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Creighton Tull Chaney better known as Lon Chaney Jr. was born on February 10th, 1906
in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. His father was the famous silent film actor Lon Chaney who
was often referred to as “A man of a thousand faces” for his ability to use makeup to
transform himself into a wide variety of characters. Two of his father’s most famous films were
the hunchback of Notre dame in 1923 and phantom of the opera in 1925. Lon Chaney Jr.’s mother
was Frances Creighton. Lon jr.’s parents divorced in 1913 after which the boy lived
in boarding schools until 1916. He moved home after his father remarried.
While Lon Jr. was young his father discouraged him from seeking a career in show business.
Lon Jr. instead worked as an advertising manager for a water-heater company and a plumbing
company. He married Dorothy Hinckley, and they had two sons. The couple divorced in
1936 and he then married Patsy Beck in 1937. Sadly his father died on August 26th 1930
of throat cancer, he was only 47 years old. After his father died Chaney began acting
in films, mostly westerns usually doing his own stunt work. At this time he was billed
with his birth name Creighton Chaney. But starting in 1935 with the film “A scream
in the night”, he was billed as Lon Chaney Jr. He didn’t mind using his father’s
name to help his career, but he disliked the junior, but the studios insisted on using
it. He continued making westerns with the likes
of John Wayne in the Three Musketeers and with Gene Autry in “The singing cowboy”
in 1936. The late 1930’s was a busy time for Lon Chaney Jr. and he appeared in over
a dozen pictures at 20th century fox, such as, “This is my affair” with Robert Taylor
and Barbara Stanwyck, “The lady Escapes”, “Happy landing” with Ethel Merman and
he was almost killed by a train while making “Jesse James” in 1939.
Chaney Jr's only stage appearance had been as Lennie in a production of Of Mice and
Men also later appearing in the film version.
At Universal pictures Lon Jr. was in a horror sci-fi movie called “Man-made monster”
in 1941. However at this time the studio continued to use him as a character actor in a variety
of movies like “Too many blondes” and “Badlands of Dakota”.
Next, Chaney Jr. was given the title role in The Wolf Man in (1941) The film’s success
earned him a long term contract with Universal. Chaney Jr. was now an official horror star.
However his success in Horror pictures would typecast him the rest of his career. He starred
in “The Ghost of Frankenstein”, “The Mummy’s tomb”, “Frankenstein meets the
Wolf Man”, he actually played Dracula in “Son of Dracula”, “The Mummy’s ghost”
in 1944, “House of Frankenstein”. Followed by “The Mummy’s curse” and my favorite
movie, “Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein” in 1948. In this film he plays the Wolf man
and in one scene he stood in for actor Glenn Strange who played The Frankenstein monster
while Strange recovered from a broken ankle.
He was released from his contract with "Universal" in 1945. The reason given for this, was due
to the actor's problem with alcohol.
Though typecast as horror film star, he never stopped working. In the 1950’s he was seen
in “High Noon”, “I died a thousand times”, “Springfield Rifle”, “Casanova’s big
night”, “Big house U.S.A” and “The Defiant ones” among many many others.
Lon Jr. also did television work including “Wagon train”, “Route 66”, “Rawhide”,
“Have gun will travel”, ”The rifleman” and “The Monkees” among many others. His
1960’s films were mostly low budget westerns and horror films like “Haunted Palace”,
“Spider Baby” and “Apache uprising”. His last horror film was “ Dracula vs. Frankenstein”
in 1971. Lon Chaney Jr.was the only actor to portray all four of Universal's major horror
characters: the Wolf Man, Frankenstein's Monster, the Mummy, and Count Dracula.
Chaney was well liked by some co-workers and despised by others. He was also known to stand
up for older ones who Chaney felt were belittled by the studios. One example was that of William
Farnum, a silent film star who played a bit part in The Mummy's Curse. Chaney insisted
that Farnum be given his own chair on the set and be treated with respect, or else he
would quit picture. Actor Robert Stack claimed in his 1980 autobiography
that Chaney and drinking buddy Broderick Crawford were known as "the monsters" around
the Universal Pictures lot because both men were such heavy drinkers that they would
get drunk together and take turns beating each other up.
Lon Jr. Was well known for his love of animals, and would frequently have his dogs on his
movie sets with him. Here is a picture of him in his Wolf Man makeup playing with his
German Shepherd named “Wolf". Chaney suffered from a series of illnesses
including throat cancer in the year prior to his death. Sadly, Lon Chaney Jr. died on
July 12, 1973, from cardiac failure in San Clemente, California, he was only 67 years
old.
Conflicting stories say his Body was cremated, ashes scattered. Other reports say his body