Anton LaVey
He founded the Church of Satan and authored The Satanic Bible, creating a theatrical, atheistic philosophy that challenged religious norms.
1930–1997 (age 67)·American writer and Satanist·Birthday: April 11·The Silent Generation
Biography
Born Howard Stanton Levey in Chicago, Anton LaVey cultivated a persona shrouded in mystery and deliberate provocation. Before emerging as the black-robed, shaven-headed High Priest of Satan, he worked as a carnival organist, a crime photographer, and an animal trainer, experiences that shaped his cynical view of human nature. In 1966, on Walpurgisnacht, he formally established the Church of Satan in his San Francisco home, a black house famously painted for the occasion. LaVeyan Satanism, as codified in his 1969 book The Satanic Bible, is not a theistic worship of evil but a materialist philosophy championing individualism, skepticism, and carnality. He became a countercultural fixture, advising Hollywood films, recording odd music, and performing theatrical rituals, all while positioning himself as the ultimate antagonist to mainstream morality. His legacy is a deeply polarizing but enduring system of thought that reframes Satan as a symbol of rebellion against arbitrary authority.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Anton was born in 1930, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Anton Was Born
The biggest hits of 1930
#1 Movie
All Quiet on the Western Front
Best Picture
All Quiet on the Western Front
Anton's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1930Born
Pluto discovered
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $3,510President: Herbert Hoover"Body and Soul" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: All Quiet on the Western Front
1935Started school
Social Security Act signed into law
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,450President: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Cheek to Cheek" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: Mutiny on the Bounty
1943Became a teenager
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1946Could drive
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1948Could vote
Israel declares independence; Berlin Blockade begins
Gas: $0.26/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Twelfth Street Rag" — Pee Wee HuntBest Picture: Hamlet
1951Turned 21
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1960Turned 30
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1970Turned 40
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 50
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 60
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1997Died at 67
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
Key Achievements
- Founded the Church of Satan in 1966, institutionalizing modern Satanism as a formal philosophy.
- Authored The Satanic Bible in 1969, which became the central text for LaVeyan Satanists worldwide.
- Served as a technical advisor for the occult horror film The Devil's Rain, lending it an air of authenticity.
- Released several musical albums blending occult themes with eccentric lounge and carnival-style music.
- Performed the first public Satanic wedding, baptism, and funeral, establishing ritual templates for his followers.
Did You Know?
He was the organist for the carnival at the 1955 Pacific National Exhibition.
He claimed to have had an affair with Marilyn Monroe before her rise to fame, though this is disputed.
His famous black house in San Francisco was later owned by musician and filmmaker Buckethead.
He appeared in a small role as the Devil in the 1970 film 'The Mephisto Waltz'.
He owned a pet lion named Togare, which he would sometimes walk on a leash in San Francisco.
““Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates.””
