Biography

Vital Stats l Tidbits

1889	April 16: Charles Spencer Chaplin born in London
1894	First appearance on stage in Aldershot Charlie and his family move to a workhouse in Lambeth; he goes to the "Hanwell School for Orphans and Destitute Children" (a Poor Law school)
1896	Hannah Chaplin is admitted to a public infirmary
1897	Charlie joins the "Eight Lancashire Lads"
1898	Charles Chaplin sr. (CC's father) dies (?) January: Charlie and Syd are discharged into their mother's custody again
1900	Charlie plays a part in the play Giddy Ostend in the London Hippodrome
1901	Charlie plays the title role in Jim, a romance of Cockayne; Tour with Sherlock Holmes
1904	Dec 27: Charlie plays one of the wolves in James Barrie's Peter Pan
1905	Oct 3: Premiere of The Painful Predicament of Sherlock Holmes
1906	Charlie joins Casey's Court Circus Late 1906: Charlie joins Fred Karno's group of comedians
1908	First love: Hetty Kelly
1909	Charlie tours in Paris with the Karno players; several shows in music halls
1910	First American tour
1912	Second American tour
1913	Spring: Charlie joins the Keystone company; he starts work in November
1914	Feb. 2: premiere of Charlie's first film, Making a Living In 1914, he stars in 35 films (for details, check out my filmography page)
1915	Charlie joins the Essanay company Feb. 14: premiere of his first Essanay film, His New Job By 1916, Charlie produces 14 films for Essanay (e.g. The Tramp, Work, and The Bank)
1916	Charlie joins the Mutual company May 15: premiere of his first Mutual film, The Floorwalker Charlie produces 12 Films for Mutual. The most famous of them are The Vagabond, Easy Street and The Immigrant. His first autobiography, Charlie Chaplin's Own Story, is released
1917	Charlie joins First National. The contract he signs is worth more than $ 1,000,000!
1918	Films: A Dog's Life, The Bond, Shoulder Arms Charlie goes on a Liberty Bond tour with Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks Oct. 23: Charlie marries 17-year-old Mildred Harris
1919	Films: Sunnyside, A Day's Pleasure Charlie's and Mildred's only child, Norman, dies a few hours after his birth United Artists founded
1920	Film: The Kid Charlie and Mildred get divorced in November
1921	Film: The Idle Class First journey to Europe
1922	My Trip Abroad, a book about Charlie's journey to Europe, is released Film: Pay Day
1923	Film: The Pilgrim Oct. 1: Premiere of A Woman of Paris, Charlie's first United Artists film, in which he only appears in a tiny role
1924	Charlie marries 16-year-old Lillita McMurray (aka Lita Grey)
1925	Charlie's first son, Charles jr., is born in June Film: The Gold Rush
1926	Charlie's second son, Sydney, is born in March
1927	In January, Lita's petition for divorce is published Aug. 22: Charlie and Lita get divorced
1928	Film: The Circus Charlie's mother dies in June
1929	Charlie is awarded his first Oscar® for The Circus
1931	Film: City Lights Second journey to Europe
1932	Charlie travels around the world In June, he meets Paulette Goddard at a party
1936	Film: Modern Times
1940	Film: The Great Dictator
1942	Charlie meets Joan Barry and plans the film Shadow and Substance, a project he will never accomplish
1943	Charlie is prosecuted by Joan Barry March 23: Mann Act trial Joan Barry claims that Charlie is the father of her baby, Carol Ann. In the course of a paternity suit, Charlie is condemned although a blood test proves that he cannot be Carol Ann's father June 16: Charlie marries 18-year-old Oona O'Neill, the daughter of Eugene O'Neill
1944	Charlie is forced to pay maintenance for Carol Ann Barry. The unjust court decision reflects the growing animosity of the American public towards Chaplin during those years July 31: Charlie's and Oona's first daughter Geraldine is born Mildred Harris dies
1946	Michael John Chaplin is born in January
1947	Film: Monsieur Verdoux Virulent political campaign against Charlie
1949	Josephine Chaplin is born in March Charlie is summoned several times to the House Committee for Un-American Activities and becomes one of the most famous victims of McCarthyism
1950	Charlie quits United Artists
1951	Victoria Chaplin is born in May
1952	Film: Limelight Sept. 18: Charlie and his family quit the U.S. and head for Europe While they are still on the ship to Europe, the U.S. government proclaims that Charlie's re-entry permit is invalid Charlie decides that he will not return to the U.S.
1953	In January, Charlie and his family settle in Vevey / Switzerland Oona travels to the U.S. in order to liquidate Charlie's property Eugene Chaplin is born in August
1954	Oona obtains British citizenship
1957	Jane Chaplin is born in May Film: A King in New York
1958	January 13: Edna Purviance dies
1959	Annette Emily Chaplin is born in December Charlie begins to work on his autobiography
1962	Charlie obtains a honorary doctorship of Oxford University July 8: Charlie's 10th child, James Christopher Chaplin, is born
1964	My Autobiography is released in September
1967	Film: A Countess from Hongkong
1968	March 21: Charles Chaplin jr. dies
1969	French film critics publish a letter which causes that Charlie re-releases his films
1971	Charlie has eleven of his films re-released
1972	April: Charlie goes on a promotion- and reconciliation tour to the U.S. He obtains his second Academy Award®
1976	Documentary film: The Gentleman Tramp
1977	Dec. 25: Charles Spencer Chaplin dies in Manoir-le-Ban / Switzerland

