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Charlie Chaplin was born in 1889, the same
year that Thomas Edison invented the Kinetoscope.
This was unquestionably a coincidence that now bears the hallmark of fate,
as Chaplin was to become one of the greatest film stars of all time.
His parents were both music hall artistes. His childhood contained nothing
to laugh about as he grew up in the slums of London. When Charlie was just 1
year of age, his father died of alcoholism after separating from Charlie’s
mother. Malnutrition and poverty eventually drove his mother to a mental
breakdown.
It seems that his miserable childhood was the decisive influence in his
development and in the type of films he would later produce. No one else has
been as successful in setting the whole world laughing as has the little man
with the bowler hat, the cane and the slap shoes!
His film career was to pass the test of time as he successfully made the
transition from “Silent Films” to the “Talkies,” although he was the last of
the Silent Stars to make that transition.
Chaplin not only succeeded as an actor, he was also an accomplished film
director and gifted composer of music for his films.
He died on the 25th December in 1977. With his death, many people feel a
major part of movie history was lost, however, Charlie left us with a
wonderful legacy of laughter through his films.
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