Tod Browning Died A Recluse

Tod Browning
July 12, 1880 - October 6, 1962
RIP

Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Tod Browning ran away from home to join the carnival, worked in the sideshow, the circus, and then vaudeville. He acted in the silents and D.W. Griffith helped him develop his directing career. After working for Metro, Browning went to Universal where he met Irving Thalberg.

Forget about having a hunch, Irving Thalberg knew if you put Tod Browning and Lon Chaney together the result would be a successful film. This combination made several movies and a lot of money together including THE UNHOLY THREE, THE ROAD TO MANDALAY, THE UNKNOWN, LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT, and WEST OF ZANZIBAR. The collaboration ended when Chaney died of cancer and Browning had to replace him with Bela Lugosi in DRACULA.

When the first decade of the sound era, Tod made three of his best films including DRACULA, FREAKS, and MARK OF THE VAMPIRE. Afterwards, Tod's life went to hell. Thalberg died of a fatal heart attack and Tod's films stopped making money. Always a sensitive man, Tod's guilt over a car accident fatality and his depression following the death of his father led him to alcoholism. He stopped making movies and became a recluse. After his wife died, little was heard from him. He developed throat cancer. On October 6, 1962, he dropped dead in the bathroom of some Brentwood friends he was staying with.

Tod Browning - Find A Death

Tod Browning - wiki

Tod Browning - imdb

Tod Browning - Silent Star