Charlie Chaplin

What shocked Chaplin most of all was that none of the American actors wrote their own scripts. These procedures were unacceptable to Chaplin who took pride in writing his own material. To Charlie Chaplin his acting career was his passion, not just an occupation. Between 1914-1916 Charlie Chaplin made 61 films in Hollywood. However in 1918 Chaplin decided to take a new direction, and founded his own studio called United Artists. Charlie had long wanted creative and financial freedom. With the creation of United Artists he became the first actor in Hollywood history to control every aspect of the film- making process; including writing, producing, directing, and acting. This accomplishment was un-heard of in this time period, and Charlie Chaplin became a pioneer in film innovation. Not only did Chaplin acquire creative freedom, he also saw a dramatic increase in his salary. Under his own leadership Charlie Chaplin's salary multiplied to almost 60 times what is was under his previous agency. Charlie Chaplin's passion for film, writing, and his self-determination rapidly propelled him to the top of the movie industry. .
             Charlie Chaplin has stared in a number of famous films, as well as played numerous legendary characters. Nonetheless the one specific character that audiences still remember Charlie Chaplin for is the Tramp. Introduced in 1915 the Tramp was an under-dog character who's optimism and triumph in the face of adversity found his way into each audience member's heart. The Tramp was a manifestation of Chaplin's poor childhood and a symbol of overcoming life's misfortunes. The Tramp was a character that everybody could relate to in some form. Characters like the Tramp were new to film audiences who were used to seeing heroes and larger than life characters. The Tramp's form of slapstick, and family friendly comedy appealed to everybody. While presenting serious themes, and societal problems the Tramp could still produce laughs for the entire audience.