Ricou Browning obit

Ricou Browning has died

 

 He was not on the list.

He was a film director, actor, producer, screenwriter, underwater cinematographer and stuntman. He is best known for his underwater stunt work, especially in the 1954 film Creature from the Black Lagoon, in which he portrayed the titular Gill-man during the film's underwater scenes (actor Ben Chapman played the Creature on land). Browning reprised the role for the underwater scenes in the film's sequels Revenge of the Creature and The Creature Walks Among Us. He is the last surviving original actor to portray any of the Universal Classic Monsters. Browning also co-created Flipper with Jack Cowden, and directed a number of episodes of the 1960s television series.

Browning made his feature film directorial debut with Salty (1973), which he also co-wrote with Cowden, and went on to direct Mr. No Legs (1978). Browning directed the underwater sequences in 1965's Thunderball, the fourth James Bond film by Eon Productions, as well as the Bond film Never Say Never Again (1983). He also directed the underwater scenes in the comedy films Hello Down There (1969) and Caddyshack (1980). A Florida native, Browning was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 2012. In 2019, he was inducted into the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards' Monster Kid Hall of Fame.

Browning was born in Fort Pierce, Florida. He was a major in physical education at Florida State University.

Browning started a career in water shows, moving on to produce shows. Browning worked at Wakulla Springs in the 1940s and learned to perform in underwater newsreels conceived by Newt Perry, who later took Browning along when he opened Weeki Wachee Springs.

While working at Wakulla Springs in 1953, Browning was asked to show around a film crew scouting for shooting locations. According to Browning, "Their cameraman asked if I could swim in front of the cameras so they could get the perspective of the size of a human being against the fish and the grass. So I did." Days later, the crew offered Browning the role of the titular Gill-man in the film Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). Browning accepted, and played the Gill-man in the film's underwater scenes, while actor Ben Chapman played the monster on land. During filming, Browning reportedly held his breath underwater for up to four minutes at a time. Browning reprised his role as the underwater Gill-man in two sequels, Revenge of the Creature (1955) and The Creature Walks Among Us (1956).

He continued in movie production and joined Ivan Tors' studios in Florida, where he co-wrote and co-produced the 1963 film Flipper (about an intelligent bottlenose dolphin); Browning also directed the second unit underwater scenes for the film. Browning continued writing for the subsequent Flipper television series that debuted in 1964. He directed the underwater sequences in Hello Down There (1969), and directed the family film Salty (1973) and the cult film Mr. No Legs (1978). He also worked as second unit director, stunt coordinator and underwater sequence director on a number of features, including Thunderball (1965), Around the World Under the Sea (1966), Island of the Lost (1967), Caddyshack (1980), and Never Say Never Again (1983).

Selected filmography

Film

As actor/stuntman

Year       Title       Role       Notes    Ref(s)

1954      Creature from the Black Lagoon                 Gill-man               Underwater scenes        

1954      20,000 Leagues Under the Sea    —           Stunt diver         

1955      Revenge of the Creature               Gill-man               Underwater scenes        

1956      The Creature Walks Among Us   Gill-man               Underwater scenes        

1964      Flipper's New Adventure              Dr. Burton                          

 

As director/writer/stunt coordinator

Year       Title       Director                Writer   Stunt coordinator             Notes    Ref(s)

1963      Flipper Second unit        Co-writer             Yes         Underwater scenes; co-wrote story with Jack Cowden; also associate producer         

1965      Thunderball        Second unit                        Yes         Underwater scenes        

1966      Around the World Under the Sea              Second unit                                        Diving sequences            

1967      Island of the Lost              Second unit                                        Underwater scenes        

1969      Hello Down There            Second unit                                        Underwater scenes        

1973      Salty      Yes         Co-writer                             Co-wrote with Jack Cowden       

1978      Mr. No Legs        Yes                                                        

1979      Hot Stuff              Second unit                                                       

1980      Caddyshack        Second unit                                                       

1980      Raise the Titanic               Second unit                                                       

1980      Island Claws                        Co-writer                             Co-wrote with Jack Cowden       

1981      Nobody's Perfekt             Second unit                                                       

1983      Never Say Never Again   Second unit                                        Underwater scenes        

1985      The Heavenly Kid                                              Yes                        

1986      Opposing Force                                                 Miami unit                         

1988      Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach        Second unit                                                       

Television

As actor/stuntman

Year       Title       Role       Notes    Ref(s)

1958–1961          Sea Hunt              —           Second unit stunt double; 30 episodes  

1960–1961          The Aquanauts (Malibu Run)           —           Stunt double     

1964–1967          Flipper Water Skier/The Monster             2 episodes: "Lifeguard" and "Flipper's Monster"

As director

Year       Title       Notes    Ref(s)

1958–1961          Sea Hunt              Underwater scenes; multiple episodes  

1964–1967          Flipper 37 episodes