Charlie Chaplin, who died in 1977, would be 132 years old this year. Chaplin was one of the greatest and widely loved silent film stars. He was born into a poor family in South London. His mother started out as a singer and actress, but later lost her voice. Chaplin and his brother had to make money for their family any way they could. He tried many jobs during his lifetime.
"l was newsvendor, printer, toymaker, doctor's boy, but ... I never lost my dream of becoming an actor," Chaplin said. After years of trying to find acting work, he finally got work at Keystone Studios. This would change his life forever. He went to the US in 1910, and in 1914 hew as in his first Hollywood film. In those days, the film industry was very new. Chaplin's early comedies were in black and white and they were 'silent'- there were no words or music.
Chaplin's favourite character was 'the tramp'— a little man with big trousers, an old black hat and a sad face. Chaplin made his character funnier by giving him a mismatched look. He made many famous films. Modern Times (1936) was his first 'talking' film. Besides acting, Chaplin wrote, directed and even made music for many of his films-he was even a violinist and a pianist. He loved everything about filmmaking. His love for filmmaking made a great difference in his life.
Chaplin decided to leave the USA in 1952 and his new home was in Switzerland. He died there on Christmas Day at the age of 88.He was silent film's first superstar, and maybe the only one that most people remember from that time.
