Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin is one of the the most famous actors (if not the single most famous actor) in film history. He became widely recognized and beloved for his character The Little Tramp in the early 1920s, and continued using the character until 1940, when he abandoned the character for The Great Dictator. Chaplin saw what had happened to society economically and politically during The Great Depression, and wanted to make a film that depicted what he saw as the causes of the crisis. In the film, he used the Tramp as a representation of the everyday people he saw struggling, and whose oppression he believed led to the economic crisis. Modern Times would be the last of his silent pictures.
Paulette Goddard
Paulette Goddard was Chaplin's wife when the film was made, and the film was her first major role. She received mostly positive reviews, and the film greatly boosted her career, which up until that point had consisted mostly of extra, uncredited, or minor roles. Her relationship with Chaplin lasted eight years, during which time she appeared in two MGM films, signed with Paramount Pictures, and starred in Chaplin’s next film, The Great Dictator (1940).
Allan Garcia
Allan Garcia was chosen for the role of President of the Electro Steel Corp. because Chaplin wanted an actor that bore a resemblance to Henry Ford, whom he had met in the 1920s, and Alfred Abel, the actor who portrayed Joh Fredersen in Fritz Lang's 1927 classic Metropolis. He decided that Garcia fit the part. He appeared in 120 films during his career, six of which were with Charlie Chaplin.
Stanley "Tiny" Sandford
Stanley “Tiny” Sandford began acting in films around 1910, often appearing as a comic heavy. His typical roles included policemen, doormen, bullies, or other burly characters. He is most well-known for his roles in a handful of Laurel and Hardy films, which he appeared in before Modern Times. He also appeared in a small role in Chaplin’s next film The Great Dictator (1940) before retiring from acting that same year.
