Here are 28 Interesting Charlie Chaplin facts.
1-5 Charlie Chaplin Facts
1. Charlie Chaplin openly pleaded against fascism, war, capitalism, and WMDs in his movies. He was slandered by the FBI & banned from the USA in ’52. Offered an Honorary Academy award in ’72, he hesitantly returned & received a 12-minute standing ovation; the longest in the Academy’s history. – Source
2. Charlie Chaplin had almost been assassinated by the assassins of Japanese Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi, hoping to instigate a war with the USA. Chaplin, however, escaped this fate as he had gone with the prime minister’s son to a sumo wrestling match. – Source
3. Uncle Fester (Jackie Coogan) was the kid with Charlie Chaplin. His mother and stepfather squandered his millions from film earnings up to $70,000,000 in 2015 dollars. He sued them, establishing what is now known as the Coogan Act which protects the earnings of child performers. – Source
4. Charlie Chaplin considered pulling the plug on his movie “The Great Dictator” because he was worried that it might be banned or that people might not find mocking Hitler funny. When he heard about this, FDR sent Chaplin a message, urging him to make the movie. – Source
5. In 1978, Charlie Chaplin’s body was stolen and held for ransom. His widow refused to pay ransom demands of £400,000 because “Charlie would have thought it ridiculous.” The body was found 11 weeks later. – Source
6-10 Charlie Chaplin Facts
6. The X-Files episode ‘Home’ which was about a murderous inbred family was loosely based on a story from Charlie Chaplin’s autobiography where a family introduced him to their quadruple amputee son by pulling him out from under a bed after which he “flopp[ed] around” while they sang and danced. – Source
7. Charlie Chaplin put up the 2013 equivalent of 25million USD of his own money to finance his anti-Nazi film The Great Dictator while the US was still at peace with Nazi Germany. – Source
8. When Einstein met Charlie Chaplin, Chaplin remarked, “The people applaud me because everybody understands me, and they applaud you because no one understands you.” – Source
9. Charlie Chaplin first came to America because he thought he was inheriting money. It was actually for a meeting with producers, which started his film career. – Source
10. Despite 3 different scientists returning a negative paternity test, Charlie Chaplin was forced to pay child support for 21 years because of a Jury decision of 11-1 that yes, he was the father. – Source
11-15 Charlie Chaplin Facts
11. Charlie Chaplin was paid $10,000 a week in 1915. – Source
12. Charlie Chaplin was intricately tied in with Disney. Chaplin was one of the inspirations for Mickey Mouse. He would later go on to work with Disney as a distributor and help Disney in their negotiations for Snow White. – Source
13. Charlie Chaplin was so popular in 1917 that nine out of ten men attending costume balls that year went as Chaplin. – Source
14. Charlie Chaplin not only wrote, directed, produced, edited and starred in his films but for many also composed the musical scores. – Source
15. Winston Churchill and Charlie Chaplin were friends. On one occasion, Churchill taught Chaplin how to do brick laying, which was one of Winston’s favorite hobbies. – Source
16-20 Charlie Chaplin Facts
16. Charlie Chaplin considered Cantinflas to be “the greatest comedian alive”. – Source
17. Buster Keaton (“a master of conveying action through imagery alone”) and Charlie Chaplin had a friendly rivalry over who could use the fewest intertitles in their silent movies. Typical silents averaged 240 intertitles. Chaplin won with a low of 21; Buster got as low as 23. – Source
18. While Filming “The Gold Rush”, Charlie Chaplin did 63 separate takes of a scene where his character eats a boot, in reality, a prop made of licorice and ended up being taken to the hospital for insulin shock due to the high sugar intake. – Source
19. Charlie Chaplin once went to a Charlie Chaplin-look-alike competition and came in third. – Source
20. Charlie Chaplin had an entire Alaskan winter village built under the scorching California weather for filming his most successful film “The Gold Rush.” The sight of this snow covered village drew crowds of sightseers. – Source
