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Lon Chaney
Lon Chaney, Sr. The Miracle Man.jpg
Chaney during the production of The Miracle Man, 1919
Born
Leonidas Frank Chaney

(1883-04-01)April 1, 1883
Died August 26, 1930(1930-08-26) (aged 47)
Cause of death Lung cancer
Resting place Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
Occupation Actor, director, screenwriter
Years active 1902-1930
Spouse(s) Cleva Creighton (1906-1915)
Hazel Hastings (1915-1930)
Lon chaney c1923
1923 Lon Chaney portrait
Hunchback of Notre Dame
Still from The Hunchback of Notre Dame showing Chaney, as "Quasimodo", being offered water by "Esmeralda" (Patsy Ruth Miller), 1923

Lon Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor during the age of silent movies. He is said to be one of the best actors of early movies. He was well known for his playing often grotesque characters. He was famous for his artistry with makeup. Chaney is remembered for starring in silent horror movies. These include The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera. His ability to change himself using makeup techniques which he created earned him the nickname "The Man of a Thousand Faces."

Biography

Lon Chaney was born Leonidas Frank Chaney in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on April 1 1883 to Frank H. Chaney and Emma Alice Kennedy; his father had mostly English and some French ancestry, and his mother was of Irish descent. Both of Chaney's parents were deaf, and Chaney was skilled in pantomime because of this. He entered a stage career in 1902. In years following, Chaney traveled with popular Vaudeville acts. In 1905, he met and married singer Cleva Creighton and in 1906, their first child and only son, Creighton Chaney (aka Lon Chaney Jr.) was born. The Chaneys continued touring, and settled in California in 1910.

In 1913 Chaney went through marriage troubles and divorced his wife - all this received negative press coverage. This adversely affected Chaney's career and forced him out of the theater and into movies, to which he had worked as bit parts as far back as 1912.

Between the years 1912 and 1917 in film, Chaney worked under contract for Universal Studios doing bit or character parts. During this time, Chaney befriended the director team of Joseph DeGrasse and Ida May Parke (married couple), who both gave him substantial parts in their pictures.

By 1917, however, Chaney had become a substantial actor within the studio, but his salary was still low. When asking for a raise, he was told by studio executive William Sistrom that, "you'll never be worth more than fifty dollars a week."

Leaving the studio, Chaney struggled for the first year as a character actor. It was not until 1918, when he was chosen to play a substantial part in William S. Hart's picture, Riddle Gawne, that his talents as a character actor were recognized by the industry.

But it was not until 1919 that Chaney made a breakthrough performance as "The Frog" in George Loane Tucker's The Miracle Man. The film not only displayed Chaney's skills as an actor, but also as a master of makeup. The film received critical praise and earned over $2 million - this put Chaney on the map as America's best character actor.

Chaney is mainly remembered as a pioneer in such horror films as (the silent versions of) The Hunchback of Notre Dame and most notably The Phantom of the Opera. His ability to transform himself without sophisticated make-up techniques earned him the nickname of "Man of a Thousand Faces". He also appeared in several films by director Tod Browning, often playing disguised or mutilated characters (or both), including carnival knife thrower Alonzo the Armless in The Unknown (1927) with Joan Crawford. In 1927 Chaney starred alongside Conrad Nagel, Marceline Day, Henry B. Walthall and Polly Moran in the now lost Tod Browning directed horror classic London After Midnight, quite possibly the most famous and talked about lost film ever. His last film was a remake with sound of his silent classic The Unholy Three (1930), his only "talkie" and the only film in which he could showcase his powerful voice.

ChaneyPhantomoftheOpera
The Phantom of the Opera, 1925

His portrayals of Quasimodo (the bell ringer of Notre Dame) and Erik (the "phantom" of the Paris Opera House) meant to find some sympathy among viewers. These were "monsters" created by a cruel hand of fate - not by their own actions, and the world turned away from them.

"He somehow got into the shadows inside our bodies; he was able to nail down some of our secret fears and put them on-screen," the writer Ray Bradbury once explained. "The history of Lon Chaney is the history of unrequited loves. He brings that part of you out into the open, because you fear that you are not loved, you fear that you never will be loved, you fear there is some part of you that's grotesque, that the world will turn away from."

