My Early Life
I was born in London on April 16th, 1889. Both my parents were singers and my mother was an actress as well. Her stage name was Lily Harley. They appeared in the London music halls and were very popular. My mom took me on the stage at age two or three. She was very proud of my acting. At parties for friends, my dad would pull me out of bed and stand me on the table to recite and sing for them. Because they were always on tour, we moved from town to town.
One night when I was five, my mother was sick and my father brought me on stage in her place. A girl put grease paint on my cheeks. The glare of the stage lights dazzled me. The audience began laughing and applauding. I opened my mouth and sang with all my heart. The audience began throwing pennies and shillings on the stage. Money! I was a hit.
My dad drank too much and my parents fought. He was very hard to please and spent all our money in bars. We became very poor. When I was ten, my parents split up and I went with my mother. I began to tour as an actor with the troupe “The Eight Lancashire Lads,” where I acted and tap-danced my way through music halls around England.
My mom became very ill and could no longer care for us, and my dad died suddenly when I was twelve. My brother Sydney, who was four years older, and I were left to our own resources. Sydney shipped out to sea. I was homeless and starving in London. I found a wooden barrel to sleep in. But I dreamed big. I dreamed of becoming a great musician or a great actor. I wanted to keep the public laughing.
Sydney returned and took care of me for a while. We went to auditions for theatrical agents but there were no takers. So he arranged to bring me with him on his ship as a cabinboy. On the day we were set to sail, I received a letter from the agent Frank Stern, who wanted to hire me to star in the melodrama From Rags to Riches. It paid one pound ten a week and included a room to live in. I demanded two pounds and got it. I was on my way.
Next I starred in Jim, the Romance of a Cockayne and the part of Billy The Pageboy in “Sherlock Holmes” and received great reviews. In London I performed for the royal family and the King of Greece. This was followed by two years in Casey’s Circus. At age 19, I signed with theater impresario Fred Karno, who took me to America by ship.
Early Films
I was soon working in films with the director Mack Sennett and the Keystone Film Company. I was initially making $150, which was a lot of money at that time, but once I proved popular with audiences I renegotiated my contract. My popularity really took off in 1914 when I developed the “Little Tramp.” I was acting in the short silent film Mabel’s Strange Predicament and was told to put on funny makeup. I went to the wardrobe and got a pair of baggy pants, a tight coat, a small derby hat and a large pair of shoes. I wanted the clothes to be a mass of contradictions. To add a comic touch, I wore a small mustache which would not hide my expression. This character was inspired by the time I spent homeless in London. By 1918, I was one of the most famous celebrities in the world. And a millionaire because I wear funny shoes!
