Lon Chaney

For his son, seeLon Chaney Jr.

"Man of a Thousand Faces" redirects here. For the 1957 film, seeMan of a Thousand Faces (film).For the 2009 song by Regina Spektor, seeFar (album).

Lon Chaney
Chaney during the production ofThe Miracle Man(1919)
Born	Leonidas Frank Chaney (1883-04-01)April 1, 1883 Colorado Springs, Colorado,U.S.
Died	August 26, 1930(1930-08-26)(aged 47) Los Angeles, California,U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
Other names	The Man of a Thousand Faces
Occupations	Actor director screenwriter makeup artist
Years active	1902–1930
Spouses	Frances Cleveland ( "Cleva" ) Creighton ​ ​ (m.1905;div.1913)​ Hazel Bennett Hastings ​ ​ (m.1915)​
Children	Lon Chaney Jr.(born Creighton Tull Chaney)
Website	lonchaney.com

Chaney with his personal makeup kit in 1925

Chaney as Erik, the Phantom of the Opera

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.Chaney was known for his starring roles in such silenthorror filmsasThe Hunchback of Notre Dame(1923) andThe Phantom of the Opera(1925). His ability to transform himself using makeup techniques that he developed earned him the nickname "The Man of a Thousand Faces".

Early life

Leonidas Frank Chaney was born inColorado Springs, Colorado,to Frank H. Chaney (a barber) 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" (nowColorado School for the Deaf and Blind) in 1874, and Chaney's parents met there.His great-grandfather was congressmanJohn Chaneyfrom Ohio.

Both of Chaney's parents were deaf and, as achild of deaf adults,Chaney became skilled inAmerican Sign Language.He entered a stage career in 1902, and began traveling with popularvaudevilleand 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 asLon 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 swallowingmercuric chloride.The suicide attempt failed, but it ruined her singing career; the ensuing scandal and divorce forced Chaney out of the theater and into film.

The time spent there is not clearly known, but between the years 1912 and 1917, Chaney worked under contract forUniversal Studiosdoing bit or character parts. His skill with makeup gained him many parts in the highly competitive casting atmosphere. During this time, Chaney befriended the husband-wife director team ofJoe De GrasseandIda May Park,who gave him substantial roles in their pictures and further encouraged him to play macabre characters.

In 1915, Chaney married one of his former colleagues in the Kolb and Dill company, a recently divorced chorus girl named Hazel Hastings. The new couple gained custody of Chaney's 10-year-old son Creighton, who had resided in various homes andboarding schoolssince Chaney's divorce from Cleva in 1913.

Career

Ethel Grey Terryand Chaney inThe Penalty(1920)

By 1917, Chaney was a prominent actor in the studio, but his salary did not reflect this status. When Chaney asked for a raise, studio executiveWilliam Sistromreplied, "You'll never be worth more than one hundred dollars a week." After leaving the studio, Chaney struggled for the first year as a character actor. It was not until he played a substantial role inWilliam S. Hart's pictureRiddle Gawne(1918) that Chaney's talents as a character actor were truly recognized by the industry.

Universal presented Chaney,Dorothy Phillips,andWilliam Stowellas a team inThe Piper's Price(1917). In succeeding films, the men alternated playing lover, villain, or other man to the beautiful Phillips. They would occasionally be joined byClaire DuBrey,nearly making the trio a quartet of recurring actors from film to film. So successful were the films starring this group that Universal produced fourteen films from 1917 to 1919 with Chaney, Stowell, and Phillips.

The films were usually directed by Joe De Grasse or his wife Ida May Park, both friends of Chaney's at Universal. When Chaney was away branching out on films such asRiddle GawneandThe Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin(both 1918), Stowell and Phillips would continue on as a duo until Chaney's return. Stowell and Phillips madeThe Heart of Humanity(also 1918), bringing inErich von Stroheimfor a part as the villain that could easily have been played by Chaney.

