He was born Creighton Tull Chaney in 1906, the son of the greatest horror film star of the silent era -- Lon Chaney! Initially forbidden by his father to seek a career in showbusiness, young Creighton nonetheless pursued a modest acting career throughout the 1930s. But obtaining steady work in Hollywood was no easy task, and Creighton was forced to succumb to the pressures of changing his name to Lon Chaney, Jr. in hopes of capitalizing on his father's former fame. The strategy proved futile and Chaney, Jr. continued to find himself cast in the usual array of bit parts, which often went unbilled. Chaney, Jr. eventually achieved star status with his famous portrayal of Lennie in the West Coast stage production of the play Of Mice and Men and in the 1939 film version. But it wasn't until 1941, with his legendary portrayal of Lawrence Talbot in The Wolf Man, that Chaney, Jr. joined in the ranks as one of cinema's greatest horror stars of all time, alongside fellow actors Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Peter Lorre, and Vincent Price. Chaney, Jr. not only turned the Wolf Man character into an international icon, he also took over the roles of Dracula, the Mummy, and the Frankenstein Monster for many of the sequels, remakes, and parodies. Unfortunately, throughout his life, Chaney, Jr. would be haunted by his unstable past and plagued by his own insecurities as he reached highs and lows, interchangeably, in his career as an actor. But in a wonderful gesture in 1973, and before Chaney, Jr. would soon pass away, many of his adoring fans wrote to him and made sure he was aware of how much he was appreciated.
The Trap (1922) -- only his hands are shown; Lon Chaney Sr. stars
The Galloping Ghost (1931) -- 12-chapter serial
Bird of Paradise (1932) -- as Creighton Chaney
Girl Crazy (1932) -- uncredited appearance as a Chorus Dancer
The Last Frontier (1932) -- as Creighton Chaney; 12-chapter serial
The Most Dangerous Game (1932) -- his appearance is edited out of the finished film
The Black Ghost (1932) -- edited feature-length version of the 1932 serial The Last Frontier
Lucky Devils (1933) -- as Creighton Chaney
Scarlet River (1933) -- as Creighton Chaney
Son of the Border (1933) -- as Creighton Chaney
The Three Musketeers (1933) -- as Creighton Chaney
Girl o' My Dreams (1934) -- as Creighton Chaney
The Life of Vergie Winters (1934) -- as Creighton Chaney
Sixteen Fathoms Deep (1934) -- as Creighton Chaney
Accent on Youth (1935) -- as Creighton Chaney
Hold 'Em Yale (1935) -- uncredited appearance as a Football Player
The Marriage Bargain (1935) -- as Creighton Chaney
A Scream in the Night (1935) -- as Creighton Chaney
The Shadow of Silk Lennox (1935; a.k.a. Case of the Crime Cartel) -- as Creighton Chaney
Ace Drummond (1936) -- as Creighton Chaney
Killer at Large (1936) -- uncredited appearance as a Wax Museum Guard
Rose Bowl (1936) -- uncredited appearance as a Football Player
The Singing Cowboy (1936) -- as Creighton Chaney
Undersea Kingdom (1936) -- as Creighton Chaney; 12-chapter serial
The Old Corral (1936) -- name changed to Lon Chaney, Jr.
