The Man with a Thousand Faces by Alex Haley

277 Words2 Pages
the birth of a boy in Colorado Springs on April Fool’s Day, 1883, occasioned the usual congratulatory visits from neighbors and friends of the new parents. But few of these visitors could say what he felt. For the mother and father were both deaf mutes. The child, naturally, first learned to talk with his fingers. Later, he picked up oral words. His father worked as a barber. When the boy was nine years old, his mother became an invalid, and he was continually seeking ways to bring pleasure into her life. Soon he discovered that contorting his face helped to enliven things he would describe to her. In time, he became more eloquent with his silent repertoire than most people with spoken words. Later, the boy worked as a paperhanger, carpet-layer and a Pike’s Peak guide for tourists, but at night he studied acting, and worked before his mirror for hours producing startling effects on his face with grease paint. Finally, he struck out for Hollywood and, by 1912, he was playing occasional slapstick novelty roles. But, as for serious parts, he was told bluntly, “You’re too short to be paid attention to!” But the famous William S. “Bill” Hart encouraged the young man to concentrate on wordless eloquence with his face, which he did. Then the script of a picture required an actor to appear as if he had been physically malformed from birth. The young man’s portrayal of a little gnome of a man with a crooked spine was a master characterization. In some 15 major films thereafter, he became internationally famous as Lon Chaney, “The Man with a Thousand Faces.” ~ Alex
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