Editing Charlie Chaplin (section)

===1889–1913: early years===

====Background and childhood hardship====
[[File:Chaplin at Hanwell.jpg|thumb|Seven-year-old Chaplin (centre, head slightly cocked) at the [[Central London District School]] for [[pauper]]s, 1897]]
Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. was born on 16 April 1889 to [[Hannah Chaplin]] (née Hill) and [[Charles Chaplin Sr.]] His paternal grandmother came from the Smith family, who belonged to [[Romani people]].<ref>Charles Chaplin, Jr., with N. and M. Rau, ''My Father, Charlie Chaplin'', Random House: New York, (1960), pp. 7–8. Quoted in {{cite web |url=http://www.adherents.com/people/pc/Charlie_Chaplin.html |title=The Religious Affiliation of Charlie Chaplin |year=2005 |website=Adherents.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806142841/http://www.adherents.com/people/pc/Charlie_Chaplin.html |archive-date=6 August 2011 |access-date=3 March 2023 |url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref>Charlie Chaplin, My Autobiography, page 19. Quoted in {{cite web|url=http://www.adherents.com/people/pc/Charlie_Chaplin.html|url-status=usurped|title=The Religious Affiliation of Charlie Chaplin|year=2005 |website=Adherents.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806142841/http://www.adherents.com/people/pc/Charlie_Chaplin.html |archive-date=6 August 2011 |access-date=3 March 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Hopewell|first=John|date=23 September 2019|title=Carmen Chaplin to Direct 'Charlie Chaplin, a Man of the World' (Exclusive)|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/carmen-chaplin-direct-charlie-chaplin-a-man-of-the-world-1203344589/|access-date=10 October 2021|magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Hancock|first=Ian F.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MG0ahVw-kdwC&q=chaplin|title=We are the Romani People|date=2002|publisher=University of Hertfordshire Press|isbn=978-1902806198|pages=129}}</ref> There is no official record of his birth, although Chaplin believed he was born at [[East Street]], [[Walworth]], in [[south London]].{{sfn|Robinson|p=10}}{{efn|An [[MI5]] investigation in 1952 was unable to find any record of Chaplin's birth.<ref>{{cite news |last=Whitehead |first=Tom |date=17 February 2012 |title=MI5 Files: Was Chaplin Really a Frenchman and Called Thornstein? |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9086510/MI5-files-Was-Chaplin-really-a-Frenchman-and-called-Thornstein.html |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |access-date=11 April 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424011812/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/9086510/MI5-files-Was-Chaplin-really-a-Frenchman-and-called-Thornstein.html |archive-date=24 April 2012}}</ref> Chaplin biographer David Robinson notes that it is not surprising that his parents failed to register the birth: "It was easy enough, particularly for music hall artists, constantly moving (if they were lucky) from one town to another, to put off and eventually forget this kind of formality; at that time the penalties were not strict or efficiently enforced."{{sfn|Robinson|p=10}} In 2011 a letter sent to Chaplin in the 1970s came to light which claimed that he had been born in a Gypsy caravan at [[Black Patch Park]] in [[Smethwick]], Staffordshire (now in the borough of Sandwell in the West Midlands). Chaplin's son [[Michael Chaplin (actor)|Michael]] has suggested that the information must have been significant to his father for him to retain the letter.<ref>{{cite news |date=18 February 2011 |title=Charlie Chaplin Was 'Born into a Midland Gipsy Family' |url=https://www.expressandstar.com/news/2011/02/18/charlie-chaplin-was-born-into-midland-gipsy-family/ |newspaper=Express & Star |access-date=17 February 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120222045249/http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2011/02/18/charlie-chaplin-was-born-into-midland-gipsy-family/ |archive-date=22 February 2012}}</ref> Regarding the date of his birth, Chaplin believed it to be 16 April, but an announcement in the edition of 11 May 1889 of ''The Magnet'' stated it as the 15th.{{sfn|Robinson|p=xxiv}}}} His parents had married four years previously, at which time Charles Sr. became the legal guardian of Hannah's first son, [[Sydney Chaplin|Sydney John Hill]].{{sfn|Robinson|pp=3–4, 19}}{{efn|Sydney was born when Hannah Chaplin was 19. The identity of his biological father is not known for sure, but Hannah claimed it was a Mr. Hawkes.{{sfn|Robinson|p=3}}}} At the time of his birth, Chaplin's parents were both [[music hall]] entertainers. Hannah, the daughter of a shoemaker,{{sfn|Robinson|p=3}} had a brief and unsuccessful career under the stage name Lily Harley,{{sfn|Robinson|pp=5–7}} while Charles Sr., a butcher's son,{{sfn|Weissman|2009|p=10}} was a popular singer.{{sfn|Robinson|pp=9–10, 12}} Although they never divorced, Chaplin's parents were estranged by around 1891.{{sfn|Robinson|p=13}} The following year, Hannah gave birth to a third son, [[Wheeler Dryden|George Wheeler Dryden]], fathered by the music hall entertainer [[Leo Dryden]]. The child was taken by Dryden at six months old, and did not re-enter Chaplin's life for thirty years.{{sfn|Robinson|p=15}}

