Known For
Acting
Known Credits
38
Gender
Male
Birthday
November 26, 1881 (144 years old)
Place of Birth
Sint-Oedenrode, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lou Tellegen (born Isidor Louis Bernard Edmon van Dommelen, November 26, 1881 – October 29, 1934) was a Dutch-born silent film and stage actor, film director and screenwriter.
Tellegen made his stage debut in Amsterdam in 1903, and over the next few years built a reputation to the point where he was invited to perform in Paris, eventually co-starring in several roles with Sarah Bernhardt, with whom he was involved romantically. In 1910, he made his motion picture debut alongside Bernhardt in La dame aux camélias, a silent film made in France.
In the summer of 1913, Tellegen went to London where he produced and starred in Oscar Wilde's play The Picture of Dorian Gray. Invited back to the United States, Tellegen worked in theatre and made his first American film in 1915, titled The Explorer, followed by The Unknown. Considered one of the best-looking actors on screen, he followed up with three straight films starring with Geraldine Farrar (his wife 1916-1923).
Tellegen married a total of four times. He became an American citizen in 1918.
Tellegen appeared in numerous films before his face was damaged in a fire on Christmas Day 1929, when he fell asleep while smoking. He had extensive plastic surgery in 1931.
Fame fading, employment not forthcoming, and ridden with debt, he filed for bankruptcy. He was diagnosed with cancer, though this information was kept from him, and he became despondent. In 1931, he wrote his autobiography Women Have Been Kind.
On October 29, 1934, while a guest in the Cudahy Mansion at 1844 North Vine Street in Hollywood (now the site of the Vine-Franklin underpass of the Hollywood Freeway), Tellegen locked himself in the bathroom, then shaved and powdered his face. Then, while standing in front of a full-length mirror, he committed suicide by stabbing himself with a pair of sewing scissors seven times. Tellegen was cremated and his remains scattered at sea.
| 1989 | Death Scenesas Self (archive footage) | |
| 1935 | Together We Liveas Bischofsky | |
| 1931 | Enemies of the Lawas Eddie Swan | |
| 1930 | The Sculptor's Dreamas | |
| 1927 | Married Aliveas James Duxbury | |
| 1927 | The Princess from Hobokenas Prince Anton Balakrieff | |
| 1927 | Stage Madnessas Pierre Doumier | |
| 1926 | Womanpoweras The Broker | |
| 1926 | 3 Bad Menas Sheriff Layne Hunter | |
| 1926 | The Silver Treasureas Sotillo - the Bandit | |
| 1926 | Siberiaas Egor Kaplan | |
| 1926 | The Outsideras Anton Ragatzy | |
| 1925 | East Lynneas Sir Francis Levison | |
| 1925 | Borrowed Fineryas Harlan | |
| 1925 | Parisian Nightsas Jean | |
| 1925 | With This Ringas Rufus Van Buren | |
| 1925 | Parisian Loveas Pierre Marcel | |
| 1925 | The Sporting Chanceas Darrell Thornton | |
| 1925 | After Business Hoursas John King | |
| 1925 | The Verdictas Victor Ronsard | |
| 1925 | Fair Playas Bruce Elliot | |
| 1925 | The Redeeming Sinas Lupin | |
| 1924 | Greater Than Marriageas John Masters | |
| 1924 | Those Who Judgeas John Dawson | |
| 1924 | The Breath of Scandalas Charles Hale | |
| 1924 | Single Wivesas Martin Prayle | |
| 1924 | Between Friendsas David Drene | |
| 1924 | Let Not Man Put Asunderas | |
| 1920 | The Woman and the Puppetas Don Mateo | |
| 1919 | Flame of the Desertas Sheik Essad | |
| 1919 | The World and Its Womanas Prince Michael Orbeliana | |
| 1917 | The Long Trailas Andre Dubois | |
| 1917 | The Black Wolfas The Black Wolf | |
| 1916 | The Victoria Crossas Maj Ralph Seton | |
| 1915 | The Unknownas Richard Farquhar | |
| 1913 | Adrienne Lecouvreuras | |
| 1912 | Queen Elizabethas Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex | |
| 1912 | Camilleas Armand Duval |
| 1930 | The Sculptor's Dream...Director | |
| 1930 | The Sculptor's Dream...Writer | |
| 1928 | No Other Woman...Director | |
| 1920 | Blind Youth...Theatre Play | |
| 1918 | The Thing We Love...Director | |
| 1917 | What Money Can't Buy...Director |