Paid in Advance(1919) was the group's last film together, for Stowell was sent to Africa by Universal to scout locations for a movie. En route from one city to another, Stowell was in thecaboosewhen it was hit by the locomotive from another train; he was killed instantly. The majority of these films are lost but a few, includingTriumphandPaid in Advancewhich survive in private collections or in European or Russian archives.

Chaney as the Chinese immigrant "Yen Sin" inShadows(1922)

Chaney had a breakthrough performance as "The Frog" inGeorge Loane Tucker'sThe Miracle Man(1919). The film displayed not only Chaney's acting ability, but also his talent as a master of makeup. Critical praise and a gross of over $2 million put Chaney on the map as America's foremostcharacter actor.

Chaney exhibited great adaptability with makeup in more conventional crime and adventure films, such asThe Penalty(1920), in which he played a gangster with both legs amputated. Chaney appeared in ten films directed byTod Browning,often portraying disguised and/or mutilated characters, including carnival knife-thrower Alonzo the Armless inThe Unknown(1927) oppositeJoan Crawford.Around the same time, Chaney also co-starred withConrad Nagel,Marceline Day,Henry B. Walthall,andPolly Moranin the Tod Browning horror filmLondon After Midnight(1927), one of the most sought afterlost films.His final film role wasThe Unholy Three(1930), a sound remake of his 1925silent film of the same name.The 1930 remake was his only "talkie"and the only film in which Chaney utilized his powerful and versatile voice. Chaney signed a sworn statement declaring that five of the key voices in the film (the ventriloquist, the old woman, a parrot, the dummy and the girl) were his own.

AstillfromThe Hunchback of Notre Dame(1923) showing "Quasimodo" (Chaney) being offered water by "Esmeralda" (Patsy Ruth Miller)

Chaney, 1923

Makeup in the early days of cinema was almost non-existent with the exception of beards and mustaches to denote villains.Most of what the Hollywood studios knew about film stemmed from their experience with theater makeup, but this did not always transfer well to the big screen, especially as the film quality improved over time. Makeup departments were not yet in place during Chaney's time. Prior to the mid-20s, actors were expected to do their own makeup.

In the absence of such specialized professions, Chaney's skills gave him a competitive advantage over other actors. He was the complete package. Casting crews knew that they could place him in virtually any part and he would thrive. In some films his skill allowed him to play dual roles. An extreme case of this was the filmOutside the Law(1920), where he played a character who shot and killed another character, whom he also was playing.

AsQuasimodo,the bell ringer ofNotre Dame Cathedral,andErik,the "phantom" of theParis Opera House,Chaney created two of the most grotesquely deformed characters in film history."Phantom…became a legend almost immediately, "wrote theLos Angeles Timesin 1990. "The newspapers of the day reported that women fainted, children bawled and grown men stepped outside for fresh air after the famous unmasking scene.""The unmasking of the titular Phantom is one of the most well-known moments in silent film," wrote Meg Shields in 2020. "Arguably, it’s one of the most horrifying images ever put on screen." However, Chaney's portrayals sought to elicit a degree of sympathy and pathos among viewers not overwhelmingly terrified or repulsed by the monstrous disfigurements of these victims of fate.

The Phantom of the Opera(1925)

In a 1925 autobiographical article forMoviemagazine, he wrote: "I wanted to remind people that the lowest types of humanity may have within them the capacity for supreme self-sacrifice. Thedwarfed,misshapen beggar of the streets may have the noblest ideals. Most of my roles sinceThe Hunchback,such asThe Phantom of the Opera,He Who Gets Slapped,The Unholy Three,etc., have carried the theme of self-sacrifice or renunciation. These are the stories which I wish to do. "Chaney referred to his expertise in both makeup and contorting his body to portray his subjects as" extraordinary characterization ". Chaney's talents extended beyond the horror genre and stage makeup. He was also a highly skilled dancer, singer and comedian.

