Tod Browning (born
Charles Albert Browning, Jr.; July 12, 1880 – October 6, 1962) was an American
motion picture actor,
director and
screenwriter. Browning's career spanned the
silent and
talkie eras. Best known as the director of
Dracula (1931), the cult classic
Freaks (1932), and classic silent film collaborations with
Lon Chaney, Browning directed many movies in a wide range of genres.