Chaney, Lon (chā`nē), 1883–1930, American film actor, b. Colorado Springs, Colo. Chaney was the son of deaf-mute parents. He made more than 150 silent films. A master of the use of grotesque, distorting makeup, he is best remembered for his work in horror films such as The Phantom of the Opera (1925). His son,

Lon Chaney, Jr., 1907–73, made many horror films and westerns.

Chaney, Lon

in full Alonso Chaney

Lon Chaney.

(credit: Brown Brothers)

(born April 1, 1883, Colorado Springs, Colo., U.S.—died Aug. 26, 1930, Los Angeles, Calif.) U.S. film actor. Born to deaf-mute parents, he learned pantomime and became an actor at 17. He moved to Hollywood in 1912 and played supporting roles until The Miracle Man (1919) made him a star. Known as “the man of a thousand faces,” he was famous for his ability to transform himself through the use of makeup. He often played grotesque or dual characters in films directed by Tod Browning, including The Unholy Three (1925). His other silent films include The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), and London After Midnight (1927). His son Lon Chaney, Jr. (1905–73), appeared in numerous horror films in such repeated roles as the Wolf Man and the Mummy and, notably, in Of Mice and Men (1939).

Chaney, (Alonso) Lon (1883–1930) movie actor; born in Colorado Springs, Colo. Child of deaf-mute parents, he honed his skills as a silent-film actor by having to communicate with them. He toured as a song-and-dance man before making his first movie (1914). After the success of The Miracle Man (1919), he went on to play a series of spine-chilling grotesques such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1924) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925). His skill at makeup and miming gained him the name, "the Man of a Thousand Faces." He died of throat cancer right after completing his first talkie, The Unholy Three (1930).