Lou Tellegen

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia Lou Tellegen born Isidor Louis Bernard Edmon van Dommelen November 26 1881 October 29 1934 was a Dutchborn 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 costarring 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 Wildes 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 bestlooking actors on screen he followed up with three straight films starring with Geraldine Farrar his wife 19161923 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 VineFranklin underpass of the Hollywood Freeway Tellegen locked himself in the bathroom then shaved and powdered his face Then while standing in front of a fulllength mirror he committed suicide by stabbing himself with a pair of sewing scissors seven times Tellegen was cremated and his remains scattered at sea