Lon Chaney Sr.
| Lon Chaney | |
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Chaney during the production of The Miracle Man, 1919
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| Born |
Leonidas Frank Chaney April 1, 1883 Colorado Springs, Colorado, U.S. |
| Died | August 26, 1930 (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 |
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.
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