London After Midnight(1927)

Ray Bradburyonce said of Chaney, "He was someone who acted out ourpsyches.He somehow got into the shadows inside our bodies; he was able to nail down some of our secret fears and put them on-screen. The history of Lon Chaney is the history of unrequited loves. He brings that part of you out into the open, because you fear that you are not loved, you fear that you never will be loved, you fear there is some part of you that's grotesque, that the world will turn away from. " Chaney and his second wife Hazel led a discreet private life distant from the Hollywood social scene. Chaney did minimal promotional work for his films and forMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer,purposefully fostering a mysterious image, and he reportedly intentionally avoided the social scene in Hollywood.

In the final five years of his film career (1925–1930), Chaney worked exclusively under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, giving some of his most memorable performances. His portrayal of a tough-as-nails marine drill instructor inTell It to the Marines(1926), one of his favorite films, earned him the affection of theMarine Corps,who made him their firsthonorary memberfrom the motion picture industry.

He also earned the respect and admiration of numerous aspiring actors, to whom he offered mentoring assistance, and between takes on film sets he was always willing to share his professional observations with the cast and crew. During the filming ofThe Unknown(1927), Joan Crawford stated that she learned more about acting from watching Chaney work than from anyone else in her career. "It was then," she said, "I became aware for the first time of the difference between standing in front of a camera, and acting."

Chaney, in full makeup and attire of "Mr. Wu",conducts a women's orchestra, 1927

Death

During the filming ofThunderin the winter of 1929, Chaney developedpneumonia.In late 1929, he was diagnosed with bronchiallung cancer.This was exacerbated whenfake snowlodged in his throat during filming and caused a serious infection.Despite aggressive treatment, his condition gradually worsened, and he died of a throat hemorrhage on August 26, 1930, in a Los Angeles, California hospital.

His funeral was held on August 28 inGlendale, California.Honorary pallbearers includedPaul Bern,Hunt Stromberg,Irving Thalberg,Louis B. Mayer,Lionel Barrymore,Wallace Beery,Tod Browning,Lew Cody,andRamon Novarro.The U.S. Marine Corps provided a chaplain andHonor Guardfor his funeral. While his funeral was being conducted, all MGM studios and offices observed two minutes of silence.

Chaney's unmarkedcryptin the Great Mausoleum atForest Lawn Memorial ParkinGlendale,California

Chaney was interred atForest Lawn Memorial Park Cemeteryin Glendale, next to the crypt of his father.His wife Hazel was interred there upon her death in 1933. In accordance with his will, Chaney's crypt has remained unmarked.

Legacy

In 1957, Chaney was the subject of a biopic titledMan of a Thousand Faces,in which he was portrayed byJames Cagney.The film is a largely fictionalized account, as Chaney was notoriously private and hated the Hollywood lifestyle. He never revealed personal details about himself or his family, once stating, "Between pictures, there is no Lon Chaney."

Chaney's son Creighton, later known asLon Chaney Jr.,became a film actor after his father's death.Chaney Jr. is best remembered for roles in horror films, such as the title character inThe Wolf Man(1941).In October 1997, both Chaneys appeared on commemorative US postage stamps as the Phantom of the Opera and the Wolf Man, with the set completed byBela LugosiasCount DraculaandBoris KarloffasFrankenstein's monsterand theMummy.

Chaney is also the subject of the 2000 documentary feature,Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces.The film was produced by silent film historianKevin Brownlowand narrated byKenneth Branagh.

In the song "Werewolves of London"byWarren Zevon,both Chaney and his sonLon Chaney Jrare name-called in the last verse.

Honors

Chaney'sSierra NevadaHouse, located nearBig Pine, California,was his mountain retreat.

Chaney has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame,located onHollywood Boulevard.In 1994,Al Hirschfeld's caricature of Chaney was featured on a commemorativeUnited States postage stamp.

In 1929, Chaney builta stone cabinin the remote wilderness of the easternSierra NevadanearBig Pine, Californiaas a retreat, hiringPaul R. Williams.Located in theInyo National Forest,the cabin still stands, though it is not open to the public.Following his death, Chaney's famous makeup case was donated to theLos Angeles County Museumby his widow, Hazel. The case is occasionally displayed for the public. The stage theater at the Colorado Springs Civic Auditorium is also named after the actor.

There is a street named after Chaney inSan Antonio, Texas.