Biography l Tidbits

Eye colour: blue

Hair colour: dark brown or black (turned grey when CC was still very young; when he was about forty, his hair was almost white)

Height: 5'6'' (=167-168 cm)

Weight: 120-135 lbs. (= 54-61 kg / 8.5-9.5 st)

Zodiacal sign: Aries

Spouses and children:

- Mildred Harris 1918-1920 (one son: Norman - died after three days)

- Lita (Lillita) Grey 1924-1927 (two sons: Charles jr. 1925-1968, and Sidney *1926)

- Paulette Goddard 1933-1942 (no children)

- Oona O'Neil 1943-1977 (eight children: Geraldine *1944, Michael *1946, Josephine *1949, Victoria *1951, Eugene *1953, Jane *1957, Annette Emily *1959, and James Christopher *1962)

Parents: Charles Chaplin (1864-1901), Hannah Hill (1867-1928)

Half-brothers: Sidney Chaplin (1885-1965, son of Hannah Chaplin, father unknown); Wheeler Dryden (1892-1957, son of Hannah Chaplin and the music-hall star Leo Dryden)

Biography l Vital Stats

Did you know...

...that Charles was left-handed? His violin and cello were strung the other way around (see pics). I've noticed that he wrote with his right hand, though (view picture below). I suppose that this is probably due to the fact that in the past, writing with one's left hand was regarded as wrong, so left-handed children were often forced by their teachers to write with their right hand.

...that he could not read music and composed all of his great songs by ear?
...that when he was younger, he took violin and cello lessons from the music directors of the theatres where he played? He practised between four and six hours a day. When he was a silent movie superstar, he still took his violin with him wherever he went.

...that he liked cars and motoring, but was a bad driver? He preferred to let his chauffeur do the driving. As early as in 1916, he engaged the 28-year-old Japanese Toraichi Kono as a driver. Kono was to remain with Charlie for eighteen years.
...that the first words Charles spoke before a sound film camera were "Guten Tag" (1931 in Vienna)?

Charlie and his friend Albert Einstein at the premiere of Limelight in Berlin, 1931

...that he was an accomplished dancer? His favourite dance was the tango...
...that Charlie and his brother Sydney were inseparable throughout their lives and that Syd, who was four years older than Charlie, always felt responsible for his little brother? In a letter that Sydney wrote to his brother in the 1930s, he expressed his feelings: "It has always been my unfortunate predicament or should I say fortunate predicament? to concern myself with your protection. This is the result of my fraternal or rather paternal instinct..." (letter in the Chaplin family archive)

Syd (centre) and Charlie

...that Charlie's favourite perfume was "Mitsouko"? It was released by Guerlain in 1919 and he is said to have used it since 1922. According to his eldest son, Charles jun., CC's bathroom in his house in Summit Drive always smelt of Mitsouko. Charles jun. once said that he always knew when his father was standing behind him because he could smell his perfume. An other anecdote says that Peggy Hopkins Joyce, whom Charlie had a liaison with in the early 1920s, used to "sprinkle his Mitsouko around the house on Beechwood Drive to improve the atmosphere" (Robinson 350). The fragrance mainly consists of benzoin and musk. It can be used by both men and women. I actually bought it recently and I can tell you that it smells gorgeous! :-)

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