Charlie Chaplin

Born in London in 1889, Charlie Chaplin grew up in poverty and began performing onstage as a child before joining Fred Karno’s comedy troupe and traveling to the United States. He soon moved into film and became an international star, especially through the Little Tramp, the bowler-hatted wanderer who appeared in many of his best-known movies.

Chaplin was more than a performer: he wrote, directed, produced, and often composed music for his films. Works such as The Kid, City Lights, Modern Times, and The Great Dictator helped define screen comedy while also mixing humor with loneliness, compassion, and social criticism.

Later in life he settled in Switzerland, where he lived for many years with his family. He died in 1977, but his influence on film comedy and visual storytelling remains enormous, and he is still widely regarded as one of the central figures in motion-picture history.