During the filming of Thunder in 1929, Chaney developed pneumonia. His condition gradually worsened, and the following year he died of throat cancer, and he was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, in Glendale, California.

Lon Chaney has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in 1994, he was honored with his image on a United States postage stamp designed by caricaturist Al Hirschfeld.

Legacy

In 1957, Chaney was the subject of a biopic titled Man of a Thousand Faces, in which he was portrayed by James Cagney. The film is a largely fictionalized account, as Chaney was notoriously private and hated the Hollywood lifestyle. He never revealed personal details about himself or his family, once stating, "Between pictures, there is no Lon Chaney."

Chaney's son Creighton, who later changed his name to Lon Chaney Jr., became a film actor after his father's death. Chaney Jr. is best remembered for roles in horror films, such as the title character in The Wolf Man (1941). In October 1997, both Chaneys appeared on commemorative US postage stamps as the Phantom of the Opera and the Wolf Man, with the set completed by Bela Lugosi as Dracula and Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's monster and the Mummy.

Chaney is also the subject of the 2000 documentary feature, Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces. The film was produced by silent film historian Kevin Brownlow and narrated by Kenneth Branagh.

In the song "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon, both Chaney and his son Lon Chaney Jr are name-called in the last verse.

Honors

ChaneyHighSierraHouseFrontView
Chaney's Sierra Nevada House, located near Big Pine, California, was his mountain retreat.

Chaney has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located on Hollywood Boulevard. In 1994, Al Hirschfeld's caricature of Chaney was featured on a commemorative United States postage stamp.

In 1929, Chaney built a stone cabin in the remote wilderness of the eastern Sierra Nevada near Big Pine, California as a retreat, hiring Paul R. Williams. Located in the Inyo National Forest, the cabin still stands, though it is not open to the public. Following his death, Chaney's famous makeup case was donated to the Los Angeles County Museum by his widow, Hazel. The case is occasionally displayed for the public. The stage theater at the Colorado Springs Civic Auditorium is also named after the actor.

Filmography

Approximately 102 of the 157 films made by Chaney are currently classified as lost films. A number of others exist only in extremely truncated form or suffer severe decomposition.

