Rollie Totheroh, a renowned cinematographer, had the privilege of collaborating with the iconic filmmaker Charles Chaplin for an impressive duration of over three decades. His professional journey with Chaplin began in 1915, when he worked on the earliest short films of the legendary comedian. This long-standing partnership continued until the release of Monsieur Verdoux in 1947, encompassing some of Chaplin's most celebrated works, including The Kid, a poignant drama released in 1921, The Gold Rush, a comedy classic that premiered in 1925, City Lights, a romantic comedy-drama that debuted in 1931, Modern Times, a groundbreaking comedy-drama that premiered in 1936, and The Great Dictator, a satirical comedy-drama that was released in 1940.
Totheroh's remarkable working relationship with Chaplin, which spanned an impressive three decades, is only rivaled by his partnership with Chaplin's brother, Syd Chaplin.
