This November we are celebrating great men and great lip hair.
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Ooops!
I was travelling and missed the chance to post a daily ‘stache, so I am making it up to you by providing two lovely men and the facial hair that defined their looks.
Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) and his mustache are iconic. He was a black and white screen era actor. He began acting at twelve to support himself and his brother. His father had passed away and his mother was ill. This remarkably versatile young man was an instant hit and he went on to immortalize his image on the screen In 1975, Chaplin was awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth II.
Chaplin was unabashedly political and used his platform to speak out against the rise of fascism. There had long been parallels drawn between Adolf Hitler and Chaplin–they were born four days apart and both had come from rags to riches—and both sported the same style of mustache. This was this physical resemblance formed the story for Chaplin’s film, The Great Dictator, which satirised Hitler.
He was so famous that his body was actually stolen. After Chaplin died, in an effort to extort money from his family, two men took him from a cemetery in the Swiss village of Corsier-sur-Vevey. Chaplin’s body was recovered 11 weeks later after the grave-robbers were captured. He is now buried under 6 feet of concrete to prevent further theft attempts.
No list of mustaches could be complete without the great Freddie Mercury (1946-1991). His birth name was Farrokh Bulsara, but he started going by Freddie when he was at St. Peter’s, a boarding school for boys near Mumbai. He legally changed his name to Freddie Mercury around 1970, when Queen was formed.
Mercury was very private and rarely granted personal interviews. He absolutely loved cats, and according to Gig Wise he would talk to his felines on the phone while he was on tour. He actually wrote a song, Delilah, about one of his kitties.
Freddie Mercury’s final resting place was never known. The star was cremated after his death and only long-time girlfriend Mary Austin knew where the ashes were. There was a burial plaque at London’s Kensal Green that went missing after it’s location was revealed. Austin told reporters that she had sworn on his death bed to never reveal where his ashes were.
Movember is an annual, month-long event involving the growing of facial hair, especially mustaches, to raise money and awareness around men’s cancers and mental health issues. You can donate to the cause here.
Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons