Hollywood Faces Dossier
22 Archival Vault Holdings
📍 Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
Lon Chaney
1883 – 1930
Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor and makeup artist. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and afflicted, characters and for his groundbreaking artistry with makeup. Chaney was known for his starring roles in such silent horror films as The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925). His ability to transform himself using makeup techniques that he developed earned him the nickname "The Man of a Thousand Faces". Description above from the Wikipedia article Lon Chaney, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Mike Jones's Video Boneyard archive currently preserves 22 physical recordings spanning 21 productions featuring Lon Chaney.
⭐ Curated Documentary Monograph Available
Read Mike Jones's personal essay, verified historical milestones, and watch our dedicated video documentary.
Archival Holdings in The Video Boneyard
The following 21 canonical motion pictures and broadcast master recordings featuring Lon Chaney are preserved in the studio archives:
| Year | Production Title | Character / Role | Director / Studio | The Video Boneyard | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1917 | The Scarlet Car | Featured Cast | Joe De Grasse / Universal Pictures | Vault Archive Master | Statutory PD |
| 1919 | The Wicked Darling | Supporting Cast | Tod Browning / Universal Pictures | Vault Archive Master | Statutory PD |
| 1919 | Victory | Featured Cast | Maurice Tourneur / Archive | Vault Archive Master | Statutory PD |
| 1920 | Nomads of the North | Featured Cast | David Hartford / Archive | Vault Archive Master | Statutory PD |
| 1920 | Outside the Law | Featured Cast | Tod Browning / Universal Pictures | Vault Archive Master | Statutory PD |
| 1920 | The Penalty | Featured Cast | Wallace Worsley / Archive | ▶ Watch 1080p | Statutory PD |
| 1921 | The Ace of Hearts 2 Copies | Supporting Cast | Wallace Worsley / Archive | Vault Archive Master | Statutory PD |
| 1922 | Flesh and Blood | Featured Cast | Irving Cummings / Archive | Vault Archive Master | Statutory PD |
| 1922 | Oliver Twist | Featured Cast | Frank Lloyd / Archive | ▶ Watch Stream | Statutory PD |
| 1922 | Shadows | Supporting Cast | Tom Forman / Archive | Vault Archive Master | Statutory PD |
| 1922 | The Trap | Featured Cast | Robert Thornby / Universal Pictures | Vault Archive Master | Statutory PD |
| 1923 | The Hunchback of Notre Dame | Quasimodo | Wallace Worsley / Universal Pictures | ▶ Watch Stream | Statutory PD |
| 1923 | The Shock | Featured Cast | Lambert Hillyer / Universal Pictures | Vault Archive Master | Statutory PD |
| 1925 | The Phantom of the Opera | Featured Cast | Rupert Julian / Universal Pictures | ▶ Watch 1080p | Statutory PD |
| 1925 | The Unholy Three | Featured Cast | Tod Browning / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Vault Archive Master | Statutory PD |
| 1926 | Tell It to the Marines | Co-Star | George W. Hill / Archive | Vault Archive Master | Statutory PD |
| 1926 | The Blackbird | Supporting Cast | Tod Browning / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Vault Archive Master | Statutory PD |
| 1927 | London After Midnight | Featured Cast | Tod Browning / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Vault Archive Master | Statutory PD |
| 1927 | The Unknown | Supporting Cast | Tod Browning / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Vault Archive Master | Statutory PD |
| 1928 | Laugh, Clown, Laugh | Featured Cast | Herbert Brenon / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Vault Archive Master | Statutory PD |
| 1930 | The Unholy Three | Featured Cast | Jack Conway / Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Vault Archive Master | Archival Master |
Complete Career & Landmark Filmography
Major theatrical features, landmark television appearances, and key credited roles across Lon Chaney's historic screen career:
| Year | Production Title | Character / Role | Department / Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | The Honor of the Family | Actor | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1913 | Back to Life | The Rival | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1913 | Poor Jake's Demise | The Dude | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1913 | The Restless Spirit | The Russian Count (uncredited) | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1914 | A Night of Thrills | The Visitor | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1914 | A Ranch Romance | Raphael Praz | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1914 | By the Sun's Rays | Frank Lawler, the Clerk | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1914 | Damon and Pythias | Wild Man (uncredited) (unconfirmed) | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1914 | Discord and Harmony | Lon - the Sculptor | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1914 | Richelieu | Baradas | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1914 | The End of the Feud | Wood Dawson | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1914 | The Forbidden Room | John Morris | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1914 | The Higher Law | Sir Stephen Fitz Allen | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1914 | The Lion, the Lamb and the Man | Fred Brown, the Lion | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1914 | The Oubliette | Chevalier Bertrand de la Payne | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1914 | The Tragedy of Whispering Creek | The Greaser | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1914 | The Tragedy of Whispering Creek | Writer | Writer (Feature Film) |
| 1914 | Virtue Its Own Reward | Duncan Bronson | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1915 | A Mother's Atonement | Ben | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1915 | Alas and Alack | The Fisherman and Hunchback Fate | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1915 | Father and the Boys | Tuck Bartholomew | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1915 | Stronger Than Death | Attorney | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1915 | The Fascination of the Fleur de Lis | The Duke of Safoulrug | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1915 | The Measure of a Man | Donald MacDermott | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1915 | The Millionaire Paupers | Landlord | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1915 | The Oyster Dredger | Actor | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1915 | The Oyster Dredger | Writer | Writer (Feature Film) |
| 1915 | The Oyster Dredger | Director | Director (Feature Film) |
| 1915 | The Sin of Olga Brandt | Stephen Leslie | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1915 | The Stool Pigeon | Actor | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1915 | The Stool Pigeon | Director | Director (Feature Film) |
| 1916 | Bobbie of the Ballet | Hook Hoover | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1916 | Dolly's Scoop | Dan Fisher | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1916 | If My Country Should Call | Dr. George Ardrath | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1916 | Tangled Hearts | John Hammond | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1916 | The Gilded Spider | Giovanni | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1916 | The Grasp of Greed | Jimmie | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1916 | The Grip of Jealousy | Silas Lacey | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1916 | The Mark of Cain | Dick Temple | Actor (Feature Film) |
| 1916 | The Place Beyond the Winds | Jerry Jo | Actor (Feature Film) |
⚖️ Archival Preservation & Scholarship:
All film excerpts, technical specifications, and character credits cataloged in this dossier are curated for film scholarship, legal public domain verification, and historical media education under 17 U.S.C. § 107.