Joseph Lockard “Lock” Martin, Jr. (10/12/16 – 1/19/59) was one of the tallest actors ever filmed and was the man inside the robot suit in “The Day the Earth Stood Still”. In all, he acted in 10 motion pictures between 1944 and 1957, portraying a number of giants, a robot, a mutant, a yeti, and a doorman at a circus club.

Depending on the source consulted, Mr. Martin was 7 feet, 7 inches tall (91 inches; 231 centimeters; 2.3 meters) tall. Or he may have been “only” or 7’4”, or 7’1” tall. At any rate, he and his wife, Ethel Mae Babcock Martin, were married on June 7, 1947 and, stayed married until his death at age 42 of unreported causes. They had nine children.

Although tall, Mr. Martin was not as strong as his size suggested. The Gort robot suit was fashioned of neoprene synthetic rubber, which was foamed and sealed to create the illusion of a seamless metal body. Because the suit generated extreme heat (neoprene is used as insulation), was awkward and claustrophobic, Mr. Martin’s scenes were filmed in 30-minute segments. He had trouble lifting co-star Patricia Neal, who had to be lifted on a harness or from below.

Born in Pennsylvania, Mr. Martin worked with Spike Jones and his City Slickers and as both an actual cowpoke and a public-relations cowboy. While a doorman at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, he was asked to play Gort. He hosted a local Los Angeles children’s television program called “The Gentle Giant”, and visited sick children at hospitals to read to them.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org