Filmography

Approximately 102 of the 157 films made by Chaney are currently classified aslost films.A number of the remaining 55 films exist only in extremely truncated form or suffer from severe decomposition.

Two of Chaney’s films (The Phantom of the OperaandHe Who Gets Slapped) are inducted intoLibrary of Congress’National Film Registry.

Short subjects

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1913	Poor Jake's Demise	Willy (The Dude) Mollycoddle	Chaney's first credited film appearance Eight minutes of footage discovered in 2006, restored.
1913	The Sea Urchin	Barnacle Bill	Lostfilm
1913	The Blood Red Tape of Charity	A Jewish pawnbroker (uncredited)	Lostfilm
1913	Shon the Piper	Scottish clansman (uncredited)	Also known asShawn the Piper Lostfilm
1913	The Trap	Lon (uncredited)	Lostfilm
1913	The Restless Spirit	The Russian Count wearing a beard (uncredited)	Lostfilm
1913	Almost an Actress	Lon plays a cameraman	Lostfilm
1913	An Elephant on His Hands	Eddie	Lostfilm
1913	Back to Life	The Rival	Lostfilm
1913	Red Margaret, Moonshiner	Lon (an old moonshiner with a wild beard)	Re-release title:Moonshine Blood Lostfilm
1913	Bloodhounds of the North	Mountie lieutenant	Lostfilm
1914	The Lie	Young MacGregor	Lostfilm
1914	The Honor of the Mounted	Jacques Laquox	Lostfilm
1914	Remember Mary Magdalen	The half-wit	Lostfilm
1914	Discord and Harmony	Lon, a sculptor	Lostfilm
1914	The Menace to Carlotta	Giovanni Bartholdi	Chaney also wrote the screenplay Working title:Carlotta, the Bead Stringer Lostfilm
1914	The Embezzler	J. Roger Dixon, a blackmailer	Lostfilm
1914	The Lamb, the Woman, the Wolf	The Wolf (a mountain man)	Lostfilm
1914	The End of the Feud	Wood Dawson	Lostfilm
1914	The Tragedy of Whispering Creek	The Greaser	Some sources say Chaney wrote the screenplay as well (but this is disputed) Print exists in the Deutsche Kinematek film archive
1914	The Unlawful Trade	The half-breed	Lostfilm
1914	The Forbidden Room	John Morris	Working title:The Web of Circumstance Lostfilm
1914	The Old Cobbler	Wild Bill	Lostfilm
1914	A Ranch Romance	Raphael Praz	Lostfilm
1914	The Hopes of Blind Alley	The vendor	akaThe Hopes of a Blind Alley Lostfilm
1914	Her Grave Mistake	Nunez, a Mexican spy	Lostfilm
1914	By the Sun's Rays	Frank Lawler, the clerk	A 16mm. print of this film exists available on DVD
1914	The Oubliette	Chevalier Bertrand de la Payne	A nitrate print was discovered in Georgia in 1983. Alternate title:The Adventures of François Villon #1: The Oubliette
1914	A Miner's Romance	John Burns	Lostfilm
1914	Her Bounty	Fred Howard	Lostfilm
1914	The Higher Law	Sir Stephen Fitz Allen	Alternative title:The Adventures of François Villon #2: The Higher Law Lostfilm
1914	Richelieu	Baradas, the villain	Lostfilm
1914	The Pipes o' Pan	Arthur Farrell	Some sequences were hand colored Lostfilm
1914	Virtue Is Its Own Reward	Duncan Bronson, an unsavory co-worker	In 2018, a 25-foot fragment of this film was discovered in a Brooklyn attic
1914	Her Life's Story	Don Valesquez, a nobleman	Lostfilm
1914	A Small Town Girl	A pimp	Released Nov. 7, 1914 Lostfilm
1914	Lights and Shadows	Bentley, a wealthy man's son	Lostfilm
1914	The Lion, the Lamb, the Man	Fred Brown, the "Lion"	A 1-reel cutdown print survives with most of the opening footage removed
1914	A Night of Thrills	The Visitor	Lostfilm
