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Born in Colorado Springs on AprilFoolsDay to two deaf parents, Chaney quickly developed an aptitude for pantomime. (One early Hollywood acquaintance later summed up his expressive features simply: "He had a deaf face.") First appearing onstage in 1902, Chaney soon carved out a career in vaudeville, becoming known as a singer and dancer. He married actress Cleva Creighton in 1905; their only son, Creighton Chaney, would eventually forge a notable acting career of his own under the name of Creator/LonChaneyJr The Chaneys divorced around 1913, after which Lon Sr. moved from the theater into film acting. Several years later, he would meet and marry Hazel Hastings, and they remained married for the rest of Chaney's life.

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Born in Colorado Springs on AprilFoolsDay to two deaf parents, Chaney quickly developed an aptitude for pantomime. (One early Hollywood acquaintance later summed up his expressive features simply: "He had a deaf face.") First appearing onstage in 1902, Chaney soon carved out a career in vaudeville, becoming known as a singer and dancer. He married actress Cleva Creighton in 1905; their 1905. Their only son, Creighton Chaney, would eventually forge a notable acting career of his own under the name of Creator/LonChaneyJr The Chaneys divorced around 1913, after which Lon Sr. moved from the theater into film acting. Several years later, he would meet and marry Hazel Hastings, and they remained married for the rest of Chaney's life.
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He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1929 and died the following year, just a few weeks after turning 47. His final picture was a remake of his own early movie ''The Unholy Three''. It was also his only sound film, with Chaney providing five different voices. He is interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California, among many other entertainment legends such as Creator/ClarkGable and Music/MichaelJackson. His father and second wife are interred nearby, but Chaney's crypt is unmarked.

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He was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1929 and died the following year, just a few weeks after turning 47. His final picture was a remake of his own early previous movie ''The Unholy Three''. It was also his only sound film, with Chaney providing five different voices. He is interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California, among many other entertainment legends such as Creator/ClarkGable and Music/MichaelJackson. His father and second wife are interred nearby, but Chaney's crypt is unmarked.
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Chaney often went out of his way to help actors in the beginning of their career, and gave advice and early supporting roles to Noble Johnson and Creator/BorisKarloff. There is a story related by Loretta Young who recalled having a terrible time on the set of ''Laugh, Clown, Laugh'' when she was only fourteen. The director, who was generous about letting her know how much he disliked her, was always much more pleasant when Chaney, the biggest star in the picture, was nearby. Noticing this, Chaney made it a point to be on set constantly, advising her between takes or entertaining the other actors.

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Chaney often went out of his way to help actors in the beginning of their career, and gave advice and early supporting roles to Noble Johnson and Creator/BorisKarloff. There is a story related by Loretta Young Creator/LorettaYoung, who recalled having a terrible time on the set of ''Laugh, Clown, Laugh'' when she was only fourteen. The director, who was generous about letting her know how much he disliked her, was always much more pleasant when Chaney, the biggest star in the picture, was nearby. Noticing this, Chaney made it a point to be on set constantly, advising her between takes or entertaining the other actors.
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[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhC7fK9ui2g Chaney was an acknowledged master of film make-up]], crafting memorable characters from little more than wire, putty, and hair. He wrote the ''Encyclopaedia Britannica''[='s=] article on make-up for an edition in the 1920s, and the leather case in which he carried his materials in is frequently displayed at the Los Angeles County Museum. A joke at the time involved pointing out a spider/bug/whatever on the floor and quipping "Don't step on that--it might be Lon Chaney."

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[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhC7fK9ui2g Chaney was an acknowledged master of film make-up]], crafting memorable characters from little more than wire, putty, and hair. He wrote authored the ''Encyclopaedia Britannica''[='s=] article on make-up for an edition in the 1920s, and the leather case in which he carried his materials in is frequently displayed on display at the Los Angeles County Museum. A popular joke at the time involved pointing out a spider/bug/whatever spider, bug, or whatever on the floor and quipping quipping, "Don't step on that--it that – it might be Lon Chaney."
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The original ManOfAThousandFaces, and one of the biggest stars of UsefulNotes/TheSilentAgeOfHollywood, Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) had a brief but incredibly varied career.

