He was believed to have been born on April 16, 1889. There is some doubt
whether April 16 is actually his birthday, and it is possible he was not born in
1889. There is also uncertainty about his birthplace: London or Fontainebleau,
France. There is no doubt, however, as to his parentage: he was born to Charles
Chaplin, Sr. and Hannah Harriette Hill (aka Lily Harley on stage), both Music Hall
entertainers. His parents separated soon after his birth, leaving him in the care of
his increasingly unstable mother.
In 1896, Chaplin’s mother was unable to find work; Charlie and his older half-
brother Sydney Chaplin had to be left in the workhouse at Lambeth, moving after
several weeks to Hanwell School for Orphans and Destitute Children. His father

died an alcoholic when Charlie was 12, and his mother suffered a mental
breakdown, and was eventually admitted temporarily to the Cane Hill Asylum at
Coulsdon (near Croydon). She died in 1928 in the United States, two years after
coming to the States to live with Chaplin, by then a commercial success.
Charlie first took to the stage when, aged five, he performed in Music Hall in
1894, standing in for his mother. As a child, he was confined to a bed for weeks
due to a serious illness, and, at night, his mother would sit at the window and act
out what was going on outside. In 1900, aged 11, his brother helped get him the
role of a comic cat in the pantomime Cinderella at the London Hippodrome. In
1903 he appeared in ‘Jim, A Romance of Cockayne’, followed by his first regular
job, as the newspaper boy Billy in Sherlock Holmes, a part he played into 1906.
This was followed by Casey’s ‘Court Circus’ variety show, and, the following
year, he became a clown in Fred Karno’s ‘Fun Factory’ slapstick comedy
company.
According to immigration records, he arrived in the United States with the
Karno troupe on October 2, 1912. In the Karno Company was Arthur Stanley
Jefferson, who would later become known as Stan Laurel. Chaplin and Laurel
shared a room in a boarding house. Stan Laurel returned to England but Chaplin
remained in the United States. Chaplin’s act was seen by film producer Mack
Sennett, who hired him for his studio, the Keystone Film Company.
Say “True”or “False”
1) Chaplin might have been born
some years earlier than is currently
believed.
2) Chaplin’s mother died before her
son was successful.
3) Chaplin first performed on the
stage after he arrived in the United
States.
4) His first serious job was
delivering newspapers.
5) His first partner on the stage was
the actor, Stan Laurel.
6) He was discovered while working
for a British organization in the United
States.

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