{{quote box|width=25em|align=left|bgcolor=#E0E6F8|quote="I was hardly aware of a crisis because we lived in a continual crisis; and, being a boy, I dismissed our troubles with gracious forgetfulness."|source=Chaplin, on his childhood{{sfn|Chaplin|p=10}}}}

Chaplin's childhood was fraught with poverty and hardship, making his eventual trajectory "the most dramatic of all the rags to riches stories ever told" according to his authorised biographer [[David Robinson (film critic)|David Robinson]].{{sfn|Robinson|p=xv}} Chaplin's early years were spent with his mother and brother Sydney in the London district of [[Kennington]]. Hannah had no means of income, other than occasional nursing and dressmaking, and Chaplin Sr. provided no financial support.{{sfn|Robinson|p=16}} As the situation deteriorated, Chaplin was sent to [[Lambeth Workhouse]] when he was seven years old.{{efn|Hannah became ill in May 1896, and was admitted to hospital. Southwark Council ruled that it was necessary to send the children to a workhouse "owing to the absence of their father and the destitution and illness of their mother".{{sfn|Robinson|p=19}}}} The council housed him at the [[Central London District School]] for [[pauper]]s, which Chaplin remembered as "a forlorn existence".{{sfn|Chaplin|p=29}} He was briefly reunited with his mother 18 months later, but Hannah was forced to readmit her family to the workhouse in July 1898. The boys were promptly sent to [[West Norwood|Norwood]] Schools, another institution for destitute children.{{sfn|Robinson|pp=24–26}}

In September 1898, Hannah was committed to [[Cane Hill Hospital|Cane Hill]] mental asylum; she had developed [[psychosis]] seemingly brought on by an infection of [[syphilis]] and malnutrition.{{sfn|Weissman|2009|pp=49–50}} For the two months she was there, Chaplin and his brother Sydney were sent to live with their father, whom the young boys scarcely knew.{{sfn|Chaplin|pp=15, 33}} Charles Sr. was by then severely alcoholic, and life there was bad enough to provoke a visit from the [[National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children]].{{sfn|Robinson|p=27}} Chaplin's father died two years later, at 38 years old, from [[cirrhosis]] of the liver.{{sfn|Robinson|p=36}}

Hannah entered a period of remission but, in May 1903, became ill again.{{sfn|Robinson|p=27}} Chaplin, then 14, had the task of taking his mother to the infirmary, from where she was sent back to Cane Hill.{{sfn|Robinson|p=40}} He lived alone for several days, searching for food and occasionally sleeping rough, until Sydney{{snd}}who had joined the Navy two years earlier{{snd}}returned.{{sfnm|1a1=Weissman|1y=2009|1p=6|2a1=Chaplin|2pp=71–74|3a1=Robinson|3p=35}} Hannah was released from the asylum eight months later,{{sfn|Robinson|p=41}} but in March 1905, her illness returned, this time permanently. "There was nothing we could do but accept poor mother's fate", Chaplin later wrote, and she remained in care until her death in 1928.{{sfnm|1a1=Chaplin|1p=88|2a1=Robinson|2pp=55–56}}

