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A photo of Charles "Charlie" Spencer Chaplin

Charles "Charlie" Spencer Chaplin 1889 - 1977

Charles Spencer Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889 in Walworth, England United Kingdom. He was married to Oona O'Neill in 1943, and they were together until Charles' death on December 25, 1977. Charles Chaplin had children Geraldine Chaplin, Michael Chaplin, Josephine Chaplin, Victoria Chaplin, Eugene Chaplin, Jane Chaplin, Annette Spencer, and Christopher Chaplin.

Charles Spencer Chaplin
Charlie
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April 16, 1889
Walworth, England, United Kingdom
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December 25, 1977
Corsier-sur-Vevey, Switzerland
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Updated: April 25, 2025
Biography ID: 93186763 What's this
Charles "Charlie" Spencer Chaplin Charles Chaplin (1889 - 1977)
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Charles Spencer Chaplin's History: 1889 - 1977

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  • 04/16
    1889

    Birthday

    April 16, 1889
    Birthdate
    Walworth, England United Kingdom
    Birthplace
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  • 12/25
    1977

    Death

    December 25, 1977
    Death date
    Unknown
    Cause of death
    Corsier-sur-Vevey Switzerland
    Death location
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  • Obituary

    Charlie Chaplin Dead at 88; Made the Film an Art Form By BOSLEY CROWTHER Charlie Chaplin, the poignant little tramp with the cane and comic walk who almost single-handedly elevated the novelty entertainment medium of motion pictures into art, died peacefully yesterday at his home in Switzerland. He was 88 years old. Sir Charles -- he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1975 -- died at 4 A.M., a few hours before his family's traditional Christmas celebration was to begin. His wife, Oona, daughter of the playwright Eugene O'Neill, and seven of their children were at the bedside when the comedian died. A daughter, the actress Geraldine Chaplin, was in Madrid making a film, but left immediately to join her family at the Chaplin home at Corsiersur-Vevey, a village near the eastern tip of the Lake of Geneva. "All the presents were under the tree," Lady Chaplin told a caller, adding, "Charlie gave so much happiness and, although he had been ill for a long time, it is so sad that he should have passed away on Christmas day." "He died of old age," said Dr. Henri Perrier, the Chaplin family physician. "His death was peaceful and calm." A source close to the family said Sir Charles had been given oxygen because of breathing trouble in recent days. In a statement, Lady Chaplin said the funeral would be private and restricted to the immediate family. A family spokesman said the funeral might be held in England but that burial would probably be in Switzerland, Sir Charles's home since his self-imposed exile from the United States in 1952. Sir Charles had been in failing health for many years. He was confined to a wheelchair and his speech, hearing and sight were impaired. During the last year, he left his secluded 20-room villa only for an occasional drive into Vevey with his wife. Local people caught an occasional glimpse of the famous actor waiting in his blue-and-silver Rolls- Royce while his wife, 35 year his junior, purchased English newspapers and magazines, which she read to him later. His last public appearance took place last fall when he attended a circus performance in Vevey. He wore a soft hat pulled down over his forehead and thick-lensed glasses that hid most of his face. He shook hands with one of the clowns at the end of the performance. No motion picture actor so captured and enthralled the world as did Charles Spencer Chaplin, a London ragamuffin who became an immortal artist for his deft and effective humanization of man's tragicomic conflicts with fate. In more than 80 movies from 1914 to 1967, he either portrayed or elaborated (he was a writer and director as well as an actor) the theme of the little fellow capriciously knocked about by life, but not so utterly battered that he did not pick himself up in the hope that the next encounter would turn out better. His harassed but gallant Everyman was the Little Tramp, part clown, part social outcast, part philosopher. He was "forever seeking romance, but his feet won't let him," Chaplin once explained, indicating that romance connoted not so much courtship as the fulfillment of fancy. Stumble Chaplin's Everyman might, but he always managed to maintain his dignity and self-respect. Moreover, he sometimes felled a Goliath through superb agility, a little bit of luck and a touch of pluck. There was pathos to the Little Tramp, yet he really did not want to be pitied. The essence of Chaplin's humor was satire, sometimes subtle as in "The Kid" and "The Gold Rush," sometimes acerbic as in "The Great Dictator" and "Monsieur Verdoux." "The human race I prefer to think of as the underworld of the gods," he said. "When the gods go slumming they visit the earth." And what they saw mostly was uncelestial folly. In ridiculing that folly Chaplin displayed a basic affection for the human race. He was serious and funny at the same time, and it was this blend of attitudes that elevated his comedy beyond film slapstick into the realm of artistry.
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  • Did you know?
    Charles "Charlie" Spencer Chaplin lived 16 years longer than the average family member when died at the age of 88.
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4 Memories, Stories & Photos about Charles