1914	Her Escape	Pete Walsh, a blind man	Chaney also wrote the screenplay for this film Lostfilm
1915	The Sin of Olga Brandt	Stephen Leslie, an attorney	Lostfilm
1915	The Star of the Sea	Tomasco, a hunchbacked fisherman	Lostfilm
1915	The Measure of a Man	Mountie Lt. Jim Stuart	Lostfilm
1915	The Threads of Fate	The Count	The opening and closing scenes were hand colored Lostfilm
1915	When the Gods Played a Badger Game	Joe – the Property Man	Working title wasThe Girl Who Couldn't Go Wrong Lostfilm
1915	Such Is Life	Tod Wilkes, a burlesque show performer	Lostfilm
1915	Where the Forest Ends	Paul Rouchelle, an artist	Lostfilm
1915	Outside the Gates	Perez, a peddler	Lostfilm
1915	All for Peggy	Seth Baldwin, the stable boy	Lostfilm
1915	The Desert Breed	Fred	Lostfilm
1915	Maid of the Mist	Lin – Pauline's Father	Lostfilm
1915	The Girl of the Night	Jerry, a small-time crook	Re-release title:Her Chance Lostfilm
1915	The Stool Pigeon		Chaney directed this film (his first) but did not star in it Lostfilm
1915	The Grind	Henry Leslie	Released in U.K. asOn the Verge of Sin Lostfilm
1915	For Cash		Chaney directed this film but did not star in it Lostfilm
1915	An Idyll of the Hills	Lafe Jameson, moonshiner	Lostfilm
1915	The Stronger Mind	The Crook's Pal	Lostfilm
1915	The Oyster Dredger		Chaney wrote and directed this film but did not star in it Lostfilm
1915	Steady Company	Jimmy Ford, a warehouse employee	Lostfilm
1915	The Violin Maker	Pedro, the violin maker	Chaney directed this film Lostfilm
1915	The Trust	Jim Mason, a thief	Chaney directed this film Alternative title:The Truce Lostfilm
1915	Bound on the Wheel	Tom Coulahan, a drunkard	Lostfilm
1915	Mountain Justice	Jeffrey Kirke, a moonshiner	Lostfilm
1915	Quits	Frenchy, a fugitive	Working title wasThe Sheriff of Long Butte(the title of theJules Furthmanstory it was based on); released 8/17/15; one reel Lostfilm (a still from the film exists)
1915	The Chimney's Secret	Dual role: as both Charles Harding (the bank cashier) and as the miserly old beggar	Chaney wrote and directed this film Lostfilm
1915	The Pine's Revenge	Black Scotty, a criminal	The working title wasThe King's Keeper Lostfilm
1915	The Fascination of the Fleur de Lis	Duke of Safoulrug	Anincompleteprint survives in the hands of a private collector in England
1915	Alas and Alack	Dual role: Jess's husband (a fisherman) and Hunchback Fate (in a fantasy sequence)	Anincompleteprint exists in the National Film Archives in London.
1915	A Mother's Atonement	Ben Morrison (as an old man and as his younger self)	Only the first two reels of the picture survive at the Library of Congress
1915	Lon of Lone Mountain	Lon Moore, a mountain man	Lostfilm
1915	The Millionaire Paupers	Martin, the building manager	The working title wasFate's A Fiddler A brief fragment of the film exists in a private collection.
1915	Under a Shadow	DeSerris, a Secret Service agent	Lostfilm
1915	Stronger Than Death	An attorney	Lostfilm
1916	Dolly's Scoop	Dan Fisher, reporter	A print of the film survives, missing the main title but otherwise complete.
1916	Felix on the Job	Tod	released Oct. 31, 1916 Lostfilm
1916	Accusing Evidence	Lon, a Canadian Mountie	Apparently filmed in 1914 but only released on Nov. 23, 1916 Lostfilm
1917	The Mask of Love	Marino, an underworld criminal	Apparently filmed in 1914 but only released on Mar. 19, 1917 Lostfilm

