Mike Roetman, age 14, of Meridian, Miss., for his question:
HOW MANY MOVIES DID CHARLIE CHAPLIN MAKE?
Charlie Chaplin was an English film actor, director, producer and composer who first achieved worldwide fame through his performances in silent films He originated the role of "Charlie," a little tramp wearing baggy pants, enormous shoes and a bowler hat and carrying a bamboo cane. He played this classic role in more than 70 films during his long career
Charlie Chaplin is often called the most creative individual in film history.
Born in London in 1889, Chaplin appeared as a child in music halls and pantomime. In 1910 he toured the United States with a pantomime troupe and decided to remain.
Chaplin first appeared on the screen in 1913 with the Keystone Film Company of the famous American director Mack Sennett. In 1914, in a film called "Kid Auto Races in Venice," he originated the role of "Charlie "
After Keystone, Chaplin was associated with the Essany Film Company and the First National Film Company. Then in 1918 his own studio in Hollywood was completed.
During the years, Chaplin gradually developed the tramp character from a jaunty, slapstick stereotype into the compassionate human figure beloved by audiences throughout the world.
In 1919 Chaplin helped found the United Artists corp. with which he was associated until 1952.
Some of the classic films Chaplin produced, directed and starred in included "The Kid" (1921) "The Pilgrim" (1923), "The Gold Rush" (1925) "The Circus" (1928), "City Lights" (1931), "Modern Times" (1936) "The Great Dictator" (1940), "Monsieur Verdoux" (1947) and "Limelight" (1952).
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, Chaplin was criticized for his leftist political views. As a result, he left the United States in 1952 and established permanent residence in Switzerland.
Chaplin returned briefly to the United States to receive a special Academy Award in 1972.
Chaplin perfected an individual style of performing, derived from the circus clown and the mime, combining acrobatic elegance, expressive gesture, facial eloquence and impeccable timing. His portrayal of the little tramp, a universally recognized symbol of indestructible individuality triumphing over adversity and persecution, both human and mechanical, won him critical renown as a tragic comedian.
The advent of film sound recording in the late 1920s imperiled the effectiveness of the pantomime on which much of his creative imagination depended.
Subsequently, Chaplin abandoned the role of the tramp and relied more upon specific character portrayal in a particular time and setting.
Chaplin's treatment of his subjects in all his films is compounded of satire and pathos and reveals a great love of humanity and of individual freedom.
Chaplin was knighted in 1975 and became Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin.
He died in Switzerland in 1977 at the age of 88.