READING 3 Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin playing a burglar in a 1916 silent film

CHARLIE

CHAPLIN

Read the following article. Pay special attention to the words in bold. 3.5

You have seen many movies and animations with the most advanced technology. And you can probably recognize many of today’s popular actresses and actors. But have you ever heard of Charlie Chaplin? Charlie Chaplin was one of the greatest actors in the world. During the time of silent movies, Chaplin was the highest-paid person in the world—not just the highest-paid actor. His amusing character, the Little Tramp, with his worn-out shoes, round hat, and cane, is still well known to people throughout the world.

Chaplin had an amazing life. His idea for a poor tramp probably came from his childhood experiences. Born in poverty1 in London in 1889, Chaplin was abandoned by his father and left in an orphanage2 by his sick mother. He became interested in acting at the age of five. At 10, he left school to travel with a British acting company. In 1910, he made his first trip to the United States. He was talented, athletic, and hardworking. On his second trip to the United States, in 1912, his talent was recognized and he was offered a movie contract. In 1917, when his contract expired, he built his own studio, where he produced, directed, and wrote the movies he starred in. He even composed the music that was played with his movies. Five years after arriving in the United States, he was earning $10,000 a week, which today is worth over $100,000.

Even though sound was introduced in movies in 1927, Chaplin continued to make silent movies. He didn’t make a movie with sound until 1940, when he played a comic version of the terrifying dictator, Adolf Hitler.

As Chaplin got older, he faced declining popularity as a result of his politics and personal relationships. After he left the United States in 1952, Chaplin was not allowed to re-enter because of his political views. He didn’t return to the United States until 1972, when he was given a special award for his lifetime achievements. Chaplin died in 1977 at the age of 88.

1 poverty: lack of money and material possessions 2 orphanage: a place where children without parents live and are cared for