Short subjects

Year Title Role Notes
1913 Poor Jake's Demise Willy (The Dude) Mollycoddle Chaney's first credited film appearance
Lost film
1913 The Sea Urchin Barnacle Bill Lost film
1913 The Blood Red Tape of Charity A Jewish pawnbroker (uncredited) Lost film
1913 Shon the Piper Scottish clansman (uncredited) Also known as Shawn the Piper
Lost film
1913 The Trap Lon (uncredited) Lost film
1913 The Restless Spirit The Russian Count wearing a beard (uncredited) Lost film
1913 Almost an Actress Lon plays a cameraman Lost film
1913 An Elephant on His Hands Eddie Lost film
1913 Back to Life The Rival Lost film
1913 Red Margaret, Moonshiner Lon (an old moonshiner with a wild beard) Re-release title: Moonshine Blood
Lost film
1913 Bloodhounds of the North Mountie lieutenant Lost film
1914 The Lie Young MacGregor Lost film
1914 The Honor of the Mounted Jacques Laquox Lost film
1914 Remember Mary Magdalen The half-wit Lost film
1914 Discord and Harmony Lon, a sculptor Lost film
1914 The Menace to Carlotta Giovanni Bartholdi Chaney also wrote the screenplay
Working title: Carlotta, the Bead Stringer
Lost film
1914 The Embezzler J. Roger Dixon, a blackmailer Lost film
1914 The Lamb, the Woman, the Wolf The Wolf (a mountain man) Lost film
1914 The End of the Feud Wood Dawson Lost film
1914 The Tragedy of Whispering Creek The Greaser Some sources say Chaney wrote the screenplay as well (but this is disputed)
Print exists in the Deutsche Kinematek film archive
1914 The Unlawful Trade The half-breed Lost film
1914 The Forbidden Room John Morris Working title: The Web of Circumstance
Lost film
1914 The Old Cobbler Wild Bill Lost film
1914 A Ranch Romance Raphael Praz Lost film
1914 The Hopes of Blind Alley The vendor aka The Hopes of a Blind Alley
Lost film
1914 Her Grave Mistake Nunez, a Mexican spy Lost film
1914 By the Sun's Rays Frank Lawler, the clerk A 16mm. print of this film exists
available on DVD
1914 The Oubliette Chevalier Bertrand de la Payne A nitrate print was discovered in Georgia in 1983.
Alternate title: The Adventures of François Villon #1: The Oubliette
1914 A Miner's Romance John Burns Lost film
1914 Her Bounty Fred Howard Lost film
1914 The Higher Law Sir Stephen Fitz Allen Alternative title: The Adventures of François Villon #2: The Higher Law
Lost film
1914 Richelieu Baradas, the villain Lost film
1914 The Pipes o' Pan Arthur Farrell Some sequences were hand colored
Lost film
1914 Virtue Is Its Own Reward Duncan Bronson, an unsavory co-worker In 2018, a 25-foot fragment of this film was discovered in a Brooklyn attic
1914 Her Life's Story Don Valesquez, a nobleman Lost film
1914 A Small Town Girl Released Nov. 7, 1914
Lost film
1914 Lights and Shadows Bentley, a wealthy man's son Lost film
1914 The Lion, the Lamb, the Man Fred Brown, the "Lion" A 1-reel cutdown print survives with most of the opening footage removed
1914 A Night of Thrills The Visitor Lost film
1914 Her Escape Pete Walsh, a blind man Chaney also wrote the screenplay for this film
Lost film
1915 The Sin of Olga Brandt Stephen Leslie, an attorney Lost film
1915 The Star of the Sea Tomasco, a hunchbacked fisherman Lost film
1915 The Measure of a Man Mountie Lt. Jim Stuart Lost film
1915 The Threads of Fate The Count The opening and closing scenes were hand colored
Lost film
1915 When the Gods Played a Badger Game Joe – the Property Man Working title was The Girl Who Couldn't Go Wrong
Lost film
1915 Such Is Life Tod Wilkes, a burlesque show performer Lost film
1915 Where the Forest Ends Paul Rouchelle, an artist Lost film
1915 Outside the Gates Perez, a peddler Lost film
1915 All for Peggy Seth Baldwin, the stable boy Lost film
1915 The Desert Breed Fred Lost film
1915 Maid of the Mist Lin – Pauline's Father Lost film
1915 The Girl of the Night Jerry, a small-time crook Re-release title: Her Chance
Lost film
1915 The Stool Pigeon Chaney directed this film (his first) but did not star in it
Lost film
1915 The Grind Henry Leslie Released in U.K. as On the Verge of Sin
Lost film
1915 For Cash Chaney directed this film but did not star in it
Lost film
1915 An Idyll of the Hills Lafe Jameson, moonshiner Lost film
1915 The Stronger Mind The Crook's Pal Lost film
1915 The Oyster Dredger Chaney wrote and directed this film but did not star in it
Lost film
1915 Steady Company Jimmy Ford, a warehouse employee Lost film
1915 The Violin Maker Pedro, the violin maker Chaney directed this film
Lost film
1915 The Trust Jim Mason, a thief Chaney directed this film
Alternative title: The Truce
Lost film
1915 Bound on the Wheel Tom Coulahan, a drunkard Lost film
1915 Mountain Justice Jeffrey Kirke, a moonshiner Lost film
1915 Quits Frenchy, a fugitive Working title was The Sheriff of Long Butte (the title of the Jules Furthman story it was based on); released 8/17/15; one reel
Lost film (a still from the film exists)
1915 The Chimney's Secret Dual role: as both Charles Harding (the bank cashier) and as the miserly old beggar Chaney wrote and directed this film
Lost film
1915 The Pine's Revenge Black Scotty The working title was The King's Keeper
Lost film
1915 The Fascination of the Fleur de Lis Duke of Safoulrug An incomplete print survives in the hands of a private collector in England
1915 Alas and Alack Dual role: Jess's husband (a fisherman) and Hunchback Fate (in a fantasy sequence) An incomplete print exists in the National Film Archives in London.
1915 A Mother's Atonement Dual role: Ben Morrison (as an old man and as his younger self) Only the first two reels of the picture survive at the Library of Congress
1915 Lon of Lone Mountain Lon Moore, a mountain man Lost film
1915 The Millionaire Paupers Martin, the building manager The working title was Fate's A Fiddler
A brief fragment of the film exists in a private collection.
1915 Under a Shadow DeSerris, a Secret Service agent Lost film
1915 Stronger Than Death An attorney Lost film
1916 Dolly's Scoop Dan Fisher, reporter A print of the film survives, missing the main title but otherwise complete.
1916 Felix on the Job Tod released Oct. 31, 1916
Lost film
1916 Accusing Evidence Lon, a Canadian Mountie Apparently filmed in 1914 but only released on Nov. 23, 1916
Lost film
1917 The Mask of Love Marino Apparently filmed in 1914 but only released on Mar. 19, 1917


