2 minute read
COVER STORY
LEGENDS OF CINEMA: CHARLIE CHAPLIN
WHAT A LIFE!
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As an icon of the silent film era, Charlie Chaplin is one of the most important figures in cinema history.
But how much do you really know about the comedy legend who made his Little Tramp a classic character in the history of international film with the likes of City Lights and Modern Times?
Here are ten fascinating facts about the British funnyman who set out to co n q u e r H o l l y wo o d a n d , m o re t h a n a h u n d re d ye a rs l a te r, i s s t i l l a d o re d by m ov i e fans worldwide.
*He once entered a Charlie Chaplin lookalike contest – and finished third!
*Chaplin made his London West End stage acting debut aged just 12 in a Sherlock Holmes play as ‘Billy the page boy.’
*His father died of alcoholism aged just 37 and his mother was committed to a mental asylum.
*He was married four times – three of his brides were teenagers when he married them.
*Chaplin fathered 11 children.
*He was one of the richest men in America. As early as 1 9 1 6 , h i s s a l a r y wa s a l re a d y $ 670,0 0 0 -a - ye a r.
*With fellow Hollywood icons Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and D.W. Griffith he founded the famous film studio, United Artists.
*Despite living in the United States for over 40 years, he never became a US citizen. In 1952 the US government revoked his residency permit amid rumors h e wa s a co m m u n i s t sy m pa t h i ze r. C h a p l i n re l o c a te d to Switzerland.
*After being exiled, he only returned to America once - in 1972 to receive an Honorary Oscar and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
*Grave robbers stole his remains from the Swiss ce m e te r y w h e re h e wa s b u r i e d i n 1 97 7.
—Sandro Monetti
