Get To Know Phantom of the Opera Star Lon Chaney

Lon Chaney made over 100 films for my Uncle Carl Laemmle at Universal Studios, including the Hunchback of Notre Dame and Phantom of the Opera. Despite his iconic film roles, he still managed to live a very secretive life. Early scandals in the Los Angeles theater scene caused him to shy away from public attention, and because he changed his appearance so drastically from role to role, he managed to move through life relatively unseen. Still, he is one of the most notable actors of the silent era, and a classic horror staple, along with Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. His mastery of makeup and movement were unparalleled, and he leaves behind an incredible legacy. I’m excited to share this incredible actor with all of you…and just in time for Halloween too!

Leonidas Frank Chaney was born April 1, 1883 in Colorado Springs to Frank and Emma. His great-grandfather was a congressman, and his grandmother founded the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind. Both of Lon’s parents were deaf and mute, and as a child he learned to communicate through sign, pantomime, and facial expressions. When he was in 4th grade, his mom got sick and Lon dropped out of school to help care for her and his younger siblings. This was the time he really developed his dramatic skills - for three years, he would reenact the events of the day to his mother through mime and movement.

A young Lon Chaney.

At age 14, it as time for Lon to support the family. He got a summer job as a tour guide at Pikes Peak, and later that year became a prop boy at the opera house where his older brother was stage managing. Chaney got his start in the industry in 1901, when he toured the US with a play he co-wrote called The Little Tycoon. While on tour in Oklahoma City, he met Francis Cleveland Creighton, who went by Cleva. She joined the cast as a chorus girl. In old newspaper reviews of their plays, Lon is consistently praised for his comedy that kept audiences in stitches, and Cleva often gets mentions for her sweet voice. She and Lon started dating, and in February 1906, they had a son Creighton Tull Chaney … who today you’ll know better as Lon Chaney, Junior.

The story of Lon Chaney, Jr.’s birth is a pretty miraculous one. Lon and Cleva were by Belle Isle Lake, staying in a small cabin. Cleva went into labor early. Mattie Creighton, Cleva’s mom, was helping deliver the baby, but it was premature and it looked like he wasn’t going to make it. They were struggling to resuscitate him, when Lon, Sr. rushed the baby outside, dipped him in the freezing lake … and it worked! Lon Chaney, Jr. was startled awake by the cold and he started crying. Must have been the most terrifying and then joyous moment.

A rare photo of Lon Chaney with his son, Lon Chaney, Jr.

Lon worked a traditional job for a bit to support his family, but he missed the stage and wanted to go back to performing. In 1910, the family picked up and moved to California, where Lon began stage managing, acting, and choreographing, while Cleva became a cabaret singer. Around this time, Cleva developed some struggles. By some accounts, she thought when Lon put his son in the lake at his birth, he was trying to kill him, and it put her in a deep depression. and she wouldn’t work with her husband anymore. Other stories tell of Lon discovering an affair she may have been having with a bartender.

Either way, in 1913 during the opening night of a show at the Majestic Theater in Los Angeles, Cleva attempted suicide by drinking mercury dichloride backstage, and running onstage from the wings. She survived, but the poison destroyed her vocal cords, and she was never able to sing again. The next year, she and Lon Chaney divorced. The scandal pushed him out of the theater, and marked the start of his transition into film.

Lon Chaney’s first film is disputed, but by 1918, he had been in over 100 films released by Universal. When Universal wouldn’t give him the raise he wanted, he went freelance. His big break came later that year, playing the villain in a movie called Riddle Gawne, and the following year in a film called The Miracle Man. Lon once said the stories he wished to tell were stories of self-sacrifice or renunciation. He became known for his dedication to his roles, not afraid to suffer in order to capture the true essence of the character or the scene.

The other thing he became known for was his skill with makeup. It really set him apart at a time when makeup hadn’t yet become too prominent in the industry. You may have added a mustache to denote a villain, something like that, but that was about it. Studios didn’t have makeup departments, most actors were just expected to do their own.

Lon Chaney started doing intricate makeup on himself for roles. He had a tackle-box, like what fisherman use, filled with makeup, tools, string, and more. He could disguise or disfigure his face - there are even films where he used his makeup to play more than one character. He became known as The Man of a Thousand Faces. One great example of his work can be found in a Universal classic - The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Released in 1923, the Hunchback was one of Universal’s biggest early films. A little known fact is that Lon Chaney was the one who originally acquired the rights to get it made.

Lon Chaney as the Phantom of the Opera (1925.)

Another great example of Lon’s skill and dedication is perhaps an even more famous role - 1925’s Phantom of the Opera! He used cotton, chemicals, glue, as well as wires and fake teeth to get his terrifying look. The reveal of his skeletal face is one of the most famous scenes in all of film history.

Perhaps due to his incident with Cleva which drove him from the theater, Lon Chaney chose to lead a very private life away from the cameras. He once said, “Between pictures, there is no Lon Chaney,” and that his “whole career was devoted to keeping people from knowing him.” He rarely gave interviews, and since changing his appearance was such a big part of so many roles, he was usually able to go out in public without being recognized.

Lon Chaney played his first and only speaking role in the Unholy Three (1930.)

Lon Chaney married again in 1914 or 1915 to a chorus girl named Hazel Hastings. They very much stayed out of the spotlight, but remained married until Lon’s death. Lon worked steadily throughout the 1920s, but as sound came about, he initially held out. He wanted to ensure he really understood how this new technology worked before jumping into it. He studied up by visiting sound rooms and experimenting with mixing and recording. His first sound film was called The Unholy Three. It’s easy to forget that most of the public had never heard Lon Chaney’s voice before, so they were clamoring to hear it in this movie. There’s no way they were disappointed - Lon Chaney specifically chose the film as his first talkie because of its strange and powerful plot, and because his character uses five distinctly different voices. Naturally, he was immediately dubbed The Man of a Thousand Voices too!

This would have solidified his place in the new world of talkies, but The Unholy Three would be the only sound film Lon Chaney ever did. In winter, 1929, Lon got pneumonia, followed by bronchial lung cancer. It was made worse when he worked on a film with artificial snow that got stuck in his throat and caused an infection. On August 26, 1930, Lon Chaney passed away at just 47 years old.

Would Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff have the same legacy if Lon Chaney lived longer?

It’s impossible not to wonder what Lon Chaney’s career could have been if he lived longer. Especially knowing he was Tod Browning’s first choice for Dracula. How might the careers of Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff, or even Jack Pierce have been affected if Lon Chaney hadn’t died so young?