Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, better known as Charlie Chaplin, was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer. He is one of the most important figures in the film industry. Let’s learn more about his life, career, and earnings.
Early Life
On 16th April 1889, in East Street, Walworth, Hannah Chaplin and Charles Chaplin Sr. welcomed their son Charles Spencer Chaplin into this world. Both of his parents were music hall entertainers. He spent his childhood in the London district of Kennington. He attended the Norwood Schools, just like his brother. The Norwood Schools is an institution for children of the poor. When he was just nine years old, Charlie had to work to feed his family. On 25th December 1977, he died in his sleep after suffering a stroke.
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Personal Life
Charlie Chaplin was married four times, and his wives include Mildred Harris, Lita Grey, Paulette Goddard, and Oona O’Neill. He had eleven children.
Career
As it was previously said, Chaplin had to start working at the age of nine to feed his family, but his career as an actor started when he was 19 years old. He moved to the United States to act. In 1914 he appeared for the Keystone Studios. He gained popularity through his development of the persona of The Tramp. In 1919, Chaplin founded his own distribution company, and before that he used to direct his own movies.
He enjoyed making silent movies, and some of his feature-length are The Gold Rush, The Kid, The Circus, and A Woman Of Paris.
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Charlie Chaplin was awarded numerous times during his lifetime. In 1975 British New Year Honors, he was appointed as Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. He was awarded three Academy Awards and a special Golden Lion Award. The University of Durham and the University of Oxford invested him with honorary Doctor of Letters degrees. In 1972 he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The same year he was given the lifetime achievement award by the Lincoln Center Film Society. And the year before, the French Government appointed him as a Commander of the National Order of the Legion.
Net Worth
At the time of his death, Charlie Chaplin’s net worth was estimated up to $50 million. Most of his earnings came from his silent movies. The TIME Magazine put him on the list of the 100 Most Important People of the 20th Century.