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Chaplin Quotes

Chaplin quotes here come from performers describing what silent film taught them, from a first encounter with early comedy to being raised on it by their parents. Several point to physical comedy as a universal language, one that needs no dialogue to tell a real story.

These Chaplin quotes trace how silent-era Film and physical comedy shaped performers who grew up watching it, generation after generation.

I've always loved silent movies. I recently saw 'Tilly's Punctured Romance' at the Academy, which is the first comedy made with Charlie Chaplin in 1914, and I sat there, and I couldn't believe that the entire audience of 2,000 people...

Quotes by Taylor Negron

I don't think the physical resemblance is as important as capturing the soul of the person that the actor is portraying. How much like Charlie Chaplin did Robert Downey Jr. look in 'Chaplin?' Did Meryl Steep actually resemble Nora Ephron...

Quotes by Sanjay Leela Bhansali

The Hollywood business has been experiencing continual change since about 1915, when Charlie Chaplin was in Venice. The current time is no exception... You have to accept there will be constant change in the future.

Quotes by Roy Price

I'm not Charlie Chaplin and will never, ever claim to be. But when I become the 'Tramp,' I can feel the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

Quotes by Rob McClure

Film Quotes

I would say that Pixar is doing for animation what Chaplin did for film, infusing it with heart and characters that you care about and stories that you lose yourself in. They are similar revolutionaries and changing a medium.

Quotes by Rob McClure

Well, you cannot think of cinema now, and you cannot think of cinema in the UK and not place Chaplin in the most extraordinary elevated context, if there can be such a thing, in that he was a genius, he...

Quotes by Richard Attenborough

I grew up watching Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.

Quotes by Pierre Niney

I read every book about Buster Keaton and Chaplin to see how they worked - it's all about dedication, tunnel vision, pursuit of perfection, getting the gag right.

Quotes by Paul Merton

As I don't know what life would be like without my Chaplin connections, I work with them. I'm just really happy it's a family I can be proud of; it's not as if I'm related to some Z-list celebrity.

Quotes by Oona Chaplin

Great Quotes

Shakespeare wrote great plays that we're still watching all these years later. Charlie Chaplin made great comedies and they are still as funny today as they ever were.

Quotes by Leonard Maltin

I grew up and I was weaned on the Marx Brothers. They were sort of my all-time favorite. My parents showed me their movies when I was very young. And as I got older, I became a Charlie Chaplin fan,...

Quotes by Joshua Malina

I think physical comedy is an amazing asset because it tells a story that's more universal than just language and dialogue. I grew up watching Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. They're very powerful figures in my life.

Quotes by Josh Gad

My idol growing up was Charlie Chaplin. I was obsessed with him. I mean, while other kids were watching Jim Carrey and the likes in the '90s, I was watching Charlie Chaplin films, because I was a bit of a...

Quotes by Josh Gad

Bob Dylan may be the Charlie Chaplin of rock n' roll. Both men are regarded as geniuses by their entire audience. Both were proclaimed revolutionaries for their early work and subjected to exhaustive attack when later works were thought to...

Quotes by Jon Landau

Life Quotes

It didn't matter that Charlie Chaplin may not have been a great director or a great anything else. He made great movies.

Quotes by Jon Landau

I was always a big fan of Charlie Chaplin movies. I love 'The Great Dictator' and 'City Lights.'

Quotes by Jack Reynor

I liked the America of Bing Crosby, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton - it was all a dream, of course, but a very alluring dream for a young man from Canton.

Quotes by I. M. Pei

Everyone seems to have this awareness of Charlie Chaplin because he was a really good businessman while Buster Keaton wasn't.

Quotes by French Stewart

I'd like to produce, direct, write, score, and star in a film in exactly the way Chaplin did. I'll do that before I'm thirty.

Quotes by Eddie Murphy

Little Quotes

All I know is it was incredible watching Robert Downey Jr. bring Chaplin to life. Talk about weight-lifting!

Quotes by Diane Lane

Frequently Asked Questions

What made early Charlie Chaplin films memorable to later performers?
One quote recalls watching an early Chaplin comedy from 1914 and being amazed it still held up, showing the lasting appeal of his earliest work.
Did family influence how some performers discovered classic comedy?
Yes. One quote describes being weaned on classic comedy by parents who showed them these films at a young age, shaping a lifelong favorite.
Can Chaplin still influence performers who grew up in a different era?
One quote describes being obsessed with Chaplin even while peers watched more modern comedians, showing his influence crossed generations.
Why is physical comedy considered a universal skill?
One quote argues physical comedy tells a story more universal than language or dialogue alone, citing Chaplin as a defining example of that craft.
What other quotes pair well with Chaplin quotes?
Try our Film quotes collection for more on classic cinema and comedic craft.

See also Great quotes on lasting influence, and Life quotes on what shapes a career early on.