Angel's Holiday (1937)
Born Reckless (1937) -- uncredited appearance as a Garage Mechanic
Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937) -- uncredited appearance as a Desk Man
Checkers (1937) -- uncredited appearance as a Man at the Race Tacks
Cheyenne Rides Again (1937)
The Lady Escapes (1937) -- uncredited appearance as a Reporter
Life Begins in College (1937)
Love and Hisses (1937) -- uncredited as an Attendant
Love Is News (1937) -- uncredited as a Newsman
Midnight Taxi (1937)
One Mile from Heaven (1937) -- uncredited appearance as a Policeman
Second Honeymoon (1937) -- uncredited appearance as a Reporter
Secret Agent X-9 (1937) -- 12-chapter serial
Slave Ship (1937) -- uncredited appearance as a Laborer
That I May Live (1937) -- uncredited appearance as an Engineer
Thin Ice (1937) -- uncredited appearance as an American Reporter
This Is My Affair (1937) -- uncredited
Wife, Doctor and Nurse (1937)
Wild and Woolly (1937)
Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938) -- uncredited appearance as a Photographer
City Girl (1938) -- uncredited appearance as a Gangster
Happy Landing (1938) -- uncredited appearance as a Newspaper Reporter
Josette (1938)
Mr. Moto's Gamble (1938)
Passport Husband (1938)
Road Demon (1938)
Sally, Irene and Mary (1938) -- uncredited appearance as Policeman
Speed to Burn (1938)
Straight Place and Show (1938) -- uncredited as a Chauffeur
Submarine Patrol (1938) -- uncredited as a Marine Sentry
Walking Down Broadway (1938) -- uncredited appearance
Charlie Chan in City in Darkness (1939)
Frontier Marshal (1939)
Jesse James (1939)
Of Mice and Men (1939)
Union Pacific (1939)
North West Mounted Police (1940)
One Million B.C. (1940)
Badlands of Dakota (1941)
Billy the Kid (1941)
Man Made Monster (1941; a.k.a. The Atomic Monster)
Riders of Death Valley (1941)
San Antonio Rose (1941)
Too Many Blondes (1941)
The Wolf Man (1941)
Eyes of the Underworld (1942)
The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)
Keeping Fit (1942) -- short, with Mary Wickes
The Mummy's Tomb (1942)
North to the Klondike (1942)
Overland Mail (1942) -- 15-chapter serial
Calling Dr. Death (1943)
Crazy House (1943) -- uncredited cameo appearance
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
Frontier Badmen (1943)
Son of Dracula (1943)
What We Are Fighting For (1943) -- short
Cobra Woman (1944)
Dead Man's Eyes (1944)
Lucky Devils (1933) -- as Creighton Chaney
Scarlet River (1933) -- as Creighton Chaney
Son of the Border (1933) -- as Creighton Chaney
The Three Musketeers (1933) -- as Creighton Chaney
Girl o' My Dreams (1934) -- as Creighton Chaney
The Life of Vergie Winters (1934) -- as Creighton Chaney
Sixteen Fathoms Deep (1934) -- as Creighton Chaney
Accent on Youth (1935) -- as Creighton Chaney
Hold 'Em Yale (1935) -- uncredited appearance as a Football Player
The Marriage Bargain (1935) -- as Creighton Chaney
A Scream in the Night (1935) -- as Creighton Chaney
The Shadow of Silk Lennox (1935; a.k.a. Case of the Crime Cartel) -- as Creighton Chaney
Ace Drummond (1936) -- as Creighton Chaney
Killer at Large (1936) -- uncredited appearance as a Wax Museum Guard
Rose Bowl (1936) -- uncredited appearance as a Football Player
The Singing Cowboy (1936) -- as Creighton Chaney
Undersea Kingdom (1936) -- as Creighton Chaney; 12-chapter serial
The Old Corral (1936) -- name changed to Lon Chaney, Jr.
