TODAY - Apr 01, 2023

An American motion-picture actor, best known for his horror films, in which he appeared in gruesome and grotesque makeup of characters warped by psychological or physical deformities was born on April 1, 1883, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States. His parents were deaf-mutes, and the pantomimic skill Chaney learned as a child in order to communicate with them served him well in his acting career. He first performed in vaudeville. In 1913 he appeared in his first film. He played the title roles in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925), two of his most important films, which are often revived. Known as “The Man of a Thousand Faces,” Chaney was a brilliant innovator in makeup techniques, although many of his most arcane makeup secrets died with him. He often played dual roles or characters who wore disguises. No discomfort seemed too great for him to endure to accomplish an effect (the heavy hump he created for his portrayal of the tortured Quasimodo in The Hunchback is legendary). Other notable performances include roles in The Miracle Man (1919), in which his character pretends to be crippled and poses as a faith healer; Treasure Island (1920; dual roles); Outside the Law (1921; dual roles); Oliver Twist (1922), as Fagin; He Who Gets Slapped (1924), as a scientist turned circus clown; The Unholy Three (1925), playing a crook who disguises himself as an old woman; and London After Midnight (1927; dual roles). Chaney was also a versatile and persuasive actor in more conventional roles, as he demonstrated in such films as Tell It to the Marines (1926) and While the City Sleeps (1928). When he died at the age of 47, on August 26, 1930, shortly after his impressive sound-film debut in a remake of The Unholy Three (1930), he had made more than 140 films. He died on August 26, 1930, in Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Author : Dr. Nidhi Jindal