Creighton Tull Chaney (February10, 1906 – July12, 1973), known by his
stage name Lon Chaney, Jr., was an American actor known for playing
Larry Talbot in the 1941 film
The Wolf Man and its various
crossovers, as well as portraying other monsters such as
The Mummy,
Frankenstein's Monster, and
Count Alucard (son of
Dracula) in numerous horror films
produced by Universal Studios. He also portrayed Lennie Small in
Of Mice and Men (1939). Originally referenced in films as
Creighton Chaney, he was later credited as "Lon Chaney, Jr." in 1935, and after 1941's
Man Made Monster, beginning as early as
The Wolf Man later that same year, he was almost always billed under his more famous father's name as
Lon Chaney. Chaney had
English,
French and
Irish ancestry, and his career in movies and television spanned four decades, from 1931 to 1971.