====Young performer====
[[File:Chaplin in Sherlock Holmes.jpg|thumb|upright|left|A teenage Chaplin in the play ''[[Sherlock Holmes (play)|Sherlock Holmes]]'']]
Between his time in the poor schools and his mother succumbing to mental illness, Chaplin began to perform on stage. He later recalled making his first amateur appearance at the age of five years, when he took over from Hannah one night in [[Aldershot]].{{efn|According to Chaplin, Hannah had been booed off stage and the manager chose him{{snd}}as he was standing in the wings{{snd}}to go on as her replacement. He remembered confidently entertaining the crowd, and receiving laughter and applause.{{sfnm|1a1=Robinson|1p=17|2a1=Chaplin|2p=18}}}} This was an isolated occurrence, but by the time he was nine Chaplin had, with his mother's encouragement, grown interested in performing. He later wrote: "[she] imbued me with the feeling that I had some sort of talent".{{sfn|Chaplin|p=41}} Through his father's connections,{{sfn|Marriot|p=4}} Chaplin became a member of the [[The Eight Lancashire Lads|Eight Lancashire Lads]] [[Clog dance|clog-dancing]] troupe, with whom he toured English music halls throughout 1899 and 1900.{{efn|The Eight Lancashire Lads were still touring until 1908; the exact time Chaplin left the group is unverified, but based on research, A. J. Marriot believes it was in December 1900.{{sfn|Marriot|p=213}}}} Chaplin worked hard, and the act was popular with audiences, but he was not satisfied with dancing and wished to form a comedy act.{{sfn|Chaplin|p=44}}

In the years Chaplin was touring with the Eight Lancashire Lads, his mother ensured that he still attended school but, by the age of 13, he had abandoned education.{{sfn|Louvish|p=19}}<!--mother-->{{sfn|Robinson|p=39}}<!--abandoned--> He supported himself with a range of jobs, while nursing his ambition to become an actor.{{sfn|Chaplin|p=76}} At 14, shortly after his mother's relapse, he registered with a theatrical agency in London's [[West End of London|West End]]. The manager sensed potential in Chaplin, who was promptly given his first role as a newsboy in [[Harry Arthur Saintsbury]]'s ''Jim, a Romance of Cockayne''.{{sfn|Robinson|pp=44–46}} It opened in July 1903, but the show was unsuccessful and closed after two weeks. Chaplin's comic performance, however, was singled out for praise in many of the reviews.{{sfnm|1a1=Marriot|1pp=42–44|2a1=Robinson|2pp=46–47|3a1=Louvish|3p=26}}

Saintsbury secured a role for Chaplin in [[Charles Frohman]]'s production of ''[[Sherlock Holmes (play)|Sherlock Holmes]]'', where he played Billy the pageboy in three nationwide tours.{{sfn|Robinson|pp=45, 49–51, 53, 58}} His performance was so well received that he was called to London to play the role alongside [[William Gillette]], the original Holmes.{{efn|William Gillette co-wrote the ''Sherlock Holmes'' play with [[Arthur Conan Doyle]], and had been starring in it since its New York opening in 1899. He had come to London in 1905 to appear in a new play, ''Clarice''. Its reception was poor, and Gillette decided to add an "after-piece" called ''The Painful Predicament of Sherlock Holmes''. This short play was what Chaplin originally came to London to appear in. After three nights, Gillette chose to close ''Clarice'' and replace it with ''Sherlock Holmes''. Chaplin had so pleased Gillette with his performance in ''The Painful Predicament'' that he was kept on as Billy for the full play.{{sfn|Robinson|pp=59–60}}}} "It was like tidings from heaven", Chaplin recalled.{{sfn|Chaplin|p=89}} At 16 years old, Chaplin starred in the play's West End production at the [[Duke of York's Theatre]] from October to December 1905.{{sfn|Marriot|p=217}} He completed one final tour of ''Sherlock Holmes'' in early 1906, before leaving the play after more than two-and-a-half years.{{sfn|Robinson|p=63}}

