While it has been almost 50 years since Lon Chaney Jr. passed away, he is still regarded as a true horror icon. He had countless roles in the Universal Studios horror movies of the 30s and 40s, as well as a classic role in the movie From Mice and Men.
While we wish we could go over the whole of his career (which was amazing), this page is dedicated to Lon Chaney Jr’s vitals. So, his height, age, and weight. We’ll even share some cool facts about his life both on and off-screen.
Who Is Lon Chaney Jr.?
Lon Chaney Jr. was an actor famed for his roles in a whole host of horror movies. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Larry Talbot in The Wolf Man, but he also appeared in multiple Universal Studios horror movies including The Mummy, and The Ghost of Frankenstein.
His career spanned almost 40 years, which isn’t too bad considering he originally had no plans to go into acting at all. His father was the famous Lon Chaney, and his father actively discouraged his son from entering the business. Lon Chaney Jr. spent a good amount of time running a business, studying, and getting married. But, shortly after his father died, he began to act in movies…possibly at the insistence of the studios.
How Tall was Lon Chaney Jr.?
Lon Chaney Jr. was a huge 6-foot, 1-inch (1.85m) (at least it was huge back in those days). This is perhaps the reason why he was cast in many horror movies. His presence was incredibly noticeable on the screen, especially when he played the Wolfman and The Mummy.
One of the reasons why Lon Chaney Jr. almost didn’t get into movies is because his father told him that he was way too tall to act. However, we suppose that his father had absolutely no idea just how much the industry would change going into the 30s. We doubt Lon Chaney Jr. really had an idea either. Nobody knew that tall, hefty people would suddenly be in demand for all these horror roles!
How Old was Lon Chaney Jr.?
Lon Chaney Jr. was born on February 10th, 1906. At the time of his death, he was 67 years old. He was born in the now-defunct Oklahoma territory.
Lon Chaney Jr. died on July 12th, 1973 in California. He is said to have been seriously ill during the final years of his life, although the official cause of death simply lists ‘cardiac arrest’. Due to his illness, Lon Chaney Jr. hadn’t acted in the two years prior to this. Although, when he passed away, it was still a huge piece of news. After all, many people had grown up with his movies.
How Much Did Lon Chaney Jr. Weigh?
As you can probably imagine, not only was Lon Chaney Jr. a very tall person, but he had a bit of bulk to him too. He was incredibly muscular, which made him a great fit to play a monster in his various movies. His last billed weight was 225lbs.
Apparently, he was considerably lighter during his earlier years. When he was younger, he wanted to play football, but no coach would let him on his team because he weighed just 125lbs! Of course, he bulked up a good amount over the following years.
How Much was Lon Chaney Jr. Worth?
As you probably know, the movie industry wasn’t making anywhere near as much cash back when Lon Chaney Jr. was acting. Although, he certainly wasn’t hurting for cash.
At the time of his death, Lon Chaney Jr. was said to be worth around $1 million. So, back in the 70s, he had more than enough cash to never work again. Although, he was working up until a few years before his death. This high figure actually surprised us, since Lon Chaney Jr., in his most popular movies, wasn’t really famed for having his face on the screen.
It is likely that a good amount of this money came from residuals. The movies he starred in were incredibly popular and, even to this day, they are selling incredibly well. We wouldn’t be surprised if there is still cash flowing into the Lon Chaney Jr. estate!
Facts About Lon Chaney Jr.
- He was born Creighton Tull Chaney, and this is what he was billed as for much of his early career. However, because his father was the famous Lon Chaney, the studios forced him to change his name so that they could capitalize on his father’s fame.
- Lon Chaney Jr. rarely signed autographs. It is said that he was simply copying what his father did when he was acting. Although, he did sign a few autographs in his time, and due to the rarity of them, many are now worth a pretty penny to horror memorabilia collectors.
- In 1997, he was featured on a stamp in the United States. This stamp collection was to celebrate horror icons.
- Lon Chaney Jr. was a very skilled makeup artist but, unfortunately, back in his day, if you were a working actor you were not allowed to work as a makeup artist. This meant that there was never an opportunity for Lon to put his skills to the test.
- While many publications have tried to paint Lon and his father as having a close relationship, Lon Jr. repeatedly insisted that they did not, and they were barely on speaking terms when his father passed away.
Conclusion
At 6-foot, 1-inch, and 225lbs, Lon Chaney Jr. was certainly a dominating presence when he played a monster in multiple Universal Studios horror movies. Even though he passed away at 67 (over 50 years ago now), he is a proper horror icon. In fact, much of the work that Lon Chaney Jr. did in the late 1930s and early 1940s has gone on to shape modern horror movies. Where would we be without Lon and his role as the Wolfman in the movie of the same name?
