Creature Actor From 'Black Lagoon' Dies

Creature Actor From 'Black Lagoon' Dies
Chapman, Who Played Land Gill-Man, Was 79
Tim Lammers, Web Staff Editor


Ben Chapman on the set of "Creature From the Black Lagoon" in 1954
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POSTED: 2:31 pm EST February 27, 2008

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[Ben Chapman on the set of "Creature From the Black Lagoon" in 1954]
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Ben Chapman on the set of "Creature From the Black Lagoon" in 1954
@ THE MOVIES

* Features: Tim Lammers Interviews



Ben Chapman, one of the actors who played the Gill-Man in the Universal Studios horror film classic "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," has died.

Chapman died Thursday in Honolulu with his wife, Merrilee and son, Ben Chapman III, by his side, according to a statement on the actor's Web site.

According to the statement, Chapman collapsed Feb. 12 and his health began to deteriorate. He was admitted to a Honolulu hospital Feb. 20, and died the next day after his pacemaker and life support were turned off.

Released in 1954, the "Creature of the Black Lagoon" is one of the most recognizable characters in the Universal Studios monsters stable, and is often pictured in the company of Dracula, Frankenstein, the Bride of Frankenstein, the Wolfman and the Mummy.

Chapman said in a 2000 @ The Movies interview that following in the big footsteps of such monster icons was daunting.

"Back in those days, the administration building at Universal hung pictures of Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney," Chapman recalled of the men who played Frankenstein, the Mummy and the Wolfman. "I thought to myself, 'Oh, my God, I hope I'm not the one to screw it up.'"

Another challenge was the execution of the character itself, since the latex rubber mask he wore was so limiting.

"The tough thing for me was that I couldn't use facial expressions," Chapman recalled. "I could only use body language, but evidently it worked."

Chapman played the land version of the Gill-Man, which capitalized on his imposing 6-foot-5-inch frame. Olympic swimmer Ricou Browning played the Creature in the film's underwater sequences.

In more recent years, Chapman had become a regular on the horror film and sci-fi convention circuit.

The actor's Web site said that Chapman will be cremated March 29 and his ashes will be scattered off Waikki Beach from Hawaiian outrigger canoes.