Lost film

Feature films

Year Title Role Notes
1915 Father and the Boys Tuck Bartholomew Lost film
1916 The Grip of Jealousy Silas Lacey Working title was Love Thine Enemy
Lost film
1916 Tangled Hearts John Hammond Roughly two minutes of footage exist in a private collection
1916 The Gilded Spider Giovanni Working title was The Full Cup
A print was rediscovered in 2008.
1916 Bobbie of the Ballet Hook Hoover Lost film
1916 The Grasp of Greed Jimmie About half the film still exists (incomplete print) at the George Eastman House Film Archive
1916 The Mark of Cain Dick Temple Chaney received first billing in this film for the first time in his career.
Working title was By Fate's Decree.
Lost film
1916 If My Country Should Call Dr. George Ardrath Incomplete print (reels 2, 3 and 5 of 5) exists at the National Archives of Canada and the Library of Congress.
1916 The Place Beyond the Winds Jerry Jo Working title was Mansion of Despair
Four of the five reels (reels 2, 3, 4 and 5) still survive in the film archive in the Library of Congress and in the National Archives of Canada.
1916 The Price of Silence Dr. Edmond Stafford A print exists in the CNC French Film Archives
1917 The Piper's Price Billy Kilmartin Lost film
1917 Hell Morgan's Girl Sleter Noble Working title was The Wrong Side of Paradise
Lost film
1917 The Girl in the Checkered Coat Hector Maitland Lost film
1917 The Flashlight Dual Role as both Henry Norton and as Porter Brixton (two step-brothers) Lost film
1917 A Doll's House Nils Krogstad Lost film
1917 Fires of Rebellion Russell Hanlon Lost film
1917 The Rescue Thomas Holland Lost film
1917 Pay Me! Joe Lawson Alternate title: Vengeance of the West
1917 Triumph Paul Neihoff An incomplete print consisting only of the first three reels were discovered in England and have been preserved at AMPAS
1917 The Empty Gun Frank Lost film
1917 Anything Once Waught Moore Working title was A Fool for Luck; a.k.a. The Maverick
Lost film
1917 The Scarlet Car Paul Revere Forbes Prints exist at the Library of Congress and elsewhere
Clips included in the 1995 documentary Lon Chaney: Behind the Mask
1918 Broadway Love Elmer Watkins A print of the film survives in the George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection.
1918 The Grand Passion Paul Argos Working title was The Boss of Powderville
Lost film
1918 The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin Bethmann-Hollweg Lost film
1918 Fast Company Dan McCarty Lost film
1918 A Broadway Scandal "Kink" Colby Lost film
1918 Riddle Gawne Hame Bozzam Two of the five reels exist in the Library of Congress (incomplete print)
1918 That Devil, Bateese Louis Courteau Lost film
1918 The Talk of the Town Jack Lanchome (Langhorne in some sources) Based on a novelette called Discipline of Genevra
Lost film
1918 Danger, Go Slow Bud Lost film
1919 The False Faces Karl Eckstrom, a German spy Based on the novel by Louis Joseph Vance
The film's working title was The Lone Wolf
Complete print exists at the George Eastman House
Available on DVD
1919 The Wicked Darling Stoop Connors Chaney's first collaboration with Tod Browning
Working titles were The Gutter Rose and Rose of the Night
A complete print (with some decomposition) exists at the Netherlands Filmmuseum in Amsterdam
Available on DVD
1919 A Man's Country "Three Card" Duncan A small portion of this film was discovered at the Danish Film Institute film archive in Denmark.
The fragment does not contain any of Chaney's scenes
1919 The Miracle Man The Frog Lost film
A 3-minute fragment exists showing Chaney in the faith healing sequence
1919 Paid in Advance Bateese Le Blanc A nitrate stock print (with Czech subtitles) is housed at the Narodni Filmovy Archive in Czechoslovakia
1919 When Bearcat Went Dry Kindard Powers A complete prints exists at the American Film Institute, donated by a collector
1919 Victory Ricardo With Wallace Beery; complete film available on DVD
1920 Daredevil Jack Royce Rivers, bandit leader 15-chapter serial
Segments of this film (mainly Chapters 1, 2 and 4) are stored at the University of California, Los Angeles

