Charlie Chaplin Missing!

Charlie Chaplin Statue

In 1981 Sir Ralph Richardson unveiled a statue in Leicester Square to Charlie Chaplin. The plinth it stood on stated "The Comic Genius who gave pleasure to so many". Indeed, it is hard to forget the man with the bowler hat, toothbrush moustache, bamboo cane, and funny walk.

Charlie Chaplin

Most recognized as an icon of the silent film era, Charlie Chaplin is often associated with his popular "Little Tramp" character. This stems from one of his major film roles in "The Tramp" made in 1915.

photo by http://www.kidinthefrontrow.com/2010/05/charlie-chaplin-statue-in-leicester.html

Charlie Chaplin

Charles Spencer Chaplin was born in Walworth, London on April 16th 1889. His family worked in the music hall and Charlie made his professional debut as a tapdancer in the childrens dance group called "The Eight Lancashire Lads".

While touring America in 1913 he joined Mack Sennett and the Keystone Film Company.

http://www.charliechaplin.com/en/biography/articles/21-Overview-of-His-Life

In 1919 Chaplin joined with Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith to found the United Artists Corporation.

He was honored with an Academy Award in 1972,for his "incalculable effect in making motion pictures the art form of the century" and in 1975 he was Knighted for his services to entertainment.

Missing

On December 25, 1977 Chaplin died of natural causes at his home in Switzerland. The following year his corpse was stolen from its grave and was not recovered for three months. He was later re-buried in a vault surrounded by cement.

Now Charlie Chaplin has again gone missing........Not the real one, but the statue!

In the regeneration of Leicester square, the tramps (both real and bronze) have been removed from the park.

So the question is......Where has Charlie Chaplin gone?

   

Leicester square as it was.

Leicester square as it is now.

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