Richard Kiel(1939-2014)
- Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Towering 7' 2" tall actor who cornered the market on playing
giants, intimidating henchmen, bayou swamp monsters and steel toothed
villains! Kiel worked in numerous jobs including as a night club
bouncer and a cemetery plot salesman, before breaking into film & TV in
several minor roles in the late 1950s / early 1960s. Noted among
these was the alien "Kanamit" in the classic
The Twilight Zone (1959)
episode "To Serve Man", and terrorizing
Arch Hall Jr. while clad in a loincloth in
the prehistoric caveman meets virile teenage drama
Eegah (1962).
Kiel turned up in two episodes of the classic horror TV series
Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974).
On one occasion playing a Native American evil spirit with the ability
to transform into various animals. On his second appearance, Kiel was
unrecognizable as a Spanish moss covered, Louisiana swamp monster
brought to life by a patient involved in deep sleep therapy.
However, his biggest break came in 1977 when he was cast as the
unstoppable, steel toothed henchman "Jaws" in the finest
Roger Moore film of the Bond series
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).
Such was Kiel's popularity with movie audiences, that his character was
brought back for the next Bond outing
Moonraker (1979). However, audiences
were quite split on opinions when Kiel's "Jaws" character changes sides
near the film's conclusion and assists 007,
Roger Moore, in saving the Earth.
Over the next few years, Kiel appeared in relatively non-demanding
comedy or fantasy type films taking advantage of his physical stature
and presence. Kiel then decided to try his hand behind the camera and
co-wrote and produced, plus took the lead role, in the well received
family movie
The Giant of Thunder Mountain (1990).
Demand for Kiel's unique attributes dropped very sharply in the
1990's, leading to only a handful of roles including
reprising his "Jaws" character in the Matthew Broderick
film Inspector Gadget (1999). In
2002, Kiel penned his informative autobiography entitled "Making it BIG
in the movies". He passed away in 2014.
giants, intimidating henchmen, bayou swamp monsters and steel toothed
villains! Kiel worked in numerous jobs including as a night club
bouncer and a cemetery plot salesman, before breaking into film & TV in
several minor roles in the late 1950s / early 1960s. Noted among
these was the alien "Kanamit" in the classic
The Twilight Zone (1959)
episode "To Serve Man", and terrorizing
Arch Hall Jr. while clad in a loincloth in
the prehistoric caveman meets virile teenage drama
Eegah (1962).
Kiel turned up in two episodes of the classic horror TV series
Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974).
On one occasion playing a Native American evil spirit with the ability
to transform into various animals. On his second appearance, Kiel was
unrecognizable as a Spanish moss covered, Louisiana swamp monster
brought to life by a patient involved in deep sleep therapy.
However, his biggest break came in 1977 when he was cast as the
unstoppable, steel toothed henchman "Jaws" in the finest
Roger Moore film of the Bond series
The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).
Such was Kiel's popularity with movie audiences, that his character was
brought back for the next Bond outing
Moonraker (1979). However, audiences
were quite split on opinions when Kiel's "Jaws" character changes sides
near the film's conclusion and assists 007,
Roger Moore, in saving the Earth.
Over the next few years, Kiel appeared in relatively non-demanding
comedy or fantasy type films taking advantage of his physical stature
and presence. Kiel then decided to try his hand behind the camera and
co-wrote and produced, plus took the lead role, in the well received
family movie
The Giant of Thunder Mountain (1990).
Demand for Kiel's unique attributes dropped very sharply in the
1990's, leading to only a handful of roles including
reprising his "Jaws" character in the Matthew Broderick
film Inspector Gadget (1999). In
2002, Kiel penned his informative autobiography entitled "Making it BIG
in the movies". He passed away in 2014.