Entertainment

Charlie Chaplin

A London workhouse child at seven; co-owned a Hollywood studio by thirty.

Born: 1889 · London, England
Roots: English; music-hall performer parents
Family: Poverty; Father absent and died of alcoholism; mother committed to an asylum; he entered a workhouse at seven.
Education: Little formal schooling; on stage from childhood
Started with: The stage; Joined a clog-dancing troupe as a boy to earn a living.
Affiliations & societies: None documented.; Information only — claims like these are often unverifiable and may be wrong.

The pathway

1896 · age 7
The workhouse
Sent to a Lambeth workhouse and pauper schools as the family collapses.
1898 · age 9
On stage
Tours with the Eight Lancashire Lads clog-dancing troupe.
1913 · age 24
Keystone contract$150/week
Spotted on a US vaudeville tour.
1914 · age 25
The Tramp
Improvises the costume that becomes the most recognizable figure in film.
1916 · age 26
Highest-paid entertainer$670K/yr
The Mutual contract makes him one of the world's best-paid people.
1919 · age 30
Co-founds United Artists
With Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith — stars owning the studio.
1952 · age 63
Exile
His US re-entry permit is revoked amid McCarthy-era accusations; he settles in Switzerland.
1972 · age 82
Returns for an honorary Oscar
Receives a twelve-minute ovation.

Sources

Compiled from these references and contemporaneous press reporting. Figures are approximate; verify before relying on them.