Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney, born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on April 1, 1883, faced a unique set of challenges in early life that would be instrumental in his development as an actor. His parents, Frank H. Chaney, a successful barber, and Emma Alice Kennedy Chaney, daughter of the founder of the Colorado School for the Deaf, were both hearing-impaired. Overall, Chaney claimed to have had a happy childhood. He had many friends, including brothers Noble, George, and Virgil Johnson, who would make their own mark on the film world as the founders of Hollywood's first all-Black film company. 

Nevertheless, Chaney was forced to leave school in the fourth grade when his mother developed inflammatory rheumatism after giving birth to his brother George. Charged with caring for his bedridden mother and younger siblings while his father and older brother worked, young Lon Chaney developed his skill for pantomime. Entertaining his mother and relating the day's events to her without words, he became a master of communication through physical expression.

At 14, Lon's knack for entertaining found a paying outlet when he became a tour guide at Pikes Peak. About a year later, according to his biography, Chaney learned the trade of carpet laying and wallpaper hanging at the urging of his father. By this time, Chaney had worked as a stagehand in a local theater and appeared onstage in a few bit roles. However, he didn't consider acting a serious career option until some time later.

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