Charlie Chaplin had a job.
Sir Charles Spencer `` Charlie '' Chaplin , ( 16 April 1889 -- 25 December 1977 ) was an English comic actor , filmmaker , and composer who rose to fame during the era of silent film . In 1919 , Chaplin co-founded the distribution company United Artists , which gave him complete control over his films . His first feature-length was The Kid ( 1921 ) , followed by A Woman of Paris ( 1923 ) , The Gold Rush ( 1925 ) , and The Circus ( 1928 ) . Chaplin wrote , directed , produced , edited , starred in , and composed the music for most of his films .