Charlot, André 1882-1956

Variant names

Dates:

Birth 1882-07-26

Death 1956-05-20

Biographical notes:

Charlot, (Eugene) André Maurice (1882-1956). From 1899 to 1905 he worked in a variety of theatrical jobs in Paris including writing news and spotting talent. In 1905 he became assistant manager of the Palais Royal and in 1908 business manager of the Folies-Bergère. In 1910 he opened a theatrical agency to supply revue and music-hall artists, principally to the Alhambra in London, of which he soon became manager. His spectacular shows from 1912 to 1914 combined elements of French and American revue for London audiences, and were highly influential. His subsequent smaller scale revues, notably at the Vaudeville, introduced performers such as Jack Buchanan, Gertrude Lawrence and Jessie Matthews, and composers such as Ivor Novello and Noel Coward. By the mid-1920s Charlot's long successful run had ended, although he did manage to take his leading stars to New York in 1924 and to start a successful radio revue for the BBC in 1928. After some film work for Alexander Korda he went bankrupt in 1931. His comeback in the mid-1930s was characterised by non-stop semi-nude revue and in 1937 he moved to southern California, where he enlisted Hollywood stars to fundraising revues for the war effort and worked both as a teacher and a compere. From 1941 he acted in over 30 Hollywood films, often uncredited. Charlot married the English dancer Florence Gladman in 1909 and they had two children. He died in Hollywood in 1956.

From the guide to the André Charlot Archive, 1822-2004, (V&A Department of Theatre and Performance)