Creighton Tull Chaney Jr. (1906-1973) (original) (raw)

Creighton Tull (Lon) Chaney Jr.

Born 10 Feb 1906 in Oklahoma, Oklahoma Territory, United States

Ancestors

[sibling(s) unknown]

Died 12 Jul 1973 at age 67in San Clemente, Orange, California, United States

Profile last modified 31 Jan 2024| Created 16 Nov 2014

This page has been accessed 3,753 times.

Biography

Lon Chaney Jr. is Notable.

Lon Chaney Jr. was an Oklahoman.

Creighton was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Territory, the son of silent film star Lon Chaney and Frances Cleveland Creighton Chaney, a singing stage performer who traveled in road shows across the country with Creighton. From an early age, he worked hard to get out of his famous father's shadow.

Creighton, who had begun working for a plumbing company, married Dorothy Hinckley the daughter of his employer Ralph Hinckley, and they had two sons: Lon Ralph Chaney and Ronald Creighton Chaney. He began acting in films after his father's death in 1930. From 1942 on, he was simply known as "Lon Chaney" although the "Jr." was often added by others when they referred to him.

Chaney died of heart failure at age 67 on July 12, 1973, in San Clemente, California. His body was donated for medical research. Chaney's corpse was dissected by medical students, and the medical school kept his liver and lungs in jars as specimens of what extreme alcohol and tobacco abuse can do to human organs. There is no grave to mark his final resting place.

He was honored by appearing as the Wolf Man on one of a 1997 series of United States postage stamps depicting movie monsters. His grandson Ron Chaney Jr. frequently appears as a guest at horror movie conventions.

Sources

"United States Census, 1920," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHQF-MZQ : accessed 25 October 2019), Creighton F Chaney in household of Lon F Chaney, Los Angeles Assembly District 63, Los Angeles, California, United States; citing ED 155, sheet 9B, line 74, family 233, NARA microfilm publication T625 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1992), roll 106; FHL microfilm 1,820,106.
"California, County Marriages, 1850-1952," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8NN-B91 : 8 December 2017), Creighton Tull Chaney and Dorothy Musa Hinckley, 25 Apr 1926; citing Los Angeles, California, United States, county courthouses, California; FHL microfilm 2,074,645.
"California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGL7-DXBP : 27 September 2019), Creighton Tull Chaney in entry for Lon Ralph Chaney, 03 Jul 1928; citing Birth, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States, California State Archives, Sacramento.
"United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCV3-G3H : accessed 25 October 2019), Creighton T Chaney, Los Angeles (Districts 0001-0250), Los Angeles, California, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 120, sheet 12B, line 66, family 294, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 137; FHL microfilm 2,339,872.
"California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGL7-FMDD : 27 September 2019), Creighton Tull Chaney in entry for Ronald Creighton Chaney, 18 Mar 1930; citing Birth, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States, California State Archives, Sacramento.
"United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K9H2-GWH : 27 July 2019), Lon Chaney, Councilmanic District 1, Los Angeles, Los Angeles Township, Los Angeles, California, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 60-55A, sheet 28B, line 69, family 753, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 376.
"California, County Marriages, 1850-1952," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8KY-BXX : 8 December 2017), Creighton Toal Chaney in entry for Lon Ralph Chaney and Constance Jane Griffith, 20 Nov 1948; citing Los Angeles, California, United States, county courthouses, California; FHL microfilm 2,116,867.
"California Death Index, 1940-1997," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPHJ-TQX : 26 November 2014), Creighto T Chaney, 12 Jul 1973; Department of Public Health Services, Sacramento.