Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, better known as Charlie Chaplin (April 16, 1889 - December 25, 1977) was an English comedian, director, and composer in the silent film era.
Chaplin is one of the most creative and influential characters of the silent film era.
In 1999, the American Film Institute named Chaplin the tenth greatest male film legend of all time. George Bernard Shaw called Chaplin "the only genius in the film industry"
Charles Spencer Chaplin was reportedly born in East Street, Walworth, London, England. His parents, from whom he learned to sing, were entertainers at the Music Hall. His father, Charles Spencer Chaplin, was a vocal soloist and actor, while his mother, Hannah Chaplin, was a singer and actress who performed under the pseudonym Lily Harley.
His great-grandmother, a paternal grandmother, was a member of the Smiths d'Or, something he was very proud of, although he later described it in his autobiography as "the skeleton in our family closet." Chaplin's parents, although never divorced, stopped living together until 1891, before Charlie turned three.
Chaplin's health began to deteriorate significantly after the completion of his latest film, The Countess of Hong Kong. As early as 1977, he had difficulty speaking and was driving a wheelchair. Chaplin died on Christmas Day, 1977, at the age of 88, at his home in Corsica, Sir Weve, Switzerland.
Chaplin was buried in the cemetery of Corsier Sir Weve in Voice, Switzerland. On March 1, 1978, his body was stolen by two unemployed immigrants, Roman Vardas of Poland and Gancho Ganev of Bulgaria, who wanted to extort money from the Chaplin family. But their attempt failed.
The thieves were caught and the body was found near Lake Geneva, eleven weeks after the theft. The body was then buried under almost two meters of concrete, in order to prevent further attempts to steal it.
