Had my morning coffee in my Chaney mug today because April 1st is the birthday of one of my favorite actors, Lon Chaney Sr. He was born in 1883, which would make him 137 this year. The son of parents who were both deaf, Lon grew up as a soul sensitive to the plights of society's outcasts, particularly people with disabilities. That, to me, is what sets him apart and above other non-disabled actors who play the roles of characters with disabilities. Lon didn't take on such roles simply to reach into his makeup case or, worse yet, to seek out praise for his craft. Rather, given his background, he felt it his duty to quite literally give faces to people society would otherwise ignore. For him, film, especially since it was silent in his day, was the great storytelling equalizer. Lon became known as "the Man of a Thousand Faces" due to his amazing, self-taught skills with makeup, and when asked why he was drawn to portray roles like Quasimodo and Erik, the Phantom of the Opera, he said: “I wanted to remind people that the lowest types of humanity may have within them the capacity for supreme self-sacrifice. The dwarfed, misshapen beggar of the streets may have the noblest ideals . . . These are the stories which I wish to do.” And for that, I drink to you, good sir. Cheers and happy birthday, wherever you are. #LonChaneySr #TheManOfAThousandFaces #April1stBirthdays #SilentCinemaStars #Quasimodo #ErikThePhantomOfTheOpera https://www.instagram.com/p/B-c5en8nhdb/?igshid=dlbczbtj2oxa
