Over the years, a long list of stars have assisted in bringing Universal's biggest monsters to life. Some have even played more than one. But only Lon Chaney, Jr. has all four of its horror icons in his acting credits, arguably making this the
the most distinguishing aspect of the actor's storied career in Hollywood.
Lon Chaney Jr. inherited a legacy of horror. His father was Lon Chaney, a prominent actor from the silent film era. The elder Chaney was known mostly for playing characters that required extensive makeup, many of which being characters intended to be scary. Due to his work in movies like Phantom of the Opera, Chaney left a lasting remark on the industry. But as remarkable as it was, it was actually trumped by what his son did for the genre. Following in the footsteps of his father, Lon Chaney, Jr. took on similar roles, but his were considerably more significant.
Lon Chaney Jr. Played All 4 Of Universal's Horror Icons Within 2 Years
Over the course of his career, Lon Chaney Jr. portrayed numerous monsters, including the four pillars of Universal's creature library. The monster he has the strongest ties to is the werewolf, which is also the first of the four he played. Easily the werewolf with the greatest name recognition in the horror genre, Lon Chaney Jr.'s Larry Talbot was introduced in 1941's The Wolf Man. This specific version of the werewolf has had his story retold many times over the years, with many actors offering their own takes on the character, but none played him more than Chaney, who made a total of five appearances as Larry Talbot.
Lon Chaney Jr.'s association with Larry Talbot between 1941 and 1948 only s for a portion of his work in Universal's monster movies. Between his appearances as the Wolf Man, Chaney, Jr. also played other recognizable monsters. Just one year after his career-making role in The Wolf Man, Chaney Jr. played Frakenstein's Monster in The Ghost of Frankenstein, taking over for Boris Karloff. His version looked different from the one Karloff famously portrayed in 1933, but still was able to convey the same intimidating presence Frankenstein's Monster is known for.
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Interestingly, this was one of two legendary roles that Chaney Jr. took up from Karloff, with the other being The Mummy. A decade after Karloff played Kharis in The Mummy, Universal made another movie about the mummified monster, The Mummy's Hand, and cast Tom Tyler as its new take on Kharis. The film led to three sequels, but all were without Tom Tyler, as Chaney, Jr. stepped into the role, which he held until the end of the series. In total, Lon Chaney, Jr. starred as Kharis three times: The Mummy's Ghost, The Mummy's Tomb, and The Mummy's Curse.
Chaney, Jr. solidified his status as Universal's greatest monster actor.
The actor added another notch to his belt in 1943 with Son of Dracula. Though the title may imply that Chaney, Jr.'s character was the son of the Prince of Darkness, Chaney Jr.'s Count Alucard was presented as "the" Count Dracula, not as a successor or the monster's offspring. With the role, Chaney Jr. set a record that no other actor was able to match, and did it in just two years. And in the process, Chaney, Jr. solidified his status as Universal's greatest monster actor. His physicality and ability to bring emotional depth to his roles (without dialogue) made him a unique talent in Hollywood, and a huge asset to Universal's horror department.
Other Actors Played More Than One Universal Monster, But Not All Four
Lon Chaney, Jr. Was One Of Universal's Top Monster Movie Stars
It's worth noting that an actor playing a Universal monster more than once isn't too surprising, considering that the studio did have a tendency to play favorites. Chaney Jr. was among a handful of actors adept at playing creatures who had a contract with the studio. For this reason, these actors were repeatedly cast in creature features. The aforementioned Boris Karloff played several of these monsters, including The Mummy and Frankenstein's Monster, and appeared in movies with the Wolf Man and Dracula, but never portrayed those characters himself.
Bela Lugosi is a similar case to Boris Karloff. Lugosi is renowned for being the first actor to play Dracula, but he's been attached to other monster roles as well. The second most famous creature tied to Lugosi's legacy is Frankenstein's Monster, who he portrayed in Frankenstein's Monster Meets the Wolf Man, opposite Lon Chaney, Jr. as Larry Talbot. Such a wealth of monster roles have made Karloff and Lugosi legends in the horror genre, but they're not in the same category as Lon Chaney, Jr., and part of that can be attributed to the notion that Universal never let any of its actors besides Chaney, Jr. in this era touch the Wolf Man.
The Wolf Man Remains The Biggest Part Of Lon Chaney, Jr.'s Legacy
The Wolf Man Is More Significant Than His Other Three Roles
For characters like Frankenstein's Monster, The Mummy, and Dracula, no actor had any real sense of ownership over them. Universal regularly traded out actors for all three monsters, but maintained a different approach with the Wolf Man. With this particular monster, there was a degree of consistency that didn't exist with the others. Lon Chaney, Jr. kept coming back as Larry Talbot, with his story continuing across four movies, all occupying the same canon. Unlike the situation with the others, Larry Talbot's story began and ended with Lon Chaney, Jr. playing the character.
By the end of his time at Universal, Lon Chaney Jr. had nine Universal monster movies to his name. Five of those being films where he played the Wolf Man speaks volumes about the monster's importance to his career. With this in mind, it felt fitting that the first and last of these, The Wolf Man and Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein, had him in the role of Larry Talbot.
House of Dracula is the canonical ending for Larry Talbot, but his last appearance as the character was actually in Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, which appears to be set in its own continuity.
The impact made by Lon Chaney Jr.'s performance as the Wolf Man is made clear by the adaptations that followed. The werewolf that Chaney, Jr. made famous has since reappeared in new stories and retellings of Larry Talbot's original journey multiple times over the last few decades, with one notable example being Benecio del Toro's role in the 2010 remake, The Wolf Man. Even now, the Wolf Man remains in the public consciousness, with another Universal remake arriving in 2025.
