- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRichard Dawson Kiel
- Height7′ 2″ (2.18 m)
- 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.- IMDb Mini Biography By: firehouse44@hotmail.com
- SpousesDiane Rogers(1974 - September 10, 2014) (his death, 4 children)Faye Daniels(1960 - 1973) (divorced)
- ChildrenRichard George KielChristopher KielJennifer KielBennett Kiel
- Towering height and menacing frame
- Deep, baritone voice
- Despite often playing big, scary people, he was well-known for being a kind and friendly man who was friends with many people he worked with.
- Offered the role of Chewbacca in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), but turned it down in favor of playing "Jaws" in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). He preferred "Jaws" because he felt he could bring more to the role, whereas Chewbacca required a full costume. Taking the role also meant working for scale and he had been working for so long that he felt such a low salary was beneath him.
- Original choice to play the title character in the TV series The Incredible Hulk (1977). After two days of filming it was decided that he was not "bulky" enough for the role. He was paid for the two movies of the week and replaced by Lou Ferrigno. He was happy this happened because he only had sight in one eye and the full contact lenses were bothering him.
- Was terrified of heights, something not helped by his gigantic size. He often shuddered at some of the stunts he had to perform as "Jaws", so Martin Grace, Roger Moore's stunt double, would fill in for him. The stuntman did a superb job of capturing Kiel's movements, even though he was a foot shorter, but when watching the films, nobody could tell them apart.
- Worked as a bouncer at a Los Angeles nightclub before being recruited by Arch Hall Sr. for the lead role in Eegah (1962).
- To be loved is important, as is having a sense of accomplishment, but to love is equally important in life, especially when it is combined with taking action to do something for someone else to make their life better.
- Not only did God deliver me from the bondage of alcoholism, he also blessed my family financially because of my commitment to honor what he had done for me and for not doing what I believed could possibly be destructive to others.
- I am actually 7'1-1/2" tall. I say 7'2" because it's easier. Unlike some tall skinny guys, I am really "big", weighing around 350 pounds.
- Once a Bond fan, always a Bond fan.
- It is always more fun to play a bad guy than to be yourself, as you can create a character unlike your own and be someone you are not for a change.
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