Jackie and Charlie Chaplin.
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
17.8k+ favorites
10/26/2021
Jackie and Charlie Chaplin.
Chaplin chose him and made him into a star.
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Charles Spencer Chaplin (Charlie Chaplin)
Photo of Madeline Stuckey Madeline Stuckey
7 favorites
12/03/2014
Charles Spencer Chaplin (Charlie Chaplin)
This picture of Charlie Chaplin was taken at Whitings Maiden Lane March 11 1915
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Photo of AncientFaces AncientFaces
411 favorites
06/19/2015
A more candid photo of Charlie Chaplin taken in 1915
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Photo of Rebecca Miller Rebecca Miller
via Facebook
06/19/2015
Moon Jean Chaplin
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Charlie Chaplin Portrait
Photo of Amanda S. Stevenson Amanda S. Stevenson
17.8k+ favorites
07/14/2021
Charlie Chaplin Portrait
By Claudia.
Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.
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Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin Wall Street New York 1918
Photo of Michelle Cassidy Michelle Cassidy
173 favorites
09/17/2012
Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin Wall Street New York 1918
Wall Street, New York City, 1918

In this photo, Douglas Fairbanks raises a vertical Charlie Chaplin in the air, at the foot of the old Sub-Treasury building (now Federal Hall National Memorial), during a rally to promote Liberty bonds. Liberty bonds were sold to help support the United States World War I effort.

A year before this in 1917, Fairbanks and Mary Pickford joined Charlie Chaplin in selling war bonds by train across the United States. At the time, Fairbanks and Chaplin were the highest paid movie stars in Hollywood.

Douglas Fairbanks, nicknamed "The King of Hollywood", was born on May 23, 1883 and died on December 12, 1939.
Date & Place: at Sub-Treasury Building in Manhattan, New York United States of America
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Photo of AncientFaces AncientFaces
411 favorites
12/31/2015
Douglas Fairbanks lifting Charlie Chaplin above a huge crowd of onlookers to support the sale of Liberty bonds (used to help support the World War 1 war effort) on Wall Street New York 1918.
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Photo of Robert Taylor Robert Taylor
via Facebook
12/31/2015
Wow. Beatlemania fame in 1918 terms.
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Other Biographies

Other Charles Chaplin Biographies

Chaplin, Charles (Mar 18, 1863 - May 9, 1901) Chaplin, Charles (May 5, 1925 - Mar 20, 1968) Chaplin, Charles Chaplin, Charles Chaplin, Charles Chaplin, Charles (Jun 6, 1925 - Jun 5, 1979) Chaplin, Charles (May 5, 1925 - Mar 1968) Chaplin, Charles (Feb 3, 1916 - Aug 1979) Chaplin, Charles (Mar 31, 1893 - Jan 1969) Chaplin, Charles (Jun 18, 1926 - Feb 24, 2002)
Chaplin, Charles (Sep 19, 1893 - Jan 1973) Chaplin, Charles (May 31, 1889 - Aug 1985) Chaplin, Charles (Jan 26, 1946 - Jan 25, 1998) Chaplin, Charles (Feb 26, 1899 - Jun 1975) Chaplin, Charles (May 16, 1919 - Mar 1974) Chaplin, Charles (May 19, 1915 - May 10, 1990) Chaplin, Charles (Jan 6, 1895 - Oct 1969) Chaplin, Charles (Jun 11, 1923 - Oct 18, 1994) Chaplin, Charles (Oct 7, 1918 - Jun 16, 2009) Chaplin, Charles (Nov 21, 1910 - Nov 15, 1979)

Other Chaplin Family Biographies

Chaplin, Robert (Feb 20, 1910 - Mar 12, 2003) Chaplin, Dorothy (Born 1916) Chaplin, Charles  (Apr 16, 1889 - Dec 25, 1977) Chaplin, Sydney Chaplin, Nellie (Feb 4, 1897 - Jun 1985) Chaplin, Kenneth (Jun 7, 1905 - Nov 3, 1990) Chaplin, Carl (Jun 22, 1877 - Sep 1968) Chaplin, Lester (May 13, 1915 - Sep 1976) Chaplin, Harold (Oct 3, 1909 - Jul 20, 1996) Chaplin, Ronald (Nov 13, 1953 - Feb 9, 2011)
Chaplin, Herbert (Oct 26, 1917 - Aug 1983) Chaplin, Laura (Oct 28, 1895 - Apr 1970) Chaplin, Raymond (Jul 30, 1908 - May 28, 2002) Chaplin, Margaret (Oct 22, 1920 - Dec 1992) Chaplin, Julia (Mar 28, 1923 - Dec 1977) Chaplin, Minnie (May 23, 1900 - Jul 7, 1996) Chaplin, Bessie (Jun 19, 1903 - Oct 1983) Chaplin, Dorothy (Jun 3, 1908 - Aug 10, 1996) Chaplin, Charles (Jan 23, 1912 - Dec 11, 1987) Chaplin, Merle (May 7, 1886 - Feb 1975)
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