The Phantom of the Opera
1925
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Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor and makeup artist. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and afflicted, characters and for his groundbreaking artistry with makeup. [1]
Lon Chaney was a famous actor, director and writer of the silent era, known for his horror roles and make-up skills. He starred in classics like The Phantom of the Opera, The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Unholy Three.
- January 1, 1
- Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
- January 1, 1
- Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
Sep 14, 2021 · Learn about the life and career of Lon Chaney, the silent era actor who created iconic roles with his makeup and expression. Discover how he became the "Man of a Thousand Faces" and died of cancer at 47.
- William J. Wright
Mar 28, 2024 · Lon Chaney, American film actor whose versatility and moving performances in even the most macabre roles are classics of the silent screen. He is perhaps best known for his performances in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925). Learn more about Chaney’s life and career.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Chaney was extremely private. Born to Deaf parents in 1883, it is said Chaney had a unique ability for non-verbal communication, which allowed him to fully inhabit his characters – especially in the silent era.
- Chaney wrote the Encyclopedia Britannica entry on “makeup.” In contrast to many of the other silent film stars like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton who perfected their consistent on-screen personas, Chaney’s career was one of continual transformation.
- Chaney was co-stars with Joan Crawford. Actress Joan Crawford spoke highly of her time with Chaney, citing him as an influence for her film career and calling him “the most intense, exciting individual” she’d ever met.
- Chaney believed his characters could find redemption. It is said that Chaney’s upbringing made him sensitive to the experiences of “outsiders.” Early horror movies experimented with non-formative figures, reminiscent of many of the disabled and wounded veterans who had returned from World War I. David J. Skal, a biographer of Tod Browning (one of Chaney’s collaborators), noted that many of these films captured the feeling of powerlessness created by the national trauma of the war and subsequently the Great Depression, likely exacerbated by the growing Eugenics Movement.
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Actor: The Wolf Man. American character actor whose career was influenced (and often overshadowed) by that of his father, silent film star Lon Chaney. The younger Chaney was born while his parents were on a theatrical tour, and he joined them onstage for the first time at the age of six months.
Learn about the life and career of Lon Chaney, the legendary silent film actor known as "The Man of a Thousand Faces". Discover his roles, his makeup, his family and his legacy.
