obvious almost immediately. This marriage, caused more by blackmail than by a high and bright feeling, greatly upset the artist: for the whole of 1919, he was able to make only two not the most successful films (“Fun Day” and “Sunny Side”).

Independence

The United Artists studio, still known today, was founded by four partners, including famous actors David Griffith, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin. The growth of creative ambitions, however, prompted the latter to create his own film company Charles Chaplin Corporation, which did not prevent him from working with UA until the early fifties, when the actor had to leave the United States.

Family life, meanwhile, was cracking. Son Norman, born Mildred, lived only three days ... For an ordinary person, this would only be a personal tragedy, and Chaplin decided to make the film "The Kid" with a record budget of $ 300,000. He took his work very seriously, the scenes were re-shot dozens of times, until the picture became what it seemed to the author.

The creative method was also interesting. The director talked with the performers of all roles until he was convinced that the task was clear to the end. Then he played himself, saying the lines, regardless of whether it was a female or male character. Then there were long exhausting rehearsals, checking costumes, and only then did the shooting begin. During the premiere screenings, Charlie Chaplin himself was hiding somewhere in a dark hall. He judged his films by the reaction of the audience.

The couple divorced quietly and peacefully, although the press tried to make the process as scandalous as possible. For some reason, the court decided to confiscate the new painting, and Chaplin had to flee with her negative.

"Golden fever"

This film, shot in 1925, is still considered an unsurpassed masterpiece today. Anyone who has read Jack London's stories about the prospectors of Alaska knows the historical background of the picture, reproduced with filigree accuracy. Drama constantly coexists with comedy (which are only scenes of dancing with buns and eating a boiled shoe). The author's ingenuity goes off scale, while the main qualities of the protagonist - the same little Charlie - as always remain kindness, openness of heart and the ability to empathize with other people. Of course, there is also a romantic component of the plot, which did not remain alien to the actor and director himself - he married a second time. The history of this marriage painfully resembles the first sad experience. Lita Grey, the second wife of Charlie Chaplin, is also getting married "by aerial" (this time quite real) and is still at the same fifteen years of age. The couple lived for two years, gave birth to two sons (Sydney and Charlie), but, in the end, they also divorced.

In the meantime, another picture is being launched into production (The Circus, 1926), but it is not possible to finish the work calmly. Lita Gray starts a lawsuit to recover a large amount after a divorce, Charlie, quite in the spirit of his own characters, is trying to hide. There are rumors, inflated by the press, that he either went crazy or committed suicide, as well as the alleged extreme cruelty and immorality of the defendant. The result is a million compensation and a ward in a clinic for the nervously ill, where Charles Chaplin ends up.

The treatment is painful, the actor's hair is now dominated by gray hair. From the "Circus" did not turn out a funny comedy - the mood of the author affected. Financial, legal and medical problems took away valuable time. Charlie Chaplin was also bitten by monkeys during filming, and he again had to be treated for a whole month and a half.

Nevertheless, having overcome all the difficulties, he was still able to shoot a wonderful picture - deep, multifaceted and sometimes very funny. It was the last silent movie starring Charlie Chaplin.

New times, everything is new

If Chaplin did not make a single film, but only wrote music, this would be enough to call him a genius with full confidence. The soundtracks for various films are masterpieces in themselves, they are now often performed by orchestras and ensembles, and not everyone even knows who the author of these wonderful melodies is. Charlie Chaplin's creative biography in 1931 was replenished with a new excellent work - the film City Lights, on which he worked for more than three years. Tramp Charlie loves a blind flower seller, he also manages to make friends with a drunkard who turned out to be a millionaire. Beautiful music sounds... This wonderful fairy tale with an optimistic ending captivates even the most skeptical spectator. Just as impressive are the melodies written for other paintings (“New Times”, “Lamp Lights”).

In the United States, attempts were made to boycott the film "City Lights" on the grounds that its author was not eager to receive the American passport cherished by many. But in Europe he was waiting for a triumph, recognition, meetings with the most prominent people of the era (Prince of Wales, Bernard Shaw, Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and many others were happy to talk with him). After that, the film was still released in the US, and Chaplin decided to ride around the world and visit India, Africa, Indonesia and Japan. Upon arrival, he immediately plunged into a new job, starting to shoot the film Modern Times (1936).

A new romantic acquaintance was also not long in coming. The actor and director became interested in Paulette Godard, the actress who starred in his film, dedicated to exposing the soullessness of conveyor production.

In the difficult search for personal happiness

Looking ahead, we can state that Charles Chaplin was looking for personal happiness for a few more years, but found it only in 1943 in the person of Una O "Neill, a wise and kind girl beyond her years. The groom was then "only" 54, his chosen one - " already whole "17, but it was with her that he lived the rest of his life and was truly happy. And they met in the midst of a monstrous scandal that erupted on the basis of the alleged paternity of Chaplin, which was announced by the young artist J. Barry. By the way, he really had nothing to do, although he was awarded alimony anyway.

So, all these circumstances did not bother Una O "Neal. Apparently, she was not interested in them, and not even in the money that the actor and director undoubtedly had, but Charlie Chaplin himself. The growth of the groom also did not matter to her By the way, it was five feet and four inches, which in the metric system corresponds to 1 meter 63 cm.

