but producer Irving Thalberg replaced von Stroheim with director Rupert Julian during filming. The film is now considered a classic. Kerry was again cast with Lon Chaney and Mary Philbin in the 1925 horror classic The Phantom of the Opera, playing Philbin's love-interest, the Vicomte Raoul de Chagny. The film was an enormous financial and critical success and solidified Kerry's position as a leading actor during the 1920s. That same year Kerry starred with Philbin in the melodrama Fifth Avenue Models and with Patsy Ruth Miller in the adventure film Lorraine of the Lions. In 1927, Kerry again shared the screen with Lon Chaney in The Unknown, also starring Joan Crawford. By the end of the decade, he had appeared in high-profile roles opposite Anna Q. Nilsson, Marion Davies, Bebe Daniels, Mildred Harris, Lillian Gish, and Claire Windsor, among others. At the beginning of the talkie era, Kerry reunited with Mary Philbin to film talking scenes for The Phantom of the Opera, reissued with sound 15 Dec 1929. However, this was the beginning of Kerry's decline; he made only a few American films after 1930. Among them were Air Eagles and Bachelor Apartment in 1931 and Kerry's final film, Tanks a Million, in 1941. During the 1930s, Kerry also made some movies for British, German, and Italian producers. For his contributions to the motion picture industry, in 1960 Kerry was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6724 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, California. Personal life Born in Rochester, New York on June 16, 1894, Kerry was the son of Isaac and Eunice Kaiser. As he was growing up, he lived with his family in New York City and Long Island. He was a student at the DeLaSalle School, St. John's College, and the University of Maryland, where he was an athlete. Kerry's father, Isaac Kaiser, was a leather goods manufacturer and dealer and Kerry himself spent some time as a representative for that company. Around 1916, Kerry befriended Rudolph Valentino, who was then known as an exhibition dancer, in New York City. He is said to have introduced Valentino to Bonnie Glass, who became Valentino's dance partner. Later, Kerry encouraged Valentino to try making a name for himself in film, staked him for a trip to Los Angeles, and helped him get his first roles. In 1917, despite having already achieved some success in the motion picture industry,