The Phantom

In honor of the master, Lon Chaney Sr. on his 120th birthday.

He was born on April Fool's Day, 1886, in Colorado Springs, Co.

The make-up he designed for himself in The Phantom of the Opera was an exercise in self-torture. He inserted a device in his nose that spread the nostrils and lifted the tip to produce the appearance of a naked skull. He emphasized this effect with protruding false teeth to which were attached small prongs that drew back the corners of his lips.