Angel's Holiday (1937)
Born Reckless (1937) -- uncredited appearance as a Garage Mechanic
Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937) -- uncredited appearance as a Desk Man
Checkers (1937) -- uncredited appearance as a Man at the Race Tacks
Cheyenne Rides Again (1937)
The Lady Escapes (1937) -- uncredited appearance as a Reporter
Life Begins in College (1937)
Love and Hisses (1937) -- uncredited as an Attendant
Love Is News (1937) -- uncredited as a Newsman
Midnight Taxi (1937)
One Mile from Heaven (1937) -- uncredited appearance as a Policeman
Second Honeymoon (1937) -- uncredited appearance as a Reporter
Secret Agent X-9 (1937) -- 12-chapter serial
Slave Ship (1937) -- uncredited appearance as a Laborer
That I May Live (1937) -- uncredited appearance as an Engineer
Thin Ice (1937) -- uncredited appearance as an American Reporter
This Is My Affair (1937) -- uncredited
Wife, Doctor and Nurse (1937)
Wild and Woolly (1937)
Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938) -- uncredited appearance as a Photographer
City Girl (1938) -- uncredited appearance as a Gangster
Happy Landing (1938) -- uncredited appearance as a Newspaper Reporter
Josette (1938)
Mr. Moto's Gamble (1938)
Passport Husband (1938)
Road Demon (1938)
Sally, Irene and Mary (1938) -- uncredited appearance as Policeman
Speed to Burn (1938)
Straight Place and Show (1938) -- uncredited as a Chauffeur
Submarine Patrol (1938) -- uncredited as a Marine Sentry
Walking Down Broadway (1938) -- uncredited appearance
Charlie Chan in City in Darkness (1939)
Frontier Marshal (1939)
Jesse James (1939)
Of Mice and Men (1939)
Union Pacific (1939)
North West Mounted Police (1940)
One Million B.C. (1940)
Badlands of Dakota (1941)
Billy the Kid (1941)
Man Made Monster (1941; a.k.a. The Atomic Monster)
Riders of Death Valley (1941)
San Antonio Rose (1941)
Too Many Blondes (1941)
The Wolf Man (1941)
Eyes of the Underworld (1942)
The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)
Keeping Fit (1942) -- short, with Mary Wickes
The Mummy's Tomb (1942)
North to the Klondike (1942)
Overland Mail (1942) -- 15-chapter serial
Calling Dr. Death (1943)
Crazy House (1943) -- uncredited cameo appearance
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
Frontier Badmen (1943)
Son of Dracula (1943)
What We Are Fighting For (1943) -- short
Cobra Woman (1944)
Dead Man's Eyes (1944)
Follow the Boys (1944)
Ghost Catchers (1944)
House of Frankenstein (1944)
The Mummy's Ghost (1944)
The Mummy's Curse (1944)
Weird Woman (1944)
The Daltons Ride Again (1945)
The Frozen Ghost (1945)
Here Come the Co-eds (1945)
House of Dracula (1945)
Pillow of Death (1945)
Strange Confession (1945; a.k.a. The Missing Head)
My Favorite Brunette (1947)
Ghost Catchers (1944)
House of Frankenstein (1944)
The Mummy's Ghost (1944)
The Mummy's Curse (1944)
Weird Woman (1944)
The Daltons Ride Again (1945)
The Frozen Ghost (1945)
Here Come the Co-eds (1945)
House of Dracula (1945)
Pillow of Death (1945)
Strange Confession (1945; a.k.a. The Missing Head)
My Favorite Brunette (1947)
Screen Snapshots: Laguna, U.S.A. (1947) -- short
Albuquerque (1948)
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
The Counterfeiters (1948)
16 Fathoms Deep (1948)
Albuquerque (1948)
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
The Counterfeiters (1948)
16 Fathoms Deep (1948)
Toast of the Town: "Episode #1.11" (1948) -- TV series episode
The Life of Riley (1949) -- unaired TV series pilot, Jackie Gleason was later cast in the role instead
There's a Girl in My Heart (1949)
Captain China (1950)
The Life of Riley (1949) -- unaired TV series pilot, Jackie Gleason was later cast in the role instead
There's a Girl in My Heart (1949)
Captain China (1950)
The Milton Berle Show: "Episode #3.11" (1950) -- TV series episode
