On this Date: Lon Chaney Sr. Died (8/31/1930)

“Silver Screams,” Universal Studios Florida, 2009.

On this date in 1930, Lon Chaney, Sr., the talented American character actor, died of complications associated with throat cancer.  Chaney’s prolific career spanned over 150 films, most of them during the Silent Film era.

Renowned for transforming himself into nearly any role (thanks to both his pantomime skills and his incredible self-applied makeup), “The Man of a Thousand Faces” is a legendary figure in Universal Pictures history.  Chaney was the star of the first two “Universal Monsters” films:  he played Quasimodo in 1923’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” and is perhaps most well-remembered for his portrayal of Erik, the corpse-faced ghoul in the original film version of “The Phantom of the Opera “ (1925)  [source].  He was also the father of Creighton Chaney, otherwise known as Lon Chaney Jr. (star of the 1941 film “The Wolf Man,” and a Universal Monsters legend in his own right).

Lon Chaney Sr.’s most iconic character can still be seen in Universal Studios theme parks today: a sculpture of Erik, The Phantom, is on display in the lobby of “The Horror Make-Up Show.”  The film also served as the basis for a scene in Orlando’s 2009 Halloween Horror Nights house, “Silver Screams” (seen above).

Lon Chaney Jr. photo courtesy of Doctor Macro, “Silver Screams” photo by Dick Johnson.