Charlie Chaplin Worksheets
Charlie Chaplin
Worksheets
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Charlie Chaplin Facts
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer, who became significantly popular during the era of silent film, an era of cinema that persisted from the mid 1890's until the 1920's, where movies have no sound, synchronized audio recording, nor audible dialogs. It was the era where films were watched while accompanied by a pianist. In this era, Charlie Chaplin became most popular for his character, The Tramp. Charlie Chaplin's career spanned more than 75 years, since his childhood in the Victorian era until a year before his death in 1977. His life has sparked both admiration and controversy.
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Charlie Chaplin Facts
★ Charlie Chaplin's rise to fame is a rags-to-riches story.
★ Charles Spencer Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889, in London, England.
★ Not long after his birth, Chaplin's father became an alcoholic and abandoned him with his mother and older half-brother, Sydney.
★ Chaplin's mother, Hannah, went by the stage name of Lily Harley, as she was a music hall singer and vaudevillian.
★ She was able to support her family for a few years.
★ On one performance, Hannah lost her voice for unknown reasons; to continue the show, young Charlie came to the stage to replace her.
★ Chaplin, only five at the time, continued his mother's performance.
★ Chaplin knew comedy at the time, as he imitated his mother's cracking voice.
EARLY LIFE
Seven-year-old Charlie at the center of the photo taken at the Central London District School
for paupers in 1897
★ The audience loved his performance.
★ Unfortunately, his mother's voice never returned.
★ Sadly, she also suffered from mental illness and was later confined to an asylum.
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Charlie Chaplin Facts
★ Chaplin used his mothers contacts to enter showbiz in 1897.
★ He landed in a clog-dancing troupe named the Eight Lancashire Lads.
★ Chaplin worked many jobs, such as being a news vendor, printer, and toymaker, but he never lost his dream to be an actor.
★ Chaplin made his first acting role as a pageboy in a production of Sherlock Holmes (1903-1906).
★ In 1908, he toured with a vaudeville group named Casey's Court Circus.
★ He teamed up with the Fred Karno Pantomime Troupe and became a star as a drunk man in a comedic sketch.
★ Chaplin got to the United States with the Pantomime Troupe, and there he caught the eye of Mack Sennett, who signed him to a contract for 150 dollars a week.
EARLY CAREER
Young Charlie in Sherlock Holmes
Ad for Karno’s 1913 American Tour
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Charlie Chaplin Facts
★ Chaplin debuted in a film called Make a Living in 1914.
★ In order to be a unique actor, Chaplin decided to stick to a character in his next film.
★ His identifiable character is known as "The Little Tramp," who first appeared in Kid Auto Races at Venice in 1914.
★ Chaplin left Sennett in 1915 to join the Essanay Company, which contracted to pay him $1,250 dollars a week.
★ With the Essanay Company, Charlie hired Sydney, his older half-brother, to be his business manager.
★ Chaplin then rose to stardom.★ Chaplin made 14 films in his
first year in the company.★ His first classic film was The
Tramp (1915).★ The Tramp is about how his
character became an unexpected hero, saving a farmer's daughter from a gang of robbers.
FILM CAREER
Chaplin and Henry Lehrman in Making a Living (1914)
The Tramp debuts in Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914)
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Charlie Chaplin Facts★ By the age of 26, Chaplin moved to Mutual Company, which paid
him $670,000 a year. ★ While with Mutual Company, he made some of his best work, such
as One A.M. (1916), The Rink (1916), and Easy Street (1917).★ As a filmmaker, Chaplin was known to be a perfectionist.★ However, the good results were hard to deny as he made his
greatest films, such as The Kid (1921), The Pilgrim (1923), A Woman in Paris (1923), and The Gold Rush (1925).
★ These films were produced by a company he co-founded named United Artists.
★ Chaplin had numerous affairs with women who had roles in his films.
★ Chaplin married Mildred Harris in 1918, who was 16 years old.
★ Chaplin wed again in 1925 with another 16-year-old actress, Lita Grey, whom he'd cast in The Gold Rush. They divorced in 1927.
★ He wed again in 1936 to Paulette Goddard, and their marriage lasted until 1942.
★ In 1943, Chaplin married Oona O'Neill, who was the daughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill.
★ Their marriage was happy and resulted in eight children.