Feature films

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1915	Father and the Boys	Tuck Bartholomew	Lostfilm
1916	The Grip of Jealousy	Silas Lacey	Working title wasLove Thine Enemy Lostfilm
1916	Tangled Hearts	John Hammond	Roughly two minutes of footage exist in a private collection
1916	The Gilded Spider	Giovanni	Working title wasThe Full Cup A print was rediscovered in 2008.
1916	Bobbie of the Ballet	Hook Hoover	Lostfilm
1916	The Grasp of Greed	Jimmie	About half the film still exists (incompleteprint) at the George Eastman House Film Archive
1916	The Mark of Cain	Dick Temple	Chaney received first billing in this film for the first time in his career. Working title wasBy Fate's Decree. Lostfilm (only a few fragments exist in the Danish Film Archive)
1916	If My Country Should Call	Dr. George Ardrath	Incompleteprint (reels 2, 3 and 5 of 5) exists at the National Archives of Canada and the Library of Congress.
1916	The Place Beyond the Winds	Jerry Jo	Working title wasMansion of Despair Four of the five reels (reels 2, 3, 4 and 5) still survive in the film archive in the Library of Congress and in the National Archives of Canada.
1916	The Price of Silence	Dr. Edmond Stafford	A print exists in the CNC French Film Archives
1917	The Piper's Price	Billy Kilmartin	Lostfilm
1917	Hell Morgan's Girl	Sleter Noble	Working title wasThe Wrong Side of Paradise Lostfilm
1917	The Girl in the Checkered Coat	Hector Maitland	Lostfilm
1917	The Flashlight	Dual Role as both Henry Norton and as Porter Brixton (two step-brothers)	Lostfilm
1917	A Doll's House	Nils Krogstad	Lostfilm
1917	Fires of Rebellion	Russell Hanlon	Lostfilm
1917	The Rescue	Thomas Holland	Lostfilm
1917	Pay Me!	Joe Lawson	Alternate title:Vengeance of the West
1917	Triumph	Paul Neihoff	Anincompleteprint consisting only of the first three reels were discovered in England and have been preserved at AMPAS
1917	The Empty Gun	Frank	Lostfilm
1917	Bondage	The Seducer	Uncredited (his appearance in this film is unconfirmed, but Blake's book says Chaney was in the film) Lostfilm
1917	Anything Once	Waught Moore	Working title wasA Fool for Luck;a.k.a.The Maverick Lostfilm
1917	The Scarlet Car	Paul Revere Forbes	Prints exist at the Library of Congress and elsewhere Clips included in the 1995 documentaryLon Chaney: Behind the Mask
1918	Broadway Love	Elmer Watkins	A print of the film survives in theGeorge Eastman House Motion Picture Collection.
1918	The Grand Passion	Paul Argos	Working title wasThe Boss of Powderville Lostfilm
1918	The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin	Bethmann-Hollweg	Lostfilm
1918	Fast Company	Dan McCarty	Lostfilm
1918	A Broadway Scandal	"Kink" Colby	Lostfilm
1918	Riddle Gawne	Hame Bozzam	Two of the five reels exist in the Library of Congress (incompleteprint)
1918	That Devil, Bateese	Louis Courteau	Lostfilm
1918	The Talk of the Town	Jack Lanchome (Langhorne in some sources)	Based on a novelette calledDiscipline of Genevra Lostfilm
1918	Danger, Go Slow	Bud	Lostfilm
1919	The False Faces	Karl Eckstrom, a German spy	Based on the novel by Louis Joseph Vance The film's working title wasThe Lone Wolf Complete print exists at the George Eastman House Available on DVD
1919	The Wicked Darling	Stoop Connors	Chaney's first collaboration withTod Browning Working titles wereThe Gutter RoseandRose of the Night A complete print (with some decomposition) exists at the Netherlands Filmmuseum in Amsterdam Available on DVD
1919	A Man's Country	"Three Card" Duncan	A small portion of this film was discovered at theDanish Film Institutefilm archive in Denmark. The fragment does not contain any of Chaney's scenes
1919	The Miracle Man	The Frog	Lostfilm A 3-minute fragment exists showing Chaney in the faith healing sequence
1919	Paid in Advance	Bateese Le Blanc	A nitrate stock print (with Czech subtitles) is housed at the Narodni Filmovy Archive in Czechoslovakia
