Portraits depict different sides of Lon Chaney

At Sterling Opera House in Derby

Heather and her portraits of Lon Chaney

By Steve DiRienzo

Vice President

Valley Arts Council

Painter and craft artist Heather Dailey-Mezzacappa created a series of three striking portraits of Lon Chaney Sr. for the Valley Arts Council's Sterling Opera House Portrait Project. 
Her paintings feature him in character as the famous “Phantom of the Opera” and as the tragic clown in “He Who Gets Slapped”.  

The third and largest of the three is of the famous “Man of a Thousand Faces” as himself, in a seldom seen moment out of character.

Together the three portraits, done in acrylic on canvas, fill the window space and are quite eye-catching.
“I’m a huge fan of the classic horror genre,” Dailey-Mezzacappa said. “What drew me to the character the most was the fact that he literally suffered for his art.”


That is a nod to the fact the Senior Chaney endured grueling hours under heavy prosthetics and makeup, which contorted his features causing great discomfort and pain, all for the sake of his audience, she said.

“Ironically, most of the characters he played were grotesque, flawed creatures on the outside, but yet very human and genuine beings on the inside,” Dailey-Mezzacappa added.

“Another little known fact is that both of his parents were deaf,” she said. “This aided his acting abilities in the silent films of the era because he knew the art of communicating without speaking.”

All of these traits added up to make the actor just as interesting as the roles he played, she said.