Current:Home > NewsRicou Browning, the actor who played the 'Creature from the Black Lagoon,' dies at 93 -ProfitSphere Academy
Ricou Browning, the actor who played the 'Creature from the Black Lagoon,' dies at 93
View
Date:2025-04-23 21:06:55
Ricou Browning, a skilled swimmer best known for his underwater role as the Gill Man in the quintessential 3D black-and-white 1950s monster movie Creature from the Black Lagoon, has died, his family told various media outlets. He was 93.
Browning died Feb. 27 at his home in Southwest Ranches, Fla.
In addition to acting roles, Browning also collaborated as a writer on the 1963 movie Flipper, and the popular TV series of the same name that followed.
He told the Ocala Star Banner newspaper in 2013 that he came up with the idea after a trip to South America to capture fresh-water dolphins in the Amazon.
"One day, when I came home, the kids were watching 'Lassie' on TV, and it just dawned on me, 'Why not do a film about a boy and a dolphin?'" he told the newspaper.
Browning directed the 1973 comedy Salty, about a sea lion, and the 1978 drama Mr. No Legs, about a mob enforcer who is a double amputee. He also did stunt work in various films, including serving as Jerry Lewis's underwater double in the 1959 comedy Don't Give Up the Ship, according to The New York Times.
But nothing would mark Browning's Hollywood career like swimming underwater in an elaborately grotesque suit as the Gill Man, a character that would hold its own in horror movie lore along side monsters like King Kong and Godzilla. Browning did the swimming scenes in two sequels, Revenge of the Creature (1955) and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956). Other actors played the Gill Man on land.
Browning told the Ocala Star Banner, he could hold his breath for minutes underwater, making him especially adept for the swimming part.
He was discovered when the film's director visited Silver Springs, where Newt Perry, who performed as a stand-in for Tarzan actor Johnny Weissmuller, was promoting one of Florida's first tourist attractions where Browning got a job as a teen swimming in water shows.
Perry asked Browning to take the Hollywood visitors to Wakulla Springs, one of the largest and deepest freshwater springs in the world. They later recruited Browning to appear in the movie, which was partly filmed at the springs.
Ricou Ren Browning was born on Feb. 16, 1930, in Fort Pierce, Fla. He swam on the U.S. Air Force swim team.
Survivors include his four children, Ricou Browning Jr., Renee, Kelly and Kim; 10 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren. His wife, Fran, died in March 2020. His son Ricou Jr. is a marine coordinator, actor and stuntman like his father, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Why Teen Mom's Maci Bookout Didn't Think She'd Ever Get to a Good Place With Ex Ryan Edwards
- Pennsylvania Expects $400 Million in Infrastructure Funds to Begin Plugging Thousands of Abandoned Oil Wells
- Determined to Forge Ahead With Canal Expansion, Army Corps Unveils Testing Plan for Contaminants in Matagorda Bay in Texas
- Sam Taylor
- Not Winging It: Birders Hope Hard Data Will Help Save the Species They Love—and the Ecosystems Birds Depend On
- With Revenue Flowing Into Its Coffers, a German Village Broadens Its Embrace of Wind Power
- European Union Approves Ambitious Nature Restoration Law
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- In the Crossroads State of Illinois, Nearly 2 Million People Live Near Warehouses Shrouded by Truck Pollution
Ranking
- 'No Good Deed': Who's the killer in the Netflix comedy? And will there be a Season 2?
- Mining Critical to Renewable Energy Tied to Hundreds of Alleged Human Rights Abuses
- North Texas Suburb Approves New Fracking Zone Near Homes and Schools
- Bracing for Climate Impacts on Lake Erie, the Walleye Capital of the World
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- On Chicago’s South Side, Naomi Davis Planted the Seeds of Green Solutions to Help Black Communities
- Jennifer Lopez Teases Midnight Trip to Vegas Song Inspired By Ben Affleck Wedding
- Massage Must-Haves From Miko That Take the Stress Out of Your Summer
Recommendation
Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
It’s the Features, Stupid: EV Market Share Is Growing Because the Vehicles Keep Getting Better
Love is Blind's Lauren Speed-Hamilton Reveals If She and Husband Cameron Would Ever Return To TV
Anthropologie’s Extra 40% Off Sale: Score Deals on Summer Dresses, Skirts, Tops, Home Decor & More
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
24-Hour Flash Deal: Save 40% On the Revitalign Orthotic Memory Foam Suede Mules and Slip-Ons
Bebe Rexha Shares Alleged Text From Boyfriend Keyan Safyari Commenting on Her Weight
RHONJ's Dolores Catania Reveals Weight Loss Goal After Dropping 20 Pounds on Ozempic