Lon Chaney,
Jr.
Lon Chaney, Jr. circa 1940
Born Creighton Tull Chaney, Lon Chaney Jr. was
the son of the film star Lon Chaney. In 1935 he changed his screen
name to mirror his father as a marketing ploy, and in 1939 he was cast
in his first big role, that of Lennie in a film adaptation of John Steinbeck's
Of
Mice and Men. In 1941 Universal Pictures wished to revitalize
their horror film franchise and Chaney, Jr. was cast in his most memorable
role as Lawrence Talbot in The Wolf Man. Although he never
achieved the fame of his father, his career as an actor tallied over 150
movies.
L.C. Subject Headings
The following Library of Congress Subject Heading is for use in searching
the on-line catalog for materials pertaining to Lon Chaney, Jr.
Biographies
Smith, Don G. Lon Chaney, Jr.: Horror Film Star, 1906-1973.
Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 1996.
[Davis, 7th floor stacks: PN2287.C49 S65 1996]
An actor whose career was overshadowed by his father, Lon Chaney,
Jr. has not been the subject of nearly as many biographies as the other
major actors from this period in Universal Studio’s history. This
book is the only biography of the actor available in the North Carolina
system, although there is a biography of Lon Chaney, Jr. as part of the
Midnight Marquee Actors Series Smith's work, however, does a very
good job of encompassing Chaney’s entire life. This book does not
contain many pictures, although it does have a filmography in the back.
World Wide Web Resources
Lon Chaney
Jr's. Home Page
Lon Chaney, Jr. never achieved the status of his father, but he did
appear in over 150 movies, most of which were not very popular. This
website does the best job of portraying Chaney Jr. as who he was.
There is a full filmography, a galley of photos and links to other pages.
The setup of the actual page is not the greatest (the filmography, for
example, is constantly scrolling up), but the information provided exceeds
all the others.