Charlie Chaplin birthday: 6 interesting facts about the great comedian!

This great comedian of the silent era requires no introduction. Sir Charles Spencer ‘Charlie’ Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889 in England. He is among those personalities who brought about a change in the way art, especially cinema, was perceived. Till today, people watch Chaplin’s work with great admiration. He was most known for the famous toothbrush moustache he maintained and, of course, the cane stick. The costume worn by Charlie Chaplin as his iconic Little Tramp character went on sale for USD195,000. He is best remembered for donning the suit and bowler hat combination to portray a street vagrant trying to earn a penny and behave like a gentleman. On his birthday today, here are some important facts about the great comedian:

1. Charlie Chaplin’s corpse was stolen

Yes, you read it right! Three months following his death on December 25, 1977, Charlie Chaplin’s body was stolen from the graveyard. It was an attempt by the robbers to extort money from his family. However, his body was recovered after the thieves were caught, after which he was buried six feet under concrete to prevent any further attempts!

2. Charlie Chaplin won the Charlie Chaplin lookalike contest!

 

Although there are no reports to prove this incident, it is widely said and reported that he once attended a ‘Charlie Chaplin lookalike contest’ and won the third prize for it! People also say that it is a rumour; however most of them would like to believe it as a fact.

3. Charlie Chaplin has an asteroid named after him

 

 Yes, a Chaplin asteroid! A Ukranian astronomer named Lyudmila Karachkina named an asteroid Chaplin four years after his death. Karachkina who discovered 131 asteroids named one of them 3623 Chaplin. It is believed to be in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter and is visible with a telescope. (READ: Charlie Chaplin 125th birthday: Famous quotes of the iconic actor-director)

4. Charlie Chaplin was exiled from USA and died in his sleep

 Chaplin could never become a US citizen, or didn’t want to. In fact, he refused American citizenship after which he was exiled from USA in 1953. He left for Switzerland and died in his sleep on December 25, 1977 at the age of 88.

 5. Charlie Chaplin’s daughter played his mother in the movie Chaplin

 Geraldine Chaplin, who is Charlie’s daughter with his last wife Oona, played the role of  his mother Hannah Chaplin in the 1992 Hollywood movie adaptation of Charlie Chaplin’s life, Chaplin. Chaplin married four times and is said to have had a fondness for young women.

6. Charlie Chaplin played Adolf Hitler