Born in Colorado Springs on AprilFoolsDay to two deaf parents, Chaney quickly developed an aptitude for pantomime. (One early Hollywood acquaintance summed up his expressive features simply: "He had a deaf face.") First appearing onstage in 1902, he soon carved out a career in vaudeville, becoming known as a singer and dancer. Chaney married actress Cleva Creighton in 1905; their only son, Creighton Chaney, would eventually forge a notable acting career of his own under the name of Creator/LonChaneyJr The Chaneys divorced around 1913, after which Lon Sr. moved from the theater into film. Several years later, he would meet and marry Hazel Hastings, and they remained married for the rest of Chaney's life.

Though he worked steadily in film, acting and occasionally directing, his first real breakout role is widely considered to be "The Frog" in 1919's ''The Miracle Man''. The next year, he proved his devotion to the craft with ''The Penalty'', strapping his legs back behind him to play a double amputee crime lord. The restraints were so painful that he was unable to maintain the position for more than twenty minutes at a time. 1923 offered perhaps his second most famous role, that of Quasimodo in ''[[Film/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame1923 The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]''. ''Film/HeWhoGetsSlapped'' and ''Film/TheUnholyThree'' are considered some of his best work, but his best known part (and make-up) is undoubtedly ''Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1925''.

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The original ManOfAThousandFaces, and one of the biggest most popular stars of UsefulNotes/TheSilentAgeOfHollywood, Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) had enjoyed a brief but incredibly varied career.

Born in Colorado Springs on AprilFoolsDay to two deaf parents, Chaney quickly developed an aptitude for pantomime. (One early Hollywood acquaintance later summed up his expressive features simply: "He had a deaf face.") First appearing onstage in 1902, he Chaney soon carved out a career in vaudeville, becoming known as a singer and dancer. Chaney He married actress Cleva Creighton in 1905; their only son, Creighton Chaney, would eventually forge a notable acting career of his own under the name of Creator/LonChaneyJr The Chaneys divorced around 1913, after which Lon Sr. moved from the theater into film.film acting. Several years later, he would meet and marry Hazel Hastings, and they remained married for the rest of Chaney's life.

Though he worked steadily in film, acting and occasionally directing, his Chaney's first real breakout role is widely considered to be "The Frog" in 1919's ''The Miracle Man''. The next following year, he proved his devotion to the craft with ''The Penalty'', strapping his legs back behind him to play a double amputee crime lord. The restraints were so painful that he was unable to maintain the position for more than twenty minutes at a time. 1923 offered perhaps his second most famous second-most-famous role, that of Quasimodo in ''[[Film/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame1923 The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]''. ''Film/HeWhoGetsSlapped'' and ''Film/TheUnholyThree'' are considered some of his best work, but his best known best-known part (and make-up) is undoubtedly ''Film/ThePhantomOfTheOpera1925''.



One of his personal favorite performances was ''Film/TellItToTheMarines''. His tough but sympathetic Sgt. O'Hara was a hit with the real-life Corps, and he was the first member of the motion picture industry to be made an honorary member.

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One of his personal favorite performances was in ''Film/TellItToTheMarines''. His tough but sympathetic Sgt. O'Hara was a hit with the real-life Corps, and he was Chaney became the first member of the motion picture industry to be made an honorary member.



[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhC7fK9ui2g Chaney was an acknowledged master of film make-up]], crafting memorable characters from little more than wire, putty and hair. He wrote the ''Encyclopaedia Britannica''[='s=] article on make-up for an edition in the 1920s, and the leather case in which he carried his materials in is frequently displayed at the Los Angeles County Museum. A joke at the time involved pointing out a spider/bug/whatever on the floor and quipping "Don't step on that--it might be Lon Chaney."

