Alonso Chaney biography

Actor. Born Alonzo "Lon" Chaney, on April 1, 1883, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," he appeared in 157 films between 1913 and 1930. Best remembered for his inventive use of makeup and his portrayal of grotesque characters, Chaney’s most famous starring roles were in film productions of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera. Chaney was one of four children born to speech and hearing impaired parents. His father worked as a barber. When young Lon was still a child, his mother became seriously ill and was bedridden for the rest of her life. He left school and spent much of his time caring for her and his siblings, and entertaining them with pantomimed stories. Chaney later recalled his childhood as a happy time, with a tightly knit family that spent much time together at home. His older brother, John, was the manager of a theater. When Chaney was barely a teenager he started to work there, handling and then making props. He often watched the performances and became an apprentice stagehand. In later years, he still proudly displayed his membership card in the local stagehands' essay/" class="wiki-link" title="Viac o: union">union. His father, however, thought that one member of the family in the theater was enough. Chaney moved to Denver where he worked during the next several years as a carpet layer, wallpaperer, interior decorator, and guide on trail rides to Pike's Peak. In his late teens, he was invited to join his brother's production of a comic opera. Chaney immediately left his job as a decorator. The company was soon bought by Charles Holmes, who took it on a three-year tour across the West. The repertoire was mostly comic operas, and Chaney began to imagine a career as a comic actor. He also began to learn about stage design and choreography. Chaney did some work as a producer, and during these travels also started to develop the makeup skills that he would employ in his film career. In 1905, he married Cleva Creighton, a member of the company. Their son Creighton was born the following year. Headed to California and Film Career

After several years of traveling performances, Chaney joined a vaudeville team in San Francisco and began to think about trying his luck at films. His wife was working as a nightclub singer and reportedly became an alcoholic. Although the reasons are not totally clear, she made an unsuccessful suicide attempt. The poison she drank destroyed her singing voice.