Ricou Browning was a Florida-based film maker. Originally a student at FSU and a life guard at Wakulla Spring when acquaintance Newt Perry hired him to show around Universal executives, then scouting locations for "Creature From the Black Lagoon." They eventually hired Browning to play Creature (Gill Man) for the underwater scenes in all three Creature films. He parlayed that experience into more acting, producing and directing, usually for Ivan Tors Studios. His credits include "Flipper", "Thunderball", "Never Say Never Again", and television's "Sea Hunt."

Creature from the Black Lagoon is a monster horror film directed by Jack Arnold, and starring Richard Carlson, Julia Adams, Richard Denning, Antonio Moreno and Whit Bissell. The eponymous creature was played by Ben Chapman on land and Ricou Browning in underwater scenes. The film was released in the United States on March 5, 1954. From the State Archives of Florida