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[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhC7fK9ui2g Chaney was an acknowledged master of film make-up]], crafting memorable characters from little more than wire, putty putty, and hair. He wrote the ''Encyclopaedia Britannica''[='s=] article on make-up for an edition in the 1920s, and the leather case in which he carried his materials in is frequently displayed at the Los Angeles County Museum. A joke at the time involved pointing out a spider/bug/whatever on the floor and quipping "Don't step on that--it might be Lon Chaney."

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[[quoteright:312:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Lon-Chaney-Jorobado.jpg]]
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Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen...]]'']]
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* ChronicallyKilledActor: Chaney, who played a lot of {{Villain Protagonist}}s and {{Tragic Villain}}s, tended to get killed off at the end of his movies. (If he wasn't getting killed he was probably going to jail.)
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* ''Film/MrWu'' (1927)
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* ''Film/LondonAfte Midnight'' (1927) ([[MissingEpisode lost film]], negative destroyed in 1967 MGM vault fire)

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* ''Film/LondonAfte Midnight'' ''Film/LondonAfterMidnight'' (1927) ([[MissingEpisode lost film]], negative destroyed in 1967 MGM vault fire)
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* ''London After Midnight'' (1927) ([[MissingEpisode lost film]], negative destroyed in 1967 MGM vault fire)

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* ''London After ''Film/LondonAfte Midnight'' (1927) ([[MissingEpisode lost film]], negative destroyed in 1967 MGM vault fire)
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Chaney often went out of his way to help actors in the beginning of their career, and gave advice and early supporting roles to Noble Johnson and Creator/BorisKarloff. There is a story related by a very young Loretta Young who recalled having a terrible time on the set of one of her first films. The director, who was not shy about letting her know how much he disliked her, was always much more pleasant when Chaney, the biggest star in the picture, was nearby. Noticing this, Chaney made it a point to be on set constantly, advising her between takes or entertaining the other actors.

to:

Chaney often went out of his way to help actors in the beginning of their career, and gave advice and early supporting roles to Noble Johnson and Creator/BorisKarloff. There is a story related by a very young Loretta Young who recalled having a terrible time on the set of one of her first films. ''Laugh, Clown, Laugh'' when she was only fourteen. The director, who was not shy generous about letting her know how much he disliked her, was always much more pleasant when Chaney, the biggest star in the picture, was nearby. Noticing this, Chaney made it a point to be on set constantly, advising her between takes or entertaining the other actors.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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[[caption-width-right:312:[[Music/WarrenZevon Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen ...]]]]

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[[caption-width-right:312:[[Music/WarrenZevon [[caption-width-right:312:''[[Music/WarrenZevon Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen ...]]]]
Queen...]]'']]
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[[quoteright:315:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Lon-Chaney-Jorobado.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:315:[[Music/WarrenZevon Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen ...]]]]

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Born in Colorado on AprilFoolsDay to two deaf parents, Chaney quickly developed a skill for pantomime. One early Hollywood acquaintance summed up his expressive features simply: "He had a deaf face." After first appearing onstage in 1902, he carved out a career in vaudeville, becoming known as a singer and dancer. Married to actress Cleva Creighton in 1905. Their only son, Creighton Chaney, would later go on to forge a film career of his own under the name of Creator/LonChaneyJr The Chaneys divorced around 1913, after which Lon Sr. moved from the theater into film. Several years later, he would meet and marry Hazel Hastings, and they remained married for the rest of Chaney's life.

