CHANEY, LON

born April 1, 1883, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S. died Aug. 26, 1930, Los Angeles, Calif. original name Alonso Chaney American film actor called the Man of a Thousand Faces, whose macabre characterizations are classics of the silent screen. Born of deaf-mute parents, Chaney learned pantomime as a boy. He became a prop man, transportation agent, producer, and actor in his brother's traveling show. Beginning in films as an extra and bit player, he had an important supporting role in Hell Morgan's Girl (1917). Two years later his role in The Miracle Man (1919) made him a star. During the next 10 years Chaney earned a reputation as the finest character actor in films. Often working with the director Tod Browning, he played such memorable characters as the legless ruler of the underworld in The Penalty (1920); Quasimodo the hunchback in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923); the acid-scarred musician who haunted the subterranean passages of the Paris Opra in The Phantom of the Opera (1925); and the dual role of police inspector and vampire in London After Midnight (1927). Chaney was also acclaimed for straight performances in Tell It to the Marines (1927), While the City Sleeps (1928), and Thunder (1929). His son, Lon Chaney, Jr. (190773), originally named Creighton Chaney, also appeared in horror films, chiefly as a werewolf.