1919	When Bearcat Went Dry	Kindard Powers	A complete print exists at the American Film Institute, donated by a collector
1919	Victory	Ricardo	WithWallace Beery;complete film available on DVD
1920	Daredevil Jack	Royce Rivers, bandit leader	15-chapter serial Segments of this film (mainly Chapters 1, 2 and 4) are stored at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles Chaney does not appear in the existing footage
1920	Treasure Island	Dual role as two pirates, Blind Pew and Merry	Lostfilm
1920	The Gift Supreme	Merney Stagg	Anincompleteprint (reel one of six) survives and is preserved in a private collection.
1920	Nomads of the North	Raoul Challoner	Available on DVD
1920	The Penalty	Blizzard	Available on DVD
1920	Outside the Law	Dual role as Black Mike Sylva and Ah Wing	Print exists in the Film Preservation Associates film collection Available on DVD.
1921	For Those We Love	Trix Ulner	Lostfilm
1921	Bits of Life	Chin Chow	Lostfilm
1921	The Ace of Hearts	Farallone	Available on DVD
1921	Voices of the City	Red O'Rourke, gangster	Released originally asThe Night Rose,the film was then re-edited and retitledVoices of the City;Chaney's character's name was changed from Red O'Rourke to Duke McGee; Lostfilm
1922	The Trap	Gaspard	Chaney also co-wrote the story that this film was based on Released in the U.K. asHeart of a Wolf
1922	Flesh and Blood	David Webster	Working title wasFires of Vengeance;re-released in 1927; available on DVD
1922	The Light in the Dark	Tony Pantelli	Later edited down into a shorter version calledThe Light of Faith Only the short version is available on DVD
1922	Oliver Twist	Fagin	Available on DVD
1922	Shadows	Yen Sin, the Heathen	Available on DVD
1922	Quincy Adams Sawyer	Obadiah Strout	Lostfilm
1922	A Blind Bargain	Dual Role as Dr. Arthur Lamb/ The Ape Man	Based on the novelThe Octave of Claudius Lostfilm
1923	All the Brothers Were Valiant	Mark Shore	Lostfilm
1923	While Paris Sleeps	Henri Santodos,a sculptor	Working title wasThe Glory of Love Film was made in 1920, but only released in 1923 Lostfilm
1923	The Shock	Wilse Dilling	Working title wasBittersweet Available on DVD
1923	The Hunchback of Notre Dame	Quasimodo	Assisted as makeup artist (uncredited) Available on DVD
1924	The Next Corner	Juan Serafin	Lostfilm
1924	He Who Gets Slapped	Dual role as both Paul Beaumont and "HE"	Available on DVD Inducted intoNational Film Registryin 2017.
1925	The Monster	Dr. Ziska	Available on DVD
1925	The Phantom of the Opera	The Phantom	Asst. director, makeup (uncredited) Available on DVD Inducted toNational Film Registryin 1998.
1925	The Unholy Three	Dual role as Echo and the Old Lady	Remade as a sound film in 1930, again starring Chaney Available on DVD
1925	The Tower of Lies	Jan	Lostfilm
1926	The Blackbird	Dual role as The Blackbird and The Bishop	A.k.a.The Black Bird Available on DVD
1926	The Road to Mandalay	Singapore Joe	The film's working title wasSingapore A condensed version with French subtitles exists in some museums
1926	Tell It to the Marines	Sergeant O'Hara	Available on DVD
1927	Mr. Wu	Dual role as Mr. Wu and Mr. Wu's grandfather	Available on DVD
1927	The Unknown	Alonzo the Armless	Available on DVD
1927	Mockery	Sergei, a Russian peasant	Working title wasTerror Available on DVD
1927	London After Midnight	Dual role as Professor Edward C. Burke and The Vampire	Alternate title:The Hypnotist Makeup artist also (uncredited) Lostfilm
1928	The Big City	Chuck Collins	Lostfilm
1928	Laugh, Clown, Laugh	Tito the Clown	A near complete print exists Available on DVD
1928	While the City Sleeps	Dan Coghlan	Incompleteprint with some wear exists in some collections
1928	West of Zanzibar	Phroso	Available on DVD
1929	Where East Is East	Tiger Haynes	Available on DVD
1929	Thunder	Grumpy Anderson	Mostly alostfilm; only a few minutes survives
1930	The Unholy Three(Sound Remake)	Dual role as Echo and the Old Lady	Available on DVD