PERSONAL LIFE
Lita Grey
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Charlie Chaplin Facts
★ Chaplin made his last visit to the United States in 1972 to receive an Honorary Academy Award.
★ In 1975, Chaplin was knighted by Queen Elizabeth. ★ Charlie Chaplin died at his home in Corsier-sur-Vevey, Vaud,
Switzerland on December 25, 1977.★ Two men stole Chaplin’s body from the grave for a ransom of
$400,000.★ Eleven weeks later, Chaplin’s body was recovered and the robbers
were arrested.
FINAL YEARS
Charlie Chaplin Studios where Chaplin's films were produced between 1918 and 1952
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Name: ______________
Why is Charlie Chaplin’s life story called a rags-to-riches story? Summarize his life using the following categories.
Rags to Riches
CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS
EARLY LIFE________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
EARLY CAREER________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Name: ______________
Put a checkmark next to the jobs taken by Charlie Chaplin in his lifetime. Put an X next to the jobs that were not.
Career Checklist
CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS
Filmmaker
News Vendor
Chef
Actor
Printer
Waiter
Toymaker
Contractor
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Name: ______________
Arrange the following events in Charlie Chaplin’s acting career in order from the first to last. Write the corresponding letters on the blanks.
Charlie, the Actor
CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS
A. Charlie acted as a pageboy in Sherlock Holmes.
B. Charlie joined the Fred Karno Pantomime Troupe and starred in a
comedic sketch.C. Charlie acted as The Tramp.
D. Charlie moved to Mutual Company and made some of his best work.
E. Charlie starred in a film entitled The Rink.
F. Charlie debuted in a film called Make a Living.
G. Charlie joined the Essanay Company and earned $1,250 a week.
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Name: ______________
Decode the titles of Charlie Chaplin’s films using the given letters and dates of release as clues.
Charlie, the Filmmaker
CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS
T E C R U
K N N E O R
L M L H
N S U R
V E R
H E
R E
D C A O
(1928)
(1952)(1957)
(1947)
(1940)
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Name: ______________
Match the letter of the poster of Charlie Chaplin’s movie to its correct synopsis. Write the corresponding letter on the space provided.
Poster Match
CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS
A B C D
A little tramp discovers an orphan and raises him as his own until the orphanage reclaims the orphan.
A little tramp searches for gold and ends up falling in love.
A little tramp rescues a stray dog and together they try to survive the city.
A little tramp gets employed at a factory where the machinery overwhelms him, and where he experiences
mishap upon mishap.
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Name: ______________
Charlie Chaplin was the star of the silent film era. Learn more about the silent film era by answering the following questions.
Silent Film Era
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What is silent film?
When was the silent film era?
Who were the famous actors during the silent film era?
What were the famous films made during the silent film era?
What caused the end of the silent film era?
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Name: ______________
Charlie Chaplin is known to have married multiple times. Who were the ex-wives and last wife of Charlie Chaplin? Can you write their names on the blank as well as a brief summary of their relationships with Chaplin?
Multiple Marriages
CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS
NAME: _________________RELATIONSHIP SUMMARY:____________________________________________________________________________________________
NAME: _________________RELATIONSHIP SUMMARY:____________________________________________________________________________________________
NAME: _________________RELATIONSHIP SUMMARY:____________________________________________________________________________________________
NAME: _________________RELATIONSHIP SUMMARY:____________________________________________________________________________________________
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Name: ______________
The following people have worked with Charlie Chaplin closely at one point in his career. Can you write a short profile detailing the background and work of each one?
Chaplin’s Colleagues
CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS
DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS____________________________________
____
MARY PICKFORD
____________________________________
____
HARRY LAUDER
____________________________________
____
HENRY BERGMAN____________________________________
____
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Name: ______________
Watch a trailer, a clip, or a full video of any silent film starring Charlie Chaplin, then write what you think of Chaplin’s film in the space below.
Film Review
CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Name: ______________
Following Charlie Chaplin’s works, produce your own short comedic film. Supply the information being asked for on this page.
My Funny Film
CHARLIE CHAPLIN WORKSHEETS
TITLE: PLOT: _____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________
CHARACTERS:● _____________● _____________CONFLICT: ______________________________________________RESOLUTION: ______________________________________________