The first truly global celebrity, Charlie Chaplin was once the most famous man in the world. The king of the silent movie, over the course of 82 films his wistful slapstick saw him light up the silver screen like no one else. But how did he leave behind the extreme poverty of his London childhood? What’s the truth about his complicated love life? And how did personal and political conflict threaten to derail one of the most celebrated careers in entertainment history?

This is a Short History of Charlie Chaplin.

Written by Dan Smith. With thanks to Lucy Moore, historian and author of Anything Goes: A Biography of the Roaring Twenties.

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