Once a Thief (1950)
Once a Thief (1950)
Versatile Varieties: "December 29" (1950) -- TV series episode
You Asked for It: "episode unknown" (1950) -- TV series episode
Behave Yourself! (1951)
Bride of the Gorilla (1951)
The Bushwhackers (1951)
The Colgate Comedy Hour: "The Haunted Candle/Carmen" (1951) -- TV series episode
Cosmopolitan Theatre: "Last Concerto" (1951) -- TV series episode
Flame of Araby (1951)
Inside Straight (1951)
Only the Valiant (1951)
Battles of Chief Pontiac (1952)
The Black Castle (1952)
High Noon (1952)
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars: "The Trial" (1952) -- TV series episode
Springfield Rifle (1952)
Tales of Tomorrow: "Frankenstein" (1952) -- TV series episode
Thief of Damascus (1952)
Bandit Island (1953) -- 3-D short
A Lion Is in the Streets (1953)
Raiders of the Seven Seas (1953)
Behave Yourself! (1951)
Bride of the Gorilla (1951)
The Bushwhackers (1951)
The Colgate Comedy Hour: "The Haunted Candle/Carmen" (1951) -- TV series episode
Cosmopolitan Theatre: "Last Concerto" (1951) -- TV series episode
Flame of Araby (1951)
Inside Straight (1951)
Only the Valiant (1951)
Battles of Chief Pontiac (1952)
The Black Castle (1952)
High Noon (1952)
Schlitz Playhouse of Stars: "The Trial" (1952) -- TV series episode
Springfield Rifle (1952)
Tales of Tomorrow: "Frankenstein" (1952) -- TV series episode
Thief of Damascus (1952)
Bandit Island (1953) -- 3-D short
A Lion Is in the Streets (1953)
Raiders of the Seven Seas (1953)
The Red Skelton Show: "Episode #3.6" (1953) -- TV series episode
The Big Chase (1954)
Casanova's Big Night (1954)
Cavalcade Theater: "Moonlight School" (1954) -- TV series episode
Climax!: "An Error in Chemistry" (1954) -- TV series episode
Jack London's Tales of Adventure (1954) -- unaired TV series pilot
Jivaro (1954)
Passion (1954)
The Red Skelton Show: "Episode #3.40" (1954) -- TV series episode, with Peter Lorre
The Whistler: "Backfire" (1954) -- TV series episode
Big House, U.S.A. (1955)
Cavalcade Theater: "Stay On, Stranger" (1955) -- TV series episode
Flight from Adventure (1955) -- unsold TV series, footage supposedly made into a TV movie
I Died a Thousand Times (1955)
The Indian Fighter (1955)
Masquerade Party: "episode unknown" (1955) -- TV game show episode
Not as a Stranger (1955)
The Silver Star (1955)
Studio 57: "The Ballad of Jubal Pickett" (1955) -- TV series episode
The Black Sleep (1956)
Climax!: "The Secret of River Lane" (1956) -- TV series episode
Daniel Boone, Trail Blazer (1956)
Indestructible Man (1956)
Manfish (1956)
Pardners (1956)
Telephone Time "The Golden Junkman" (1956) -- TV series episode
Climax!: "Necessary Evil" (1957) -- TV series episode
The Defiant Ones (1958)
Money, Women and Guns (1958)
The Red Skelton Show: "Episode #7.14" (1958) -- TV series episode, with John Carradine
Target: "Death by the Clock" (1958) -- TV series episode
Tombstone Territory: "The Black Marshal from Deadwood" (1958) -- TV series episode
Truth or Consequences: "episode unknown" (1958) -- TV game show episode
Adventures in Paradise: "The Black Pearl" (1959) -- TV series episode
The Alligator People (1959)
Border Patrol: "The Homecoming" (1959) -- TV series episode
La Casa del Terror (1959)
Face of the Screaming Werewolf (1959)
General Electric Theater: "The Family Man" (1959) -- TV series episode
Have Gun - Will Travel: "The Scorched Feather" (1959) -- TV series episode
Rawhide: "Incident on the Edge of Madness" (1959) -- TV series episode, with Sheb Wooley
The Red Skelton Show: "Episode #8.14" (1959) -- TV series episode
The Rough Riders: "An Eye for an Eye" (1959) -- TV series episode
The Texan: "No Love Wasted" (1959) -- TV series episode
13 Demon Street: "The Black Hand" (1959) -- unsold TV series episode
