Charlie Chaplin

Chaplin was born in London to a poor family; his mother was often ill and he spent time in the workhouse. He toured to the United States with a theatre company, entered films in 1914 and was well known within a year, establishing the character of the Tramp. In 1919 he founded United Artists with Griffith and others, gaining control of his own distribution.

He continued to make silent films after sound arrived, scoring City Lights and Modern Times himself. The Great Dictator, in 1940, was his first with dialogue. From 1947 his politics drew the attention of the American authorities, and in 1952 his re-entry permit was revoked while he was travelling to Britain. He settled in Switzerland and returned to the United States only briefly, in 1972, to accept an honorary Academy Award.