Ben Chapman(1928-2008)
- Actor
Ben Chapman was born in Oakland, California, while his Tahitian parents
were on a trip to the United States. He was raised in Tahiti, relocated
to the U.S. in 1940 and went to school in the Bay Area of San
Francisco. Working as a Tahitian dancer in nightclubs led to his first
movie job, a bit in MGM's "Pagan Love Song" (1950); other small film
roles followed before Korean War duty temporarily sidetracked his
modest screen career. Talent scouts from Universal-International
"discovered" Chapman upon his return, and for a year he became a U-I
stock player--and, at six-foot-five, an ideal choice for the finny
title role in "Creature from the Black Lagoon." (Chapman is the
Creature in scenes where the camera is out of water; Ricou Browning is
the Creature in scenes where the camera is underwater.) In his later
years, Chapman frequently commuted to autograph shows in the mainland
United States.
