Ben Chapman Dies
Posted by Slobokan @ 21:08 · 170 words · print
As an actor, Ben Chapman never landed a star-making role. Far from it. He had small parts in only a few films, including an uncredited bit part in "Ma and Pa Kettle at Waikiki."
But Chapman nevertheless achieved a degree of movie immortality — and he did it without uttering a word of dialogue or even showing his face.
The 6-foot-5 former Tahitian entertainer and ex-Marine played the title character in "Creature from the Black Lagoon," the classic 1954 3-D monster movie that quickly developed a cult following that has endured over the decades.
Chapman, a retired Honolulu real estate salesman, died Thursday of congestive heart failure at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, said his longtime companion, Merrilee Kazarian. He was 79.
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In addition to Kazarian, he is survived by his children, Benjamin Franklin Chapman III, Grant Chapman and Elyse Maree Raljevich; and his sister, Moea Baty.
A memorial service will be held at 9 a.m. March 29 at St. Augustine By the Sea Church in Honolulu.
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