13 Demon Street: "The Photograph" (1959) -- unsold TV series episode
Wanted: Dead or Alive: "The Empty Cell" (1959) -- TV series episode
Bat Masterson: "Bat Trap" (1960) -- TV series episode
Johnny Ringo: "The Raffertys" (1960) -- TV series episode
Lock Up: "The Case of Joe Slade" (1960) -- TV series episode
Wagon Train: "The Jose Morales Story" (1960) -- TV series episode
The Deputy: "Brother in Arms" (1961) -- TV series episode
The Devil's Messenger (1961) -- edited feature-length version of the TV series 13 Demon Street
Klondike: "The Hostages" (1961) -- TV series episode
The Phantom (1961) -- unsold TV series pilot
Rebellion in Cuba (1961)
Route 66: "The Mud Nest" (1961) -- TV series episode
Stagecoach West: "Not in Our Stars" (1961) -- TV series episode
Surfside 6: "Witness for the Defense" (1961) -- TV series episode
Wagon Train: "The Chalice" (1961) -- TV series episode
Zane Grey Theater: "A Warm Day in Heaven" (1961) -- TV series episode
The Big Chase (1954)
The Black Pirates (1954)
The Boy from Oklahoma (1954)Casanova's Big Night (1954)
Cavalcade Theater: "Moonlight School" (1954) -- TV series episode
Climax!: "An Error in Chemistry" (1954) -- TV series episode
Jack London's Tales of Adventure (1954) -- unaired TV series pilot
Jivaro (1954)
Passion (1954)
The Red Skelton Show: "Episode #3.40" (1954) -- TV series episode, with Peter Lorre
The Whistler: "Backfire" (1954) -- TV series episode
Big House, U.S.A. (1955)
Cavalcade Theater: "Stay On, Stranger" (1955) -- TV series episode
Flight from Adventure (1955) -- unsold TV series, footage supposedly made into a TV movie
I Died a Thousand Times (1955)
The Indian Fighter (1955)
Masquerade Party: "episode unknown" (1955) -- TV game show episode
Not as a Stranger (1955)
The Silver Star (1955)
Studio 57: "The Ballad of Jubal Pickett" (1955) -- TV series episode
The Black Sleep (1956)
Climax!: "The Secret of River Lane" (1956) -- TV series episode
Daniel Boone, Trail Blazer (1956)
Indestructible Man (1956)
Manfish (1956)
Pardners (1956)
Telephone Time "The Golden Junkman" (1956) -- TV series episode
Climax!: "Necessary Evil" (1957) -- TV series episode
The Cyclops (1957)
Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans (1957) -- TV seriesThe Defiant Ones (1958)
Money, Women and Guns (1958)
The Red Skelton Show: "Episode #7.14" (1958) -- TV series episode, with John Carradine
The Red Skelton Show: "Episode #7.27" (1958) -- TV series episode
The Red Skelton Show: "Episode #7.35" (1958) -- TV series episodeTarget: "Death by the Clock" (1958) -- TV series episode
Tombstone Territory: "The Black Marshal from Deadwood" (1958) -- TV series episode
Truth or Consequences: "episode unknown" (1958) -- TV game show episode
Adventures in Paradise: "The Black Pearl" (1959) -- TV series episode
The Alligator People (1959)
Border Patrol: "The Homecoming" (1959) -- TV series episode
La Casa del Terror (1959)
Face of the Screaming Werewolf (1959)
General Electric Theater: "The Family Man" (1959) -- TV series episode
Have Gun - Will Travel: "The Scorched Feather" (1959) -- TV series episode
Rawhide: "Incident on the Edge of Madness" (1959) -- TV series episode, with Sheb Wooley
The Red Skelton Show: "Episode #8.14" (1959) -- TV series episode
The Rough Riders: "An Eye for an Eye" (1959) -- TV series episode
The Texan: "No Love Wasted" (1959) -- TV series episode
13 Demon Street: "The Black Hand" (1959) -- unsold TV series episode
13 Demon Street: "The Photograph" (1959) -- unsold TV series episode
Wanted: Dead or Alive: "The Empty Cell" (1959) -- TV series episode
Bat Masterson: "Bat Trap" (1960) -- TV series episode
Johnny Ringo: "The Raffertys" (1960) -- TV series episode
Lock Up: "The Case of Joe Slade" (1960) -- TV series episode
Wagon Train: "The Jose Morales Story" (1960) -- TV series episode
