1. Charlie Chaplin
( )
Began performing in British music halls as a child
toured to the US

2. 1914 – stays in US and begins working for Keystone Studios (Mack Sennett – producer)
While at Keystone – Chaplin develops his “Tramp” character

3. Chaplin on his “Tramp” character:
"I wanted everything to be a contradiction: the pants baggy, the coat tight, the hat small and the shoes large ... I added a small moustache, which, I reasoned, would add age without hiding my expression. I had no idea of the character. But the moment I was dressed, the clothes and the makeup made me feel the person he was. I began to know him, and by the time I walked on stage he was fully born.”

4. Chaplin became known for his use of slapstick comedy mixed with pathos
Chaplin’s “Tramp” character almost always struggles against adversity

5. 1918 – Chaplin forms United Artists Studios
with partners Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and D.W. Griffith
Now Chaplin has complete control over all aspects of his films
He works as producer, writer, director, actor, editor, and composer

6. The Kid (1921)
Mary Pickford said of the film, "The Kid is one of the finest examples of the screen language, depending upon its actions rather than upon subtitles".

7. Chaplin refused to move to sound during the 1930’s

8. Late 1930’s – Chaplin became very political

9. 1940’s Accused of being a communist sympathizer
Several paternity suits filed against him
Eventually forced to leave US and settles in Switzerland (1952)