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My Autobiography
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My Autobiography Paperback - 2012

by Charlie Chaplin; Introduction by David Robinson


From the publisher

SIR CHARLES SPENCER “CHARLIE” CHAPLIN was born in 1889 in London to impoverished parents. He began performing at age ten as a member of a juvenile clog-dance troupe. In 1913, while he was touring with a vaudeville act in the US, Keystone films recruited Chaplin to make films. In only his second short—Kid Auto Races at Venice—he debuted his “Little Tramp” character, and his fame quickly exploded. He went on to write, direct, and star in some of the most critically acclaimed movies ever made, including the classics The Gold Rush, City Lights, The Great Dictator, Monsieur Verdoux, and Modern Times—for which he also wrote the song “Smile,” still a standard. In 1919 he founded the United Artists film studio along with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith, and in 1929, the first year of the Academy Awards, he won an award for “versatility and genius” in The Circus. But Chaplin’s career took a dark turn during the McCarthy era, when he was accused of “un-American activities” and monitored by the FBI; he would later satirize the McCarthy committee in his A King in New York, but when he visited the UK in 1952 his re-entry permit to the US was revoked. Objecting to what he described as “lies and propaganda by powerful reactionary groups”, he moved with his family to Switzerland, where he would live until his death on Christmas day 1977.

DAVID ROBINSON is a film critic and author and a biographer of Charlie Chaplin. His Chaplin: His Life and Art is regarded as the definitive book on the subject. 

Details

  • Title My Autobiography
  • Author Charlie Chaplin; Introduction by David Robinson
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition Reprint
  • Pages 528
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Melville House Publishing, Brooklyn and London
  • Date 2012-12-26
  • Illustrated Yes
  • ISBN 9781612191928 / 1612191924
  • Weight 0.99 lbs (0.45 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.97 x 5 x 1.44 in (20.24 x 12.70 x 3.66 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects Motion picture actors and actresses - United, Comedians - United States
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2013432275
  • Dewey Decimal Code B

Media reviews

“The best autobiography ever written by an actor. An astonishing work.” Chicago Tribune

“A moving picture of the hero himself. A truly fascinating book.”
The New York Times Book Review

“The most original, virile book about the theater in a long, long time.”
Atlantic Monthly

“It holds the reader entranced. Every page can be read with pleasure.”The Times (London)

“The crucial artist of the twentieth century.” The New Yorker

“Among the greatest geniuses of film.” —Roger Ebert

“Few men in this century in any field attained his stature with the public.” The New York Times

“Chaplin was not just ‘big,’ he was gigantic. In 1915, he burst onto a war-torn world bringing it the gift of comedy, laughter and relief while it was tearing itself apart through World War I. Over the next 25 years, through the Great Depression and the rise of Adolf Hitler, he stayed on the job. . . It is doubtful any individual has ever given more entertainment, pleasure and relief to so many human beings when they needed it the most.” —Martin Sieff

“For me, comedy begins with Charlie Chaplin. I know there were screen comedies before he came along . . . But none of them created a persona as unique or indelible as the Little Tramp, and no one could match his worldwide impact.” —Leonard Maltin

“For a star who made his fortune in the silent movies, Charlie Chaplin has a surprising way with words. His My Autobiography, published in 1964 and recently reissued, moves along at a quick clip, lit up throughout its many pages by bright anecdotes, easy humor, and a confident way with a good yarn.” Biographile

About the author

SIR CHARLES SPENCER "CHARLIE" CHAPLIN was born in 1889 in London to impoverished parents. He began performing at age ten as a member of a juvenile clog-dance troupe. In 1913, while he was touring with a vaudeville act in the US, Keystone films recruited Chaplin to make films. In only his second short--Kid Auto Races at Venice--he debuted his "Little Tramp" character, and his fame quickly exploded. He went on to write, direct, and star in some of the most critically acclaimed movies ever made, including the classics The Gold Rush, City Lights, The Great Dictator, Monsieur Verdoux, and Modern Times--for which he also wrote the song "Smile," still a standard. In 1919 he founded the United Artists film studio along with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, and D.W. Griffith, and in 1929, the first year of the Academy Awards, he won an award for "versatility and genius" in The Circus. Chaplin's career took a dark turn during the McCarthy era, when he was accused of "un-American activities" and monitored by the FBI; he would later satirize the McCarthy committee in his A King in New York, but when he visited the UK in 1952 his re-entry permit to the US was revoked. Objecting to what he described as "lies and propaganda by powerful reactionary groups," he moved with his family to Switzerland, where he would live until his death on Christmas Day 1977.

DAVID ROBINSON is a film critic and author and a biographer of Charlie Chaplin. His Chaplin: His Life and Art is regarded as the definitive book on the subject.

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