Hollywood is filled with stories of fame and fortune. But it also has its share of scandals and sadness. When walking the streets of Hollywood, it is as if you can see the ghosts of the past – those who achieved fame then fell from grace or those that never were lucky enough to have ever achieved it at all. Most of you about the tragic deaths of Sharon Tate, killed at the hands of a hippie cult or Sal Mineo, brutally attacked and stabbed to death by a stranger in the night. But many people may not have heard of one of the greatest Hollywood tragedies of all, that of silent star Lou Tellegen.
I myself had never heard of Lou until I took my first trip to Hollywood. Knowing how much I loved Hollywood and wanted to see all the sites, my husband bought me a small book, Ken Schessler’s This is Hollywood, at a nearby store. I eagerly poured over it, but one story stuck with me more than any I read. It was that of Lou Tellegen.
Tellegen was born in Holland in 1881, but it was not long before he was on the fast track to stardom. He started performing on the Amsterdam stage in 1903 and by 1909; he was the toast of Paris as a leading man to Sarah Bernhardt. The two even toured North America together in 1910. An extremely handsome man, Tellegen starred in 26 movies during the 1920’s. Despite all his early success and large fan base, by the 1930’s, his career was in shambles. He starred in only three movies between 1931 and 1935.
Many stars have gained fame and lost it, but Lou’s story struck me as particularly tragic. By late 1934, Tellegen was ill, having had his face burned and being diagnosed with cancer. He was also despondent over his debt and had to claim bankruptcy. He decided there was only one solution to his problem. As a guest in the Cudahy mansion near Hollywood and Vine, with posters and photographs of his glory days nearby, Lou Tellegen walked into the bathroom, shaved and powdered his face, stared into the mirror and taking a pair of gold scissors (engraved with his name), he stabbed himself in the heart seven times. That’s right folks, I said seven times.
Tellegen had married four times over the years. His wife at the time of his death was in New York and sent her regrets from there, rather than returning home from the funeral. Opera star Geraldine Farrar, his third wife, only said “I am not interested in the least” when told of his death. Isn’t it funny how a life can seem so amazing on screen yet be so sad behind the camera?