Chaplin: A Life

by: Stephen M. Weissman, M.D.

Published by: Arcade Publishing

Reviewed by Sharon Broom

If you are of a certain age, you are familiar with Charlie Chaplin. If you don’t know who he was, you should. He was, in my humble opinion, one of the best comedians who ever lived. And considering his beginnings, it is surprising that he could get out of bed, much less entertain the world with such skill.

Stephen Weissman writes a detailed, exhaustive and concise biography of Chaplin. Many know of his celebrity, but the gritty details of his life may come as a surprise. Born in London in 1889, he was beyond poor. His parents were in the entertainment business, but tragedy struck and his father succumbed to alcoholism and his mother to syphilis. At the tender age of seven, his parents, unable to care for him, sent him to an orphanage.

From these dire and humble beginnings, a genius emerged. But he was a genius who was haunted by his past. He was also an entertainer who successfully made the transition from the stage to film.

Weissman walks through Chaplin’s life and discusses his stage appearances, his breakout performance of Sherlock Holms, his American tours, his film associations, his film “Little Tramp” and his first speaking parts (Adolf Hitler and a Jewish barber) his lifestyle controversies (a scandalous sex life) and his politics.

Weissman’s Afterword is not to be missed. It provides thoughts on Chaplin’s conflicted versions of his life story. His sources are many and varied and make the book the winner it is. Reading Chaplin: A Life has led me to look for other biographies and his autobiography. They should make for an interesting read.

Dr. Stephen Weissman is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who does a magnificent job of detailing the life of Charlie Chaplin.

Armchair Interviews says: A must-read biography on one of the greatest entertainers the world has known.

Author’s Web site: http://www.ChaplinALife.com