Lou Tellegen, (26 November 1881-29 October 1934) actor, was probably born in St. Oedenrode, the Netherlands, and died by his own hand in Hollywood, California.
He was the illegitimate child of a Belgian lieutenant, became a model in Paris, and eventually attracted the attention of Sarah Bernhardt, who brought him to the United States on her second 'farewell' tour in 1911, when the New York Times first announced and then retracted the announcement of their impending marriage. (She was 37 years older than he.)
He married Geraldine Farrar, a well-known opera 'diva', who was herself well-known as the lover of Germany's Crown Prince Wilhelm, which made for some difficulties when the United States entered World War I. Her fame overshadowed his, and they had rather an unpleasant divorce.
He was married a total of five times, and had appeared in numerous films, when his face was injured in a fire. Fame faded, employment was not forthcoming, and he went bankrupt. He was diagnosed with cancer, though this information was kept from him, and he became despondent. He committed suicide by stabbing himself in the chest with a pair of scissors seven times, resulting in fairly lurid press coverage.
His autobiography, "Women Have Been Kind", is at best unreliable and contains many false claims, one of which is that he posed for Rodin's sculpture "Eternal Spring".
