Charles Spencer Chaplin 16 April 1889 - 25 December 1977 Comic Actor, Director and Producer Charlie Chaplin was born in Walworth, London into a music hall family. He joined a troupe of child dancers, "Eight Lancashire Lads" at the age of 8. At 17, whilst on tour in America, he joined the Mack Sennett Keystone Company motion picture company. His acting technique was characterised by a high degree of pathos, accentuated in the then silent movies, but he was unwilling later to adapt his style to the "talkies". His success enabled him to co-found United Artists in 1919. His major films included The Tramp (1915), Shoulder Arms (1918), The Gold Rush (1925), City Lights (1931), Modern Times (1936) and The Great Dictator (1940). He was knighted in 1975. The statue is by John Doubleday and was unveiled by Sir Ralph Richardson in April 1981.