====Stage comedy and vaudeville====
Chaplin soon found work with a new company and went on tour with his brother, who was also pursuing an acting career, in a [[Sketch comedy|comedy sketch]] called ''Repairs''.{{sfn|Robinson|pp=63–64}} In May 1906, Chaplin joined the juvenile act Casey's Circus,{{sfn|Marriot|p=71}} where he developed popular [[burlesque]] pieces and was soon the star of the show. By the time the act finished touring in July 1907, the 18-year-old had become an accomplished comedic performer.{{sfnm|1a1=Robinson|1pp=64–68|2a1=Chaplin|2p=94}} He struggled to find more work, however, and a brief attempt at a solo act was a failure.{{efn|Chaplin attempted to be a "Jewish comedian", but the act was poorly received and he performed it only once.{{sfnm|1a1=Robinson|1p=68|2a1=Marriot|2pp=81–84}}}}
[[File:Chaplin Karno advert.jpg|thumb|Advertisement from Chaplin's American tour with the [[Fred Karno]] comedy company, 1913]]

Meanwhile, Sydney Chaplin had joined [[Fred Karno]]'s prestigious comedy company in 1906 and, by 1908, he was one of their key performers.{{sfnm|1a1=Robinson|1p=71|2a1=Kamin|2p=12|3a1=Marriot|3p=85}} In February, he managed to secure a two-week trial for his younger brother. Karno was initially wary, and considered Chaplin a "pale, puny, sullen-looking youngster" who "looked much too shy to do any good in the theatre".{{sfn|Robinson|p=76}} However, the teenager made an impact on his first night at the [[London Coliseum]] and he was quickly signed to a contract.{{sfn|Robinson|pp=76–77}} Chaplin began by playing a series of minor parts, eventually progressing to starring roles in 1909.{{sfn|Marriot|pp=103, 109}} In April 1910, he was given the lead in a new sketch, ''Jimmy the Fearless''. It was a big success, and Chaplin received considerable press attention.{{sfnm|1a1=Marriot|1pp=126–128|2a1=Robinson|2pp=84–85}}

Karno selected his new star to join the section of the company that toured North America's [[vaudeville]] circuit, a section which also included [[Stan Laurel]].<ref name="charliechaplin-articles-321">{{cite web |title=Chaplin – A Musical Biography |url=https://www.charliechaplin.com/en/articles/321-Chaplin-A-Musical-Biography |website=CharlieChaplin.com |access-date=23 February 2022}}</ref>{{sfn|Robinson|p=88}} The young comedian headed the show and impressed reviewers, being described as "one of the best pantomime artists ever seen here".{{sfn|Robinson|pp=91–92}} His most successful role was a drunk called the "Inebriate Swell", which drew him significant recognition.{{sfnm|1a1=Robinson|1p=82|2a1=Brownlow|2p=98}} The role was in the play titled ''Mumming Birds'', known as ''A Night in an English Music Hall'' when Chaplin performed it on tour, which was the longest-running sketch the music halls produced, and included [[Pieing|throwing pies at the players]] among other innovations.<ref name="Louvish">{{cite news |last=Louvish |first=Simon |author-link=Simon Louvish |title=Tramps like us |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/mar/06/charlie-chaplin-film |access-date=18 February 2025 |work=The Guardian |date=6 March 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Ellis |first=Samantha |author-link=Samantha Ellis |title=Champagne and winkles |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2004/jan/28/theatre2 |access-date=18 February 2025 |work=The Guardian |date=28 January 2004}}</ref> The tour lasted 21 months, and the troupe returned to England in June 1912.{{sfn|Robinson|p=95}} Chaplin recalled that he "had a disquieting feeling of sinking back into a depressing commonplaceness" and was, therefore, delighted when a new tour began in October.{{sfnm|1a1=Chaplin|1pp=133–134|2a1=Robinson|2p=96}}