Lon Chaney Jr. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lon Chaney Jr.
Chaney Jr. in Indestructible Man (1956)
Born	Creighton Tull Chaney (1906-02-10)February 10, 1906 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Territory, U.S.
Died	July 12, 1973(1973-07-12) (aged 67) San Clemente, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1931–1971
Spouse(s)	Dorothy Hinckley ​ ​ (m. 1928; div. 1936)​ Patsy Beck ​ (m. 1937)​
Children	2
Parent(s)	Lon Chaney (father)

Creighton Tull Chaney (born February 10, 1906 – died July 12, 1973), known by his stage name Lon Chaney Jr., was an American actor. He became famous for playing many scary characters in movies. These included Larry Talbot (the Wolf Man) in The Wolf Man (1941), Count Alucard (Dracula spelled backward) in Son of Dracula, and Frankenstein's monster in The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942). He also played the Mummy in three films. These roles made him a horror movie legend.

Chaney Jr. also acted in other types of movies. He played Lennie Small in Of Mice and Men (1939). He had important roles in mainstream films like High Noon (1952) and The Defiant Ones (1958). At first, he was called Creighton Chaney in films. Later, studios insisted he use his famous father's name, Lon Chaney, to help his career. His acting career lasted for 40 years, from 1931 to 1971.

Early Life of Lon Chaney Jr.

Lon Chaney, Creighton's father

Creighton Tull Chaney was born on February 10, 1906, in Oklahoma City. His parents were Lon Chaney and Frances Cleveland Creighton, who were both stage performers. His father later became a famous film actor. Creighton's parents separated in 1913. He lived in different homes and boarding schools for a few years. In 1916, his father married Hazel Hastings and could offer Creighton a stable home.

From a young age, Creighton tried to make his own way. He wanted to avoid living in the shadow of his famous father. His father did not want him to go into show business. So, Creighton went to business college. He became successful working for an appliance company in Los Angeles. He also worked for a plumbing company. He married Dorothy Hinckley, and they had two sons, Lon Ralph Chaney and Ronald Creighton Chaney.

Creighton's life changed when his father passed away in 1930. After this, Creighton decided to become an actor himself.

Lon Chaney Jr.'s Acting Career

Starting as Creighton Chaney

Gigi Parrish and Chaney in Girl o' My Dreams (1934)

After his father's death, Creighton began acting in movies. He used his own name at first. His first small role was in a serial called The Galloping Ghost (1931). He signed a contract with RKO. This studio gave him small parts in films like Girl Crazy (1932) and Bird of Paradise (1932).

RKO gave him a main role in a serial, The Last Frontier (1932). He got bigger roles in films such as Lucky Devils (1933). He also worked with John Wayne in The Three Musketeers (1933).

Chaney later said he did "every possible bit in pictures." He even did stunt work to earn a living. He performed daring actions like falling off cliffs and riding horses into rivers. His last film as Creighton Chaney was The Marriage Bargain (1935). After this, he was known as Lon Chaney Jr.

Becoming Lon Chaney Jr.

He played the main character in A Scream in the Night (1935). He also had small roles at Paramount Pictures. He appeared in Westerns with Gene Autry. He was often cast as a villain or a tough guy.

Chaney Jr. signed a contract with 20th Century Fox. He appeared in many films there. These included Love Is News (1937) with Tyrone Power. He was almost hurt by a train while filming Jesse James (1939).

Of Mice and Men (1939) Role

Chaney Jr. had only acted on stage once before. This was as Lennie Small in a play version of Of Mice and Men. He was then chosen to play Lennie in the movie Of Mice and Men (1939). This was his first major film role. Critics praised his performance. He also tried out for the role of Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. His father had played this role in 1923, but the part went to Charles Laughton.

One Million B.C. and Other Films

Hal Roach cast him in One Million B.C. (1940). He played Victor Mature's caveman father. For this film, Chaney Jr. designed his own ape-like makeup. This showed his talent for character acting, like his father. Cecil B. DeMille used him in North West Mounted Police (1940). MGM also cast him in Billy the Kid (1941).

Becoming a Horror Film Star at Universal Pictures

Universal Pictures offered Chaney Jr. the main role in Man-Made Monster (1941). This was his first horror film. It was successful, and Universal gave him a long-term contract.

Universal kept him in supporting roles for a while. He appeared in comedies and Westerns.

The Wolf Man, The Mummy, and Inner Sanctum Films

Evelyn Ankers in The Wolf Man

Chaney Jr., Evelyn Ankers and Bela Lugosi in The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

Patric Knowles, Chaney Jr. and Doris Lloyd in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)

Chaney Jr. as the Mummy in The Mummy's Ghost (1944)

Chaney Jr. was then given the main role in The Wolf Man (1941). This role made him famous as a horror actor for the rest of his life. Universal started billing him as "Lon Chaney" to link him to his famous father.

