Men of Horror #1: Lon Chaney, Sr.
If you’re talking about the greatest actor in the history of horror, two names come immediately to mind: Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney, Sr. Chaney was such an immensely popular and idolized actor in 20’s silent film that parents, when their kids would come across an insect or reptile, would tell their children “Don’t step on it; it might be Lon Chaney”. “The Man of a Thousand Faces” was famous for putting himself through agonizing prosthetics in an attempt to create his unique characters. Nowadays, Karloff is generally considered the greatest male horror actor of all-time, but it should be noted that Lon Chaney not only did it first, but arguably created more frightening characters.
Did you know: Lon Chaney, not Bela Lugosi, was set to star in Dracula before his untimely death of lung cancer. Imagine that!
Some films: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), The Monster (1925), The Phantom of the Opera (1925), The Unholy Three (1925, 1930), The Unknown (1927), London After Midnight (1927)
Filed under: Men of Horror
Jeff said:
Love the makeup design in London After Midnight, very scary!
Lon Chaney said:
I used to give Karloff pointers! Although a fine actor, unlike Karloff, I created my own makeup and characters. In fact, I am regarded by many in the motion picture industry as the father of character and special effects makeup.
Even though I was considering it, had I survived, I’m not so sure that I would’ve done “Dracula.” I was thinking of leaving the horror genre (which, by the way, comprises less than 4% of my body of work) and having a go at crime dramas and/or comedies. It would’ve been a natural next step after the talkie remake of “The Unholy Three,” a film that is a little of both.
jim said:
Love it, and please if you get time/
jim
Denizens of the Darkness
jim said:
I’m just loving the Dead lantern and all that I see, i’ll be back soon, again, and again, thank you Jim
Denizens of the Darkness