Richard Kiel

Richard Kiel
Kiel in 2004
Born	Richard Dawson Kiel (1939-09-13)September 13, 1939 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died	September 10, 2014(2014-09-10) (aged 74) Fresno, California, U.S.
Resting place	Belmont Memorial Park, Fresno, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1958–2012
Notable credits	Jaws in the James Bond films Mr. Larson in Happy Gilmore
Height	7 ft 1.5 in (217 cm)
Spouses	Faye Daniels ​ ​ (m. 1960; div. 1973)​ Diane Rogers ​ (m. 1974)​
Children	4

Richard Dawson Kiel (September 13, 1939 – September 10, 2014)^[1] was an American actor. Standing 2 m 17 cm (7 feet 1½ inches)^[2] tall and often referred to as "the Gentle Giant", he was known for portraying Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979). Kiel's next-most-recognized role is the tough but eloquent Mr. Larson in Happy Gilmore (1996). Other notable films include The Longest Yard (1974), Silver Streak (1976), Force 10 from Navarone (1978), Cannonball Run II (1984), Pale Rider (1985), and Tangled (2010). On television, he portrayed the giant alien in the highly regarded 1962 Twilight Zone episode, "To Serve Man".

Kiel was born on September 13, 1939, in