Gallery: The Man of a Thousand Faces

• 
  Blind Pew inTreasure Island(1920)
• 
  FagininOliver Twist(1922)
• 
  "Hypnotist" inLondon After Midnight(1927)

Bibliography

• Anderson, Robert Gordon.Faces, Forms, Films: The Artistry of Lon Chaney.South Brunswick, New Jersey: A. S. Barnes, 1971.ISBN978-0-4980-7726-5.
• Blackmar, Frank W., ed.Kansas: A Cyclopedia of State History, Embracing Events, Institutions, Industries, Counties, Cities, Towns, Prominent Persons, etc..Chicago: Standard Publishing Company, 1912.
• Blake, Michael F.The Films of Lon Chaney.Vestal, New York: Vestal Press, 1998.ISBN978-1-5683-3237-6.
• Blake, Michael F.A Thousand Faces: Lon Chaney's Unique Artistry in Motion Pictures.Vestal, New York: Vestal Press, 1997.ISBN978-1-8795-1121-7.
• Blake, Michael F.Lon Chaney: The Man Behind the Thousand Faces.Vestal, New York: Vestal Press, 1997.
• Blum, Daniel.Pictorial History of the Silent Screen.New York: Grosset and Dunlap, 1953.ISBN978-0-4480-1477-7.
• Dick, Bernard F.City of Dreams: The Making and Remaking of Universal Pictures.Lexington, Kentucky:The University Press of Kentucky, 1997.ISBN978-0-8131-2016-4.
• Fleming, E.J.Paul Bern: The Life and Famous Death of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Director and Husband of Harlow.Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2009.ISBN978-0-7864-3963-8.
• Guiley, Rosemary.The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters.New York: Infobase Publishing, 2004.ISBN978-0-8160-4684-3.
• Herzogenrath, Bernd, ed.The Cinema of Tod Browning: Essays of the Macabre and Grotesque.Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2008.ISBN978-0-7864-3447-3.
• LaSalle, Mick.Complicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood.New York: Thomas Dunne Books, an imprint of St. Martin's Press, 2000.ISBN978-0-3122-8431-2.
• Locan, Clarence A. "The Lon Chaney I Knew,"Photoplay,November 1930, p. 58.
• "Lon Chaney's Make-up,"Photoplay,March 1922, p. 43.
• Riley, Philip J.MagicImage Filmbooks Presents The Wolf Man.Chesterfield, New Jersey: MagicImage Filmbooks, 1993.ISBN978-1-8821-2721-4.
• Sangster, Margaret E. "Lon Chaney" (poem),Photoplay,October 1930, p. 40.
• Schikel, Richardand Allen Hurlburt.The Stars.New York: Bonanza Books, a division of Crown Publishers, 1962.ISBN978-0-5170-3771-3.
• Slide, Anthony.Silent Players: A Biographical and Autobiographical Study of 100 Silent Film Actors and Actresses.Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 2010.ISBN978-0-8131-2249-6.
• Smith, Don G.Lon Chaney Jr.: Horror Film Star, 1906–1973.Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2004.ISBN978-0-7864-1813-8.
• Vogel, Michelle.Olive Borden: The Life and Films of Hollywood's 'Joy Girl'.Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2010.ISBN978-0-7864-4795-4.

External links

• Official website
• Lon Chaneyat theAmerican Film Institute Catalog
• Lon ChaneyatIMDb
• Lon Chaneyat theTCM Movie Database