Lock Martin

Lock Martin
Lock Martin
Born	Joseph Lockard Martin Jr.; October 12, 1916
Died	January 19, 1959 (aged 42); Los Angeles County, California, US
Years active	1944–1957
Height	7 ft 7 in (2.31 m)
Spouse(s)	Ethel Mae Babcock; (7 June 1946 – his death)

Joseph Lockard "Lock" Martin Jr. (October 12, 1916 – January 19, 1959) was an American actor, best remembered for playing the robot Gort in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).

He was from Pennsylvania and had a series of odd jobs before going into acting. He directed traffic at Bob's Big Boy drive-in restaurant in Van Nuys, CA in 1951. He was working as a doorman at Grauman's Chinese Theater when he was hired for the role of Gort, although this was not his first acting job.

He was reportedly 7 feet 7 inches tall (about 231 cm); however Robert Wise, director of The Day The Earth Stood Still, states his height was 7 feet 1 inch (about 216 cm) in the DVD commentary. His great height did not translate into strength and he had difficulty managing his robot suit. For scenes where he was supposed to physically lift Patricia Neal and Michael Rennie, they were either held up by wires, a hidden dolly or replaced with lightweight dummies.

He was also in The Incredible Shrinking Man as a giant, but his scenes were deleted. He was nicknamed "the Gentle Giant" as he liked reading stories to children and for a time had a local show devoted to that.

Martin was married to Ethel Babcock from 1946 until his death in 1959.

Filmography

Lost in a Harem (1944) – Bobo (as J. Lockard Martin)
Anchors Aweigh (1945) – Giant (uncredited)
Lady on a Train (1945) – Circus Club Doorman (uncredited)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) – Gort
Four Star Revue (1952, TV Series) – Giant at Hollywood Bowl
Million Dollar Mermaid (1952) – Giant (uncredited)
Off Limits (1953) – Big Sailor (uncredited)
Invaders from Mars (1953) – Mutant carrying David to 'Intelligence' (uncredited)
The Snow Creature (1954) – Yeti (uncredited)
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) – Giant (scenes deleted, uncredited)

gollark: They could turn into one, though, just with lower probability.

gollark: Why? Lower probability of eventually becoming a full person? The individual parts still have a nonzero one.

gollark: What's the exact threshold for probability you would use?

gollark: Why, though? Why require it for a fetus, which will with some fairly high probability be born and then with some also fairly high (with modern medicine) probability go on to grow up and whatever, but not something with a lower chance of becoming a person?

gollark: Why *humans*, then?

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