He became an official horror star. Universal cast him as Frankenstein's monster in The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942). Bela Lugosi also returned as Ygor. Chaney Jr. played Kharis the Mummy in The Mummy's Tomb (1942), which was another hit. He played the Wolf Man again in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943). In this film, Bela Lugosi played Frankenstein's monster.

Chaney Jr. then played Dracula in Son of Dracula (1943). This made him the only actor to play all four of Universal's main horror characters: the Wolf Man, Frankenstein's monster, the Mummy, and Count Dracula.

After a small appearance in Crazy House (1943), he starred in Calling Dr. Death (1943). This started another series of films for Chaney, called the Inner Sanctum mysteries. He made a second Mummy movie, The Mummy's Ghost (1944). He also appeared in Cobra Woman (1944) with Maria Montez.

Dead Man's Eyes (1944) was the third Inner Sanctum film. He returned as the Wolf Man in House of Frankenstein (1944). The Mummy's Curse (1944) was his last time playing Kharis the Mummy.

He appeared in the comedy Here Come the Co-Eds (1945). He made more Inner Sanctum films like The Frozen Ghost (1945). He was back as the Wolf Man in House of Dracula (1945). This was one of the last Universal horror films of that time. Pillow of Death (1945) was his final Inner Sanctum movie.

After Universal Pictures

Even though he was known for playing the Wolf Man, Chaney Jr. also became a good supporting actor and villain. He was a tall and strong actor, standing 6 feet 2 inches and weighing 220 pounds.

He appeared in a Bob Hope comedy, My Favorite Brunette (1947). He also supported Randolph Scott in Albuquerque (1948). He played a villain in 16 Fathoms Deep (1948), which was a remake of his 1934 film.

He played the Wolf Man again in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). This film was very popular. Chaney continued to be busy with many supporting roles in different types of movies. He appeared in films like Captain China (1950), High Noon (1952), and The Black Castle (1952). He also played the main role in Battles of Chief Pontiac (1952).

He had a main role in Indestructible Man (1956). Then he went back to supporting parts in films like Pardners (1956). He was a favorite actor of producer Stanley Kramer. Kramer said that if a role was too hard for most actors, he would call Chaney.

Chaney became very popular with younger audiences in the late 1950s. This was when Universal released its horror films to television. Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine also featured his films often.

In 1957, Chaney starred in the TV series Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans. He played Chingachgook. Universal also released a film about his father's life, Man of a Thousand Faces (1957).

He appeared in many Western TV series, like Rawhide. He also hosted a TV show called 13 Demon Street in 1959.

Chaney Jr. in Money, Women and Guns (1958)

Chaney Jr. in Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971)

Lon Chaney Jr. in the 1960s

In the 1960s, Chaney focused on horror films. These included House of Terror (1960) and The Haunted Palace (1963). He also appeared in Westerns like Law of the Lawless (1963).

He starred in Spider Baby (1968), which became well-known after his death. He continued to appear in many low-budget Westerns. In 1962, Chaney briefly played Quasimodo on the TV series Route 66. He also returned to his roles as the Mummy and the Wolf Man on the show. He acted alongside his friends Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre.

Final Films and Retirement

In his later years, Chaney faced several health issues. He had throat problems and heart problems. In his last horror film, Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971), he played Groton, a mute henchman. He filmed his final movie role in The Female Bunch (1969). In this film, his voice was very hoarse due to his illness.

Because of his health, he stopped acting. He wanted to write a book about his family's history called A Century of Chaneys. This book has not been published yet. His grandson, Ron Chaney Jr., is working to finish this project.

Lon Chaney Jr.'s Personal Life

Chaney was married two times. He had two sons with his first wife, Dorothy: Lon Ralph Chaney and Ronald Creighton Chaney. Dorothy and he divorced in 1936. He then married Patsy Beck in 1937.

Honors and Recognition

In 1999, Lon Chaney Jr. received a Golden Palm Star. This star is on the Palm Springs, California, Walk of Stars.

Death of Lon Chaney Jr.

Chaney had several illnesses before he passed away. He died on July 12, 1973, in San Clemente, California. He was 67 years old. His death was caused by heart failure.

He was honored in 1997 by appearing as the Wolf Man on a series of United States postage stamps. These stamps featured famous movie monsters. His father, Lon Chaney, was on a stamp as the Phantom of the Opera. Bela Lugosi was on a stamp as Dracula, and Boris Karloff was on two stamps as Frankenstein's monster and the Mummy. His grandson, Ron Chaney Jr., often attends horror movie conventions as a guest.

Filmography

This is a list of Lon Chaney Jr.'s known films.

See also

In Spanish: Lon Chaney Jr. para niños