Lon Chaney

Lon Chaney
Chaney during the production of The Miracle Man, 1919
Born	Leonidas Frank Chaney (1883-04-01)April 1, 1883 Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
Died	August 26, 1930(1930-08-26) (aged 47) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Cause of death	Throat hemorrhage
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale, Los Angeles County, California
Other names	Lon Chaney, Sr., The Man of a Thousand Faces
Occupation	Actor, director, screenwriter
Years active	1902–1930
Spouse(s)	Cleva Creighton (m. 1905; div. 1913) Hazel Hastings (m. 1915–30) (his death)
Children	Creighton Tull Chaney (later known as Lon Chaney, Jr.)
Website	lonchaney.com

Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney, sometimes known, as Lon Chaney, Sr. (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American stage and film actor, director and screenwriter. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and afflicted characters, and his groundbreaking artistry with makeup. Chaney was known for his starring roles in such silent horror films as The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925). His ability to transform himself using makeup techniques he developed earned him the nickname "The Man of a Thousand Faces".

Leonidas Frank Chaney was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado to Frank H. Chaney and Emma Alice Kennedy. His father was of English and French ancestry, and his mother was of Scottish, English, and Irish descent. Chaney's maternal grandfather, Jonathan Ralston Kennedy, founded the "Colorado School for the Education of Mutes" (now, Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind) in 1874, and Chaney's parents met there. Both of Chaney's parents were deaf, and as a child of deaf adults Chaney became skilled in pantomime. He entered a stage career in 1902, and began traveling with popular Vaudeville and theater acts. In 1905, Chaney, then 22, met and married 16-year-old singer Cleva Creighton (Frances Cleveland Creighton) and in 1906, their only child, a son, Creighton Tull Chaney (later known as Lon Chaney, Jr.) was born. The Chaneys continued touring, settling in California in 1910.

Marital troubles developed and on April 30, 1913, Cleva went to the Majestic Theater in downtown Los Angeles, where Lon was managing the "Kolb and Dill" show, and attempted suicide by swallowing mercuric chloride. The suicide attempt failed but it ruined her singing career as a result; the ensuing scandal and divorce forced Chaney out of the theater and into film.