Many talented artists of his time starred in the films of the great actor Charlie Chaplin. Thanks to the work with the famous comedian, some of them have become recognizable. Eric Campbell is a prime example of this popularity.
There is very little information about the family in which the American and British comedian Alfred Eric Campbell was born. Not even the exact year of his birth has been established.
The path to recognition
The biography of the future famous artist began in 1879. Also indicated 1878 or 1880. The child was born in the Scottish city of Dunoon on April 26.
The boy demonstrated his acting talent from an early age. He performed on stage since childhood. He did not leave acting creativity. The chosen one of the performer was in 1901 his colleague, the music hall actress Fanny Gertrude Robotham. The family had a daughter, Una.
Campbell joined Fred Carnot's theater company. Chaplin and Austin played in the troupe. In 1914 the ensemble toured the United States. Broadway producer Frohman drew attention to the colorful performer. He offered Eric a contract. Under the contract, the artist played in performances for more than two years.
In 1916, Campbell made his film debut. Since March 1916, the performer, at the invitation of Chaplin, entered the permanent group of the great comedian. By that time, Charlie had already become the leading comedy performer in Hollywood. He offered Campbell the role of his permanent antagonist, the Giant. The tall and large actor perfectly matched the given type. And in the frame, the artist knew how to look intimidating.
Successful film career
False eyebrows bent upwards became the actor's "trademark" sign. Eric often appeared in front of the camera with a fake long beard. The first joint film was the short film "The Controller of the Department Store". The premiere of the silent picture took place in mid-May 1916. The hero of Eric was the store manager George Brush.
According to the scenario, after receiving important news, the manager and his assistant are going to flee. Both decided to take with them all the proceeds of the department store. They cannot trust a friend to a friend, constantly suspecting a catch, there is no agreement between them either. The assistant decides to take all the money for himself.
At this moment, a visitor enters the store. In appearance, he is no different from an ordinary vagabond. In addition, he behaves very defiantly. Strikingly, the character is remarkably similar to the assistant manager. This circumstance completely confuses the situation.
Vivid characters
In Chaplin's short silent film The Wanderer, the head of the gypsies became the character of Eric Campbell.
In the story, the main character plays the violin in a bar. Its performance evokes indignation from competitors. A scuffle begins.
After a fight, the violinist saves a girl from the gypsies. When a dirty and disheveled young lady puts herself in order, Chaplin's hero, shocked by her beauty, falls in love.
Unfortunately for the musician, the mother comes to the rescued woman, accompanied by a rival, an artist who is also carried away by the girl. Now the heroine will have to make a difficult choice between them.
The artist played in almost all of Chaplin's films, made under a contract with the Mutual company. In the shortest possible time, the talented artist managed to win the general love of the audience. Charlie appreciated him very much. Both perfectly complemented each other on screen, were friends in real life.
The chief of the fire brigade was the performer in Chaplin's new project "Fireman". About the plot, he and his subordinate, the main character, are in love with one girl. The beauty's father promised to marry his daughter to a better-off boss. However, there is one condition. The team must not arrive in time for the fire signal. His sly man decided to arrange it himself in order to get considerable insurance for the house.
But the carefully crafted plan went wrong immediately. With horror, the father realizes that his daughter is left on the top floor of the house engulfed in flames. Chaplin's character comes to the aid of the desperate girl.
New plans
Eric played a tailor in the classic comedy The Count. Chaplin's hero works as an apprentice for him, constantly getting into trouble. He finds himself out of work after a client's iron-burned trousers. In their pocket the tailor found an invitation to a party in the name of Count Brokot. Charlie's former employer decides to make an appointment. Putting on his tailcoat and taking the invitation, he goes to visit.
At this moment, a kind cook feeds an unlucky ex-apprentice in the kitchen, and then helps him hide from the butler in a laundry basket. After the latter leaves the kitchen, the hero barely manages to get out when a new danger appears. Charlie goes upstairs in the dumbwaiter.
Toe to toe, the ex-tailor collides with the former boss. He explains that he decided to have fun for free, and offers the unwitting witness to the deception the role of secretary for the evening. At the invitation of the butler, both enter the hall. The guests are amazed at the very strange manners at the table of the count and his assistant.
During the dances, the imaginary guests compete for the right to dance with the hostess of the reception. At the same time, Chaplin's hero also tries to flirt with another lady, hiding with all his might from the cook watching the holiday.
The real count, who arrived late, learns with amazement that he is already in the house and goes for the police. At this moment, the tailors are having a cake. The cream-coated guests rush after Charlie. The arriving policemen join them.
Summarizing
His artistic career developed successfully. Campbell played a thug and a bandit in "The Moneylender's Shop" and "Quiet Street", was in the form of a gout patient in "Treatment". In the comedy Behind the Screen, his hero is the prop Goliath. His most recent films were Adventurer and The Immigrant.
After the departure of their wife's life, the artist made a new attempt at arranging his personal life. Pearl Gilman, a variety show actress, became his wife. However, the marriage lasted only two months and the couple broke up. The actor died in a car accident on July 9, 1917.
After his death, the comedic grotesque skillfully introduced by Campbell disappeared from Chaplin's paintings. All films with Eric's participation are recognized as the pinnacle of Charlie's direction of the 1910s.
A documentary film "Chaplin's Goliath" dedicated to Campbell's work was filmed in 1996. At the same time, in Dunoon, in the artist's homeland, a memorial plaque was erected in his memory.
