بیوگرافی
Lou Tellegen (born Isidor Louis Bernard Edmon van Dommelen; November 26, 1881 – October 29, 1934) was a Dutch-born silent film and stage actor, director, and screenwriter.
He debuted on stage in Amsterdam in 1903 and quickly gained recognition, leading to performances in Paris where he co-starred in several productions with Sarah Bernhardt, with whom he had a romantic relationship. In 1910, he made his film debut alongside Bernhardt in the French silent film La dame aux camélias.
In 1913, Tellegen moved to London to produce and star in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray. Later invited to the United States, he worked in theater and appeared in his first American film, The Explorer (1915), followed by The Unknown. Known for his striking looks, he starred in three consecutive films with Geraldine Farrar, his wife from 1916 to 1923.
Tellegen was married four times and became a U.S. citizen in 1918.
His career was impacted after a fire on Christmas Day 1929, caused by falling asleep while smoking, severely damaged his face. He underwent extensive plastic surgery in 1931.
As his popularity declined, work became scarce, and financial troubles mounted, leading him to file for bankruptcy. Diagnosed with cancer, though unaware of the diagnosis, he grew despondent. In 1931, he published his autobiography, Women Have Been Kind.
On October 29, 1934, while staying at the Cudahy Mansion in Hollywood (now the site of the Vine-Franklin underpass of the Hollywood Freeway), Tellegen locked himself in the bathroom, shaved and powdered his face, then committed suicide by stabbing himself seven times with sewing scissors in front of a full-length mirror. He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered at sea.
