By 1918, Charlie Chaplin was the most recognizable person in the world. People in China, Brazil, and Russia all knew his face -- even though they had never heard his voice. Born on April 16, 1889, in London, England, Chaplin grew up in terrible poverty. His father left the family. His mother, a music hall singer, was often too ill to care for him. Chaplin spent time in workhouses -- places where poor people were forced to work for food and shelter. But he had a gift for making people laugh. He joined a touring theater group as a teenager and traveled to America. In 1914, he appeared in his first movie. Silent films -- movies without sound -- were the entertainment of the era. Chaplin created a character called the Little Tramp. A poor but dignified man in oversized shoes, baggy pants, a tight coat, and a bowler hat. The Tramp was clumsy and always getting into trouble, but he never gave up. He was kind to people who were mean to him. Audiences loved this character because he reminded them of themselves -- struggling but never losing hope. Chaplin became one of the first people to write, direct, produce, and star in his own movies. He built his own movie studio. He composed the music for his films. He controlled every detail. By the time sound films arrived in the late 1920s, Chaplin was already the biggest star in the world.