Lane Chandler, a renowned American actor, initially gained stardom before transitioning into character roles and bit parts. Born Robert C. Oakes in rural South Dakota, according to official records, although some sources claim it was Walsh County, North Dakota, he was the son of a horse rancher.
He grew up on a ranch in Culbertson, Montana, where his family relocated, and later graduated from high school in Helena. After a brief stint at Montana Wesleyan College, he took a job driving a tour bus in Yellowstone National Park, which interrupted his academic pursuits.
In the early 1920s, Chandler drifted down to Los Angeles, where he worked as an automobile mechanic. However, his cowboy skills, honed on the ranch, led to bit parts in pictures at Paramount, courtesy of director John Waters, who offered him work in a series of Westerns.
Paramount recognized Chandler's potential, rebranding him as Lane Chandler and casting him in leading roles, initially in Westerns, followed by contemporary films opposite prominent actresses such as Clara Bow, Greta Garbo, Betty Bronson, and Esther Ralston.
As silent films phased out, Chandler's stock began to decline at Paramount, which started favoring Gary Cooper instead. He transitioned to lower-budgeted Westerns, initially as a lead, then as a second lead to stars like John Wayne and Jack Hoxie.
During this period, Chandler freelanced for Big 4, Syndicate Pictures, and Kent Pictures, all of which were far removed from his days under contract with Adolph Zukor. Despite the relatively poor production values, some of his early talkies, such as The Hurricane Horseman (1931) and The Cheyenne Cyclone (1931),stand out for their entertainment value.
Chandler's association with Kent ended in the 1930s, and he drifted to Empire Pictures, which promised to produce six films, although only two were ultimately shot, including the entertaining quickies The Lone Bandit (1935) and The Outlaw Tamer (1935).
In his mid-30s, Chandler's career began to decline irreversibly, and he settled into supporting roles. A favorite of director Cecil B. DeMille, Chandler worked in many DeMille films, often in tiny bit parts, which he claimed were his favorite roles.
Eventually, Chandler no longer commanded significant roles and spent the remaining 35 years of his career in progressively smaller supporting parts, appearing in hundreds of films, often uncredited. A stalwart of television Westerns in the 1950s, he remained a familiar face to movie fans for nearly 50 years.
A shrewd businessman with industrial and property holdings, Chandler passed away in Los Angeles in 1971 at the age of 73.
