Sofia 4/5/12
5-B L.A.
Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin was one of the funniest actors in the world during his time period. He had many awards and milestones during his career. Charlie Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889 in Walworth, England. To add, when he was a little boy he was in and out of foster homes. He went to Elementary School at Hanwell Schools for Orphans and Destitute Children. His mother was really sick and crazy sometimes. His dad had left and his half-brother ran away when Charlie was young. There were many obstacles Charlie had to face. Growing up, Charlie Chaplin wasn’t a usual child, he was a very lonely, dirty, and a tired boy.When his brother Sydneycame home, he would find him home with just a bag of tea for food. In his free time, he liked to play wonderful joyful tunes on his violin. Charlie had four wives. These were Mildred Harris, Lita Grey, Paulette Gaddard, and lastly Ooana O’ Neil. His children which were a total of eleven,were Michael John Chaplin, Victoria Chaplin, Eugene Anthon Chaplin, Jane Cecil Chaplin, Annette Emily Chaplin, Christopher James Chaplin, Norman Spencer Chaplin, Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr., Sydney Earle Chaplin, Carol Ann Barry Chaplin, and Geraldine Leigh Chaplin. He would stare through the window dreaming that he would be famous and this was soonto come true.
In the beginning of Chaplin’s young teen and teen years, he stayed home alone. His mother was in a mental institute. He did not have a dad to take care of him. His only brother,Sydney,who was in the navy, was the only one he had. Sydney gave him a nice new wardrobe when he usually came back. Next, off went Sydney and off went Charlie to make a career. At age 12, Charlie played “Billy” the page boy, in Sherlock Holmes. After he had done that he had a career as a comedian in vaudeville, which eventually took him to Hollywood in 1910. When Charlie Chaplin started in America, he was like any other immigrant: lost, scared, and didn’t have any money. Soon after, he starred as a feature player with the Fred Karno Repertoire Company when he was about 14. At the time, Charlie was in America. The street was filled with peddlers; many people were immigrating and were busy finding jobs. Many people were coming for a new experience. Charlie was pulled into America to have a better career in Hollywood. He did speak English because he was raised in England. Chaplin was lucky a personsince he was in America,once and he had a high paying job. He had to make money. He needed to support his mom. He went through by buying food, making money, and overall having a good life.
When Chaplin was in his career, he had many milestones. Charlie was so great because he was poor,but he still kept trying to someday be rich. Charlie Chaplin had many jobs. They were daring director, comedian, and actor. He proved that silent movies could be funny with just showing your emotions, stunts, and music to stick with the mood. Charlie Chaplin made a lot of movies. He made The Kid, A Women in Paris, The Gold Rush,The Circus,City Lights,Modern Times, The Great Dictator,Monsieur Verdoux,Limelight, and A King in New York. Charlie Chaplin won many regardful, rewarding, rewards. In 1973, he won the Oscar for Limelight. In 1972, he won an Honorary Award. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1948 for Monsieur Verdoux. In 1948, he was nominated 2 times for The Great Dictator. In 1929, he won an Honorary Award for The Circus. Charlie was an actor that entertained people. He entertained people by using clothes to make him look older and he walked in a funny way. Charlie faced discrimination because he dressed older then the age he was. People said“Why does he dress older?” Many people didn’t believe in Chaplin when he was smaller because he was all alone and wasn’t funny to people. They would say “how could a person who is not sanitary and who is poor become somebody?” He showed people that poor people could follow their dream .He is nothing like a serf in the MiddleAges, he is the person in the Renaissance. Charlie showed people his talent!
Charlie Chaplin was a very interesting man. One interesting fact is he walks like a penguin. Next, he dressed older. He wore floppy shoes, a mustache, a tiny hat, baggy pants, a tight jacket, and no makeup. Third, he was a funny guy but he was sophisticated. In his sparetime, he liked to play the violin peacefully.
Charlie Chaplin is a true representative because he fought and risked his life to finally become famous for his family and friends to support them. He represented our country by telling people jokes to make them smile.He would get hurt just to cheer up other people. Charlie Chaplin wrote many inspirational quotes. He was a key person because a lot of people knew himback then, and many people know him today. Charlie helped silent movies become more interesting for the future such as the movie The Artist in the Oscars that won the best movie of the year. It meant a lot to Chaplin when he came to America so he could have a better life. He could have the life he had always wanted. He came into the melting pot. The melting pot in America has a pot with many people’s backgrounds. There are different religions: Catholic, Christian, Hindu, and Muslim. There are different nationalities: Egyptian, Mexican, Irish, German, Swedish, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Australian, Portuguese, and even more. Charlie Chaplin was part of this pot.
Charlie was a quote master! Some quotes that Charlie Chaplin said are “A day without laughter is a day wasted.” This means that if you have a lonely day without fun,it is a day wasted. “All I need to make a comedy is a park, a police man, and a pretty girl.” This quote means that he can make a comedy with something little. “Dictators save themselves, but they enslave other people.”This quote means that if a dictator makes him free by military force he hurts other people.
There are many reasons why I chose Charlie Chaplin. I chose Charlie Chaplin because he was a very funny actor/comedian. He inspired me when I was readingabout when he was small and he dreamt to be famous and rich; he made it. This person represented our country by coming to the U.S and wasn’t afraid to show the world what he’s got. He had many funny black and white silent films he made: The Kind (1921), A Woman in Paris (1923), The Gold Rush (1925), and The Circus (1928).Charlie wanted to show people that you could be funny without words. Charlie Chaplin was a great, terrific man.
Sadly, he died on Christmas Day in 1977 when he fell asleep. Soon after, people had stolen his body,but he soon returned to be buried in Switzerland. Many people die with a goal achieved in their life. Many people die with no goal. Charlie Chaplin was one of the many people who achieved great goals that affected him and a widespread amount of people in the world. He was a universal appeal to people! He made many people smile bigger than the crest on the moon!