The marriage turned out to be happy. He did not care about the crises of the 40s, the disgrace associated with leftist beliefs, and other hardships. Confirmation of this is the children of Charlie Chaplin, born by Una in six years: in 1944 - Geraldine, in 1946 - Michael, in 1949 - Josephine Hanna and in 1951 - Victoria.

film about a dictator

In 1940, Chaplin had the idea to make a film about events in Europe. For a year now, his homeland, Britain, fought single-handedly against Nazi Germany and its allies. The personalities of Hitler and Mussolini were interesting as objects of satire, their demeanor, from Chaplin's point of view, was a worthy object of ridicule. According to the plan, two twin characters acted in the film: one is a dictator, cruel and inexorable (Hinkel), the other is a simple hairdresser, Charlie the Jew. This plot move hinted at the possible Semitic origin of Adolf Hitler. The picture was put into production at the Paramount studio, although the author was warned about possible foreign policy complications associated with its demonstration (America was then neutral). The film turned out to be kind enough, the great dictator at the end repents of his unworthy behavior, thanks in large part to the generosity of Charlie (and the hairdresser, and Chaplin himself).

The prototype of the character himself, Hitler, according to information received from intelligence sources, became interested in the picture and looked at it. There was no official reaction, although the Führer probably recognized himself in Hinckel.

After the US entered the war, Charles Chaplin actively showed his anti-fascist position, expressed sympathy for all the forces that fought Germany, and especially the Soviet Union, which bore the brunt of the confrontation. The left-wing views of the film genius irritated many politicians, but until 1945, senators and congressmen avoided showing it. The broad masses were seized with pro-Soviet convictions, and it was politically unprofitable to condemn them. However, immediately after the Victory, bumps rained down on Chaplin's head. He was reminded of everything, including a weakness for young actresses who have not reached the age of majority.

Charlie leaves America

The reluctance to acquire US citizenship was perceived in 1947 as something strange. From devastated Europe, many scientists and artists traveled across the ocean, they received all the conditions for revealing their talents, and there was enough money for everyone in the country that had grown rich in the war. Chaplin's internationalism and cosmopolitanism caused frustration, he fell out of the general system, and, in the end, he was even suspected of something incomprehensible. NBC Corporation, in search of "fried facts" began an unofficial tapping of his phone.

Three years have passed in the work on the script of the next picture, called "Ramp Lights". The touching story of an elderly clown caring for a sick ballerina and healing her with his love was originally intended to be accompanied by numerous flashbacks, most of which were later cut out, otherwise it would have turned out to be a series, not a feature film. In 1952, the work was completed, Chaplin himself considered this movie the pinnacle of his work.

Life in Switzerland, recent years

After the premiere, the actor and director left the United States with his family, embarking on a long journey. For five months he was looking for a new home, not wanting to return to the country of rampant McCarthyism. He chose the Swiss Corsier-sur-Vevey, where he bought a luxurious estate with a villa. The biography of Charlie Chaplin at the final stage is connected with this city, the happy last decades of his life passed here. He became the father of four more children - Eugene, Jane, Annette and Christopher. Many prominent people came to visit the famous actor, the Spanish queen became a frequent guest, artists, writers, and movie stars came here, and the owner of the house joyfully and hospitably met them. Una became a wonderful wife and friend for Chaplin, the couple simply exuded happiness and harmony.

Money is only a means of achieving freedom, and, fortunately, Chaplin had enough of them. In 1957, he completed his penultimate film, A King in New York. It satirized many aspects of the American lifestyle and was initially banned in the US.

In 1964, Chaplin's autobiographical book was published, which became a bestseller and was translated into many languages.

In 1967, the last picture of the king of cinema, The Countess from Hong Kong, was released, which was not entirely successful, despite the stellar cast (Marlon Brando, Sophia Loren and other artists of the first magnitude), in which Charlie himself appeared only in an episode. The name of the author alone ensured audience success, but Chaplin decided not to make films anymore.

In the end, recognition came in the second homeland of the actor: he was finally appreciated in America by awarding the Oscar (1972). Chaplin went to the award ceremony wary, prepared for possible incidents, but the enthusiasm and applause with which he was greeted by the hall did not raise doubts about the sincere reverence for talent. The touched artist flashed a trick with a bowler hat and accepted an honorary award.

For another five years, the king enjoyed fame and wrote scripts, but, in general, led a calm and measured life. He became a knight of the British Empire and received many other honorary titles, which, however, did not have much significance, given the results of his main business.

On Catholic Christmas 1977, Charles Spencer Chaplin quietly rested in eternal sleep. His body found peace where he spent his last serene summers - in Corsier-sur-Vevey.

Descendants

It is believed that nature rests on the children of geniuses, but Chaplin had as many as ten of them, of which eight were born to him by his last wife Una. Not all of them became famous, but none of them can be called losers - they justify, as best they can, a glorious surname. Geraldine, the eldest daughter of Charlie Chaplin, is the only actress to become famous. The undoubted portrait resemblance to her father somehow mysteriously influenced her artistry. She managed to create some unforgettable cinematic images, and the first time she "lit up" in "Lamplights" with her brother Charlie Jr. Occasionally starred in various films and other children. The most beautiful daughter of Charlie Chaplin, Josephine, also starred in this film, but she did not want to be an actress, deciding to devote herself to her family.

Eugene became director of the Geneva Opera. The famous surname did not affect his appointment in any way - he studied hard and gained experience, working for a long time as an ordinary stage sound technician.

As for Charlie Chaplin's famous granddaughter Una, she is considered a Spanish actress. She was named after her grandmother, who gave family happiness to the illustrious grandfather. Una Jr. was born in 1986, her mother is Geraldine Chaplin. The girl starred in the serial television series Game of Thrones, and before that she tried herself in episodes. Graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. What are the further creative plans of Charlie Chaplin's granddaughter is still unknown.