After a pleasant contract with Mutual Films, Charlie moved on to yet another production company, the First National. By this time Chaplin had audiences beyond the reach of his contemporaries. His work at First National resulted in some of the best Chaplin short movies ever made. Notably, “The Kid”, advertised as “Six reels of joy” that would break box office records and “A Dog’s Life” which is a must for any serious film buff. These movies had gained Chaplin the supreme throne in Hollywood making him the only actor to be paid a 7-digit salary.

Still unhappy with the independence given to directors Chaplin decided to start his own production company. Thus, the United Artists studio was born. Charlie was one of the owners of the company along with other eminent Hollywood celebrities, most notably, the controversial director D. W. Griffiths. Till date United Artists is one of the few companies that gives full freedom to debut directors. Charlie now moved on to full length feature films. During this period movie masterpieces such as “The Gold Rush” (1925) and “City Lights” (1931) were created. Chaplin was now a household name, even in the orient.

Even though talkies had started to come, Chaplin started his next silent project, “Modern Times” (1936). Contrary to popular opinion, the silent gem had broken all previous box office records and became the quintessential silent comedy of the century.

Chaplin then ventured into talking movies and started off with “The Great Dictator” (1940), a satire on world war. It also starred Paulette Goddard who would go on to become one of his wives. In the movie Chaplin plays a parody on Hitler (who incidentally was just 4 days younger than him) It is alleged that Hitler himself enjoyed the movie twice. Chaplin continued his work with groundbreaking movies such as “Monsieur Verdoux” (1947) and “Limelight” (1952).

Due to his political leaning and nationality, Chaplin was under the watch of the government and was practically exiled to Switzerland where he spent the rest of his life. He made just 2 movies after the incident owing to physical problems. Chaplin’s relationship with his women was an important part in his life. With 4 wives and alleged affairs with other women, Chaplin always had problems in personal life.

On the day of Christmas in 1977, Charles Chaplin passed away due to natural causes. The world had lost its Little Tramp. But, the work of this man was never to be erased from the pages of history.