The Deputy: "Brother in Arms" (1961) -- TV series episode
The Devil's Messenger (1961) -- edited feature-length version of the TV series 13 Demon Street
Klondike: "The Hostages" (1961) -- TV series episode
The Phantom (1961) -- unsold TV series pilot
Rebellion in Cuba (1961)
Route 66: "The Mud Nest" (1961) -- TV series episode
Stagecoach West: "Not in Our Stars" (1961) -- TV series episode
Surfside 6: "Witness for the Defense" (1961) -- TV series episode
Wagon Train: "The Chalice" (1961) -- TV series episode
Zane Grey Theater: "A Warm Day in Heaven" (1961) -- TV series episode
Here's Hollywood: "June 28" (1962) -- TV series episode
Lawman: "The Tarnished Badge" (1962) -- TV series episode
The Rifleman: "Gunfire" (1962) -- TV series episode
The Haunted Palace (1963)
Have Gun - Will Travel: "Cage at McNaab" (1963) -- TV series episode
Rawhide: "Incident at Spider Rock" (1963) -- TV series episode
Route 66: "Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are!" (1963) -- TV series episode
Law of the Lawless (1964)
Spider Baby; or, The Maddest Story Ever Told (1964)
Stage to Thunder Rock (1964)
Witchcraft (1964)
Apache Uprising (1965)
Black Spurs (1965)
House of the Black Death (1965)
Town Tamer (1965)
The World of Abbott and Costello (1965)
Young Fury (1965)
Dr. Terror's Gallery of Horrors (1966)
Johnny Reno (1966)
The Monkees: "Monkees in a Ghost Town" (1966) -- TV series episode
Pistols 'n' Petticoats (1966) -- TV series
Hillbillys in a Haunted House (1967)
The Pat Boone Show: "episode unknown" (1967) -- TV series episode
Procter and Gamble's Bold Detergent (1967) -- TV commercial
Welcome to Hard Times (1967)
Buckskin (1968)
The Far Out West (1968) -- TV movie edited from the TV series Pistols 'n' Petticoats
Star Close-Up: "episode unknown" (1968) -- TV series episode
Fireball Jungle (1969)
Pontiac Truck: "The Chain Gang" (1969) -- commercial
A Stranger in Town (1969)
Lawman: "The Tarnished Badge" (1962) -- TV series episode
The Rifleman: "Gunfire" (1962) -- TV series episode
Route 66: "Lizard's Leg and Owlet's Wing" (1962) -- TV series episode, with Boris Karloff & Peter Lorre
Empire: "Hidden Asset" (1963) -- TV series episodeThe Haunted Palace (1963)
Have Gun - Will Travel: "Cage at McNaab" (1963) -- TV series episode
Rawhide: "Incident at Spider Rock" (1963) -- TV series episode
Route 66: "Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are!" (1963) -- TV series episode
Law of the Lawless (1964)
Spider Baby; or, The Maddest Story Ever Told (1964)
Stage to Thunder Rock (1964)
Witchcraft (1964)
Apache Uprising (1965)
Black Spurs (1965)
House of the Black Death (1965)
Town Tamer (1965)
The World of Abbott and Costello (1965)
Young Fury (1965)
Dr. Terror's Gallery of Horrors (1966)
Johnny Reno (1966)
The Monkees: "Monkees in a Ghost Town" (1966) -- TV series episode
Pistols 'n' Petticoats (1966) -- TV series
Hillbillys in a Haunted House (1967)
The Pat Boone Show: "episode unknown" (1967) -- TV series episode
Procter and Gamble's Bold Detergent (1967) -- TV commercial
Welcome to Hard Times (1967)
Buckskin (1968)
The Far Out West (1968) -- TV movie edited from the TV series Pistols 'n' Petticoats
Star Close-Up: "episode unknown" (1968) -- TV series episode
Fireball Jungle (1969)
Pontiac Truck: "The Chain Gang" (1969) -- commercial
A Stranger in Town (1969)
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson: "October 8" (1969) -- TV series episode
The Female Bunch (1971)
Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971)
What's New?: "episode unknown" (1971) -- TV series episode
The Female Bunch (1971)
Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971)
What's New?: "episode unknown" (1971) -- TV series episode
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