omaggio charles chaplin

Charlie Chaplin was born on April 15, 1889, in London, England to Charles Chaplin, Sr., and Hannah Hill. He was taught to sing before he could talk and danced just as soon as he could walk. At a very young age Chaplin was told that he would be the most famous person in the world. From then on it was a personal goal for little Charlie. And he would do anything to reach his goal. When Charlie was five years old he sang for his mother on stage after she became ill and taken hoarse. Everyone in the audience loved him and hurled their money onto the stage. When Chaplin was eight, he appeared in a clog dancing act called "Eight Lancashire Lads". Once again he was loved by the audience and he was excited with the attention he received. Charlie's half-brother, Sidney, acted as his agent and when Charlie was ten years old, Sidney got Chaplin an engagement at the London Hippodrome. Within a few years Charlie was one of the most popular child actors in England.

In 1919, Chaplin formed United Artists, the first independent film distribution corporation, with (from left) D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford, Albert H.T. Banzhaf, Dennis F.O Brien, and Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. The move gave the artist much greater control of his films.

Albert Einstein and Chaplin arrive for the opening of Chaplin's movie, City Lights, in Los Angeles, California, Feb. 2, 1931.

Charlie Chaplin in Monsieur Verdoux (1947).

Chaplin and a cameraman during the filming of Alaska.

Charlie Chaplin (left) and Harry Myers (centre) in City Lights (1931), directed by Charlie Chaplin.