Lon Chaney

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Notable

American actor who was called the "man of a thousand faces" and best known for horror films. He played Quasimoto in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and starred in "The Phantom of the Opera." Chaney is the son of deaf-mute parents, learning from childhood how to communicate through pantomime and facial expression. As a boy he worked as a stagehand and scene painter for the Colorado Spring’s playhouse and hit the road with his brother by the age of 17, touring in musical comedies. From 1913 to 1930, he played in over 150 film roles. In 1915, Chaney directed six films for Universal and wrote the screenplays for two of them. He was often involved in the production and direction of his films, but shunned the transition to sound. His fascinating life story was told in a 1957 film, "Man of a Thousand Faces." Chaney married twice and had one son, Lon Jr., on 10 February 1906, Oklahoma City, OK. His son has starred in over 150 films, most of them horror or westerns. Died of a throat hemorrhage on 26 August 1930, Hollywood, CA. Link to Wikipedia biography