Chaney does not appear in the existing footage

1920 Treasure Island Dual role as two pirates, Blind Pew and Merry Lost film
1920 The Gift Supreme Merney Stagg An incomplete print (reel one of six) survives and is preserved in a private collection.
1920 Nomads of the North Raoul Challoner Available on DVD
1920 The Penalty Blizzard Available on DVD
1920 Outside the Law Dual role as Black Mike Sylva and Ah Wing Print exists in the Film Preservation Associates film collection
Available on DVD.
1921 For Those We Love Trix Ulner Lost film
1921 Bits of Life Chin Chow Lost film
1921 The Ace of Hearts Farallone Available on DVD
1921 Voices of the City Red O'Rourke, gangster Released originally as The Night Rose, the film was then re-edited and retitled Voices of the City; Chaney's character's name was changed from Red O'Rourke to Duke McGee;
Lost film
1922 The Trap Gaspard Chaney also co-wrote the story that this film was based on
Released in the U.K. as Heart of a Wolf
1922 Flesh and Blood David Webster Working title was Fires of Vengeance; re-released in 1927; available on DVD
1922 The Light in the Dark Tony Pantelli Later edited down into a shorter version called The Light of Faith
Only the short version is available on DVD
1922 Oliver Twist Fagin Available on DVD
1922 Shadows Yen Sin, the Heathen Available on DVD
1922 Quincy Adams Sawyer Obadiah Strout Lost film
1922 A Blind Bargain Dual Role as Dr. Arthur Lamb/ The Ape Man Based on the novel The Octave of Claudius
Lost film
1923 All the Brothers Were Valiant Mark Shore Lost film
1923 While Paris Sleeps Henri Santodos,a sculptor Working title was The Glory of Love
Film was made in 1920, but only released in 1923
Lost film
1923 The Shock Wilse Dilling Working title was Bittersweet
Available on DVD
1923 The Hunchback of Notre Dame Quasimodo Assisted as makeup artist (uncredited)
Available on DVD
1924 The Next Corner Juan Serafin Lost film
1924 He Who Gets Slapped Dual role as both Paul Beaumont and "HE" Available on DVD
1925 The Monster Dr. Ziska Available on DVD
1925 The Phantom of the Opera The Phantom Asst. director, makeup (uncredited)
Available on DVD
1925 The Unholy Three Dual role as Echo and the Old Lady Remade as a sound film in 1930, again starring Chaney
Available on DVD
1925 The Tower of Lies Jan Lost film
1926 The Blackbird Dual role as The Blackbird and The Bishop A.k.a. The Black Bird
Available on DVD
1926 The Road to Mandalay Singapore Joe The film's working title was Singapore
A condensed version with French subtitles exists in some museums
1926 Tell It to the Marines Sergeant O'Hara Available on DVD
1927 Mr. Wu Dual role as Mr. Wu and Mr. Wu's grandfather Available on DVD
1927 The Unknown Alonzo the Armless Available on DVD
1927 Mockery Sergei, a Russian peasant Working title was Terror
Available on DVD
1927 London After Midnight Dual role as Professor Edward C. Burke and The Vampire Alternate title: The Hypnotist
Makeup artist also (uncredited)
Lost film
1928 The Big City Chuck Collins Lost film
1928 Laugh, Clown, Laugh Tito the Clown A near complete print exists
Available on DVD
1928 While the City Sleeps Dan Coghlan Incomplete print with some wear exists in some collections
1928 West of Zanzibar Phroso Available on DVD
1929 Where East Is East Tiger Haynes Available on DVD
1929 Thunder Grumpy Anderson Mostly a lost film; only a few minutes survives
1930 The Unholy Three (Sound Remake) Dual role as Echo and the Old Lady Available on DVD

Images for kids

See also

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