Lon Chaney was a silent film actor known for his ability to transform his appearance with makeup. He played dark and complex characters, including Quasimodo and the Phantom. He rarely gave interviews and made only one sound film before his death from throat cancer.
Lon Chaney is an early 20th century actor who is best known for his roles in horror films. Born Leonidas Chaney in Colorado Springs, Colorado in the 20th, Chaney had to learn how to use his face and body effectively to communicate with his parents who were both deaf and mute. Chaney made his stage debut co-writing The Little Tycoon with his brother. After some success touring the country, his brother sold his share of the company and Lon Chaney continued with a new business partner before turning to the fledgling film industry for an acting career.
After years of playing extras and bit character parts, Chaney’s big break came in 1919 when he played the role of a con man won over by a healer in The Miracle Man. full-bodied playing dark and complex characters. Some of his most famous performances have been in films that are now regarded as classics of the silent film era.
Chaney was extremely adept at using makeup to help him create a diverse range of characters. In 1923 he was known as The Man with a Thousand Faces. His most popular characters included Quasimodo in the Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Phantom in the Phantom of the Opera. To develop each character, he carefully studied the novels and followed the descriptions as closely as possible. Other roles he played included a pirate, a Chinese shipwreck survivor, and a double amputee.
Partly to help maintain his mystique, Lon Chaney rarely gave press interviews or made public appearances to endorse his films. He has been married twice. His first marriage to Cleva Creighton, an actress he met on tour during his theater days, ended in scandal when he attempted suicide, by swallowing a vial of poison which did not kill her, but ended to her acting career. The messy end of their relationship prompted Chaney to move into the film industry. However, their marriage produced the famous character actor, Lon Chaney, Jr., who was probably most recognized for his role as the Wolf Man. Lon Chaney’s second marriage to Hazel Hastings fared better and lasted until the end of his life.
Of a career spanning more than 100 films, Lon Chaney made only one film with sound, The Unholy Three from the 1930s. Although he successfully used five different voices to create his character, he never had the opportunity to film another sound. He died of throat cancer two months after The Unholy Three was released.
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