Lon Chaney Jr. Height, Weight, Age, Facts, Biography

Lon Chaney Jr. was an American actor known for having been cast as Larry Talbot in the film The Wolf Man (1941) and its various crossovers, Frankenstein’s monster in the film The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), and Count Alucard (Dracula spelled backward) in the film Son of Dracula (1943). His career spanned 4 decades, from 1931 to 1971, and his film credits also included My Favorite Brunette, The Counterfeiters, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, There’s a Girl in My Heart, Once a Thief, Only the Valiant, Bride of the Gorilla, Thief of Damascus, Battles of Chief Pontiac, Raiders of the Seven Seas, A Lion Is in the Streets, The Boy from Oklahoma, I Died a Thousand Times, Not as a Stranger, The Alligator People, Face of the Screaming Werewolf, Dr. Terror’s Gallery of Horrors, House of the Black Death, Hillbillys in a Haunted House, Dracula vs. Frankenstein, and Johnny Reno.

Born Name

Creighton Tull Chaney

Other Names

Lon Chaney Jr., The Prince of Pain, The Master of Horror, Lon Chaney

Age

He was born on February 10, 1906.

Died

On July 12, 1973, Lon Chaney Jr. died of cardiac failure due to arteriosclerotic heart disease and cardiomyopathy at the age of 67 in San Clemente, California, United States.

Sun Sign

Aquarius

Born Place

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Territory, United States

Nationality

Education

Lon Chaney Jr. studied at Hollywood High School. Afterward, he attended a business college.

Occupation

Actor

Family

• Father – Lon Chaney (Actor, Theatre Artist, Director, Screenwriter, Makeup Artist)
• Mother – Frances Cleveland Creighton, a singing stage performer who traveled in road shows across the country with Chaney
• Siblings – He was an only child.
• Others – Frank H. Chaney (Paternal Grandfather) (Barber), Emma Alice Kennedy (Paternal Grandmother), John Evans Creighton (Maternal Grandfather), Martha Jane “Mattie” Johnson (Maternal Grandmother), John Chaney (Paternal Uncle), George Chaney (Paternal Uncle), Carolin Chaney (Paternal Aunt)

Manager

Lon Chaney Jr. was signed with RKO.

Build

Average

Height

6 ft 2 in or 188 cm

Weight

85 kg or 187.5 lbs

Girlfriend / Spouse

Lon Chaney Jr. had dated –

1. Dorothy Hinckley (1928-1937)​ – He married Dorothy Hinckley (the daughter of his employer Ralph Hinckley at a plumbing company) in 1928 and the duo had 2 sons – Lon Ralph Chaney (July 3, 1928 – May 5, 1992) and Ronald Creighton Chaney (March 18, 1930 – December 15, 1987). In 1937, she divorced him for drinking too much and being “sullen”.
2. Patsy Beck (1937-1973) – He married his 2nd wife Patsy Beck in 1937 and they remained together until his death in 1973.

Race / Ethnicity

White

Lon Chaney Jr. was of English, French, German, and Irish descent.

Hair Color

Salt and Pepper

Eye Color

Hazel

Sexual Orientation

Straight

Distinctive Features

• Deep baritone voice
• Frequently played hulking monsters or victims of mad scientists
• Thick eyebrows

Lon Chaney Jr.’s Favorite Things

• Role – Lennie Small in Of Mice and Men (1939)

Source – IMDb

Lon Chaney Jr.’s Facts

1. His parents had a troubled married life and they divorced in 1913.
2. His father did not want him to enter show business.
3. Lon Chaney Jr. had a rough childhood and was made to believe that his mother had died while he was a boy. He learned that his mother was still alive only after his father’s death.
4. His television credits include Versatile Varieties, Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans, General Electric Theater, 13 Demon Street, Have Gun – Will Travel, Lawman, The Rifleman, Pistols ‘n’ Petticoats, The Deputy, and others.
5. He was mentioned in Warren Zevon’s 1978 song Werewolves of London.
6. He was an avid hunter.
7. On January 11, 1999, Lon Chaney Jr. was posthumously awarded a Golden Palm Star on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in Palm Springs, California.

Featured Image by Film screenshot (C.G.K. Productions) / Internet Archive / Public Domain