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Born in Colorado Springs on AprilFoolsDay to two deaf parents, Chaney quickly developed a skill an aptitude for pantomime. One (One early Hollywood acquaintance summed up his expressive features simply: "He had a deaf face." After first ") First appearing onstage in 1902, he soon carved out a career in vaudeville, becoming known as a singer and dancer. Married to Chaney married actress Cleva Creighton in 1905. Their 1905; their only son, Creighton Chaney, would later go on to eventually forge a film notable acting career of his own under the name of Creator/LonChaneyJr The Chaneys divorced around 1913, after which Lon Sr. moved from the theater into film. Several years later, he would meet and marry Hazel Hastings, and they remained married for the rest of Chaney's life.
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* ''London After Midnight'' (1927) (lost film, negative destroyed in 1967 MGM vault fire)

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* ''London After Midnight'' (1927) (lost film, ([[MissingEpisode lost film]], negative destroyed in 1967 MGM vault fire)
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* ''Literature/TreasureIsland'' (1920) (lost film)
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* DidNotGetTheGirl: It was very, very common in Cheney's movies for him to fall in love but for him to not get the girl. Since he usually played a villain the love story might veer to LoveRedeems with a possible HeroicSacrifice, or it might go LoveMakesYouCrazy with MurderTheHypotenuse, but he never got the girl. Even in ''Tell It to the Marines'', a rare Chaney vehicle where he plays a regular guy (a Marine drill sergeant) rather than a criminal, villain, or psycho, he ''still'' does not get the girl.

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* DeathGlare: Lon Chaney was a past master of the DeathGlare, and anyone on the receiving end of one of his death glares in films was in a lot of trouble.
* DidNotGetTheGirl: It was very, very common in Cheney's Chaney's movies for him to fall in love but for him to not get the girl. Since he usually played a villain the love story might veer to LoveRedeems with a possible HeroicSacrifice, or it might go LoveMakesYouCrazy with MurderTheHypotenuse, but he never got the girl. Even in ''Tell It to the Marines'', a rare Chaney vehicle where he plays a regular guy (a Marine drill sergeant) rather than a criminal, villain, or psycho, he ''still'' does not get the girl.
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* DidNotGetTheGirl: It was very, very common in Cheney's movies for him to fall in love but for him to not get the girl. Since he usually played a villain the love story might veer to LoveRedeems with a possible NobleSacrifice, or it might go LoveMakesYouCrazy with MurderTheHypotenuse, but he never got the girl. Even in ''Tell It to the Marines'', a rare Chaney vehicle where he plays a regular guy (a Marine drill sergeant) rather than a criminal, villain, or psycho, he ''still'' does not get the girl.

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* DidNotGetTheGirl: It was very, very common in Cheney's movies for him to fall in love but for him to not get the girl. Since he usually played a villain the love story might veer to LoveRedeems with a possible NobleSacrifice, HeroicSacrifice, or it might go LoveMakesYouCrazy with MurderTheHypotenuse, but he never got the girl. Even in ''Tell It to the Marines'', a rare Chaney vehicle where he plays a regular guy (a Marine drill sergeant) rather than a criminal, villain, or psycho, he ''still'' does not get the girl.
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!!Tropes in his work:

* DidNotGetTheGirl: It was very, very common in Cheney's movies for him to fall in love but for him to not get the girl. Since he usually played a villain the love story might veer to LoveRedeems with a possible NobleSacrifice, or it might go LoveMakesYouCrazy with MurderTheHypotenuse, but he never got the girl. Even in ''Tell It to the Marines'', a rare Chaney vehicle where he plays a regular guy (a Marine drill sergeant) rather than a criminal, villain, or psycho, he ''still'' does not get the girl.

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* ''Film/{{Mockery}}'' (1927)
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[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Lon-Chaney-Jorobado.jpg]]
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[[caption-width-right:350:[[Music/WarrenZevon Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen ...]]]]

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[[caption-width-right:350:[[Music/WarrenZevon [[caption-width-right:310:[[Music/WarrenZevon Well, I saw Lon Chaney walking with the Queen ...]]]]
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The original ManOfAThousandFaces, and one of the top stars of UsefulNotes/TheSilentAgeOfHollywood, Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) had a brief but incredibly varied career.

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The original ManOfAThousandFaces, and one of the top biggest stars of UsefulNotes/TheSilentAgeOfHollywood, Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) had a brief but incredibly varied career.
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Added DiffLines:


''Film/ManOfAThousandFaces1957'' is a rather fictionalized {{Biopic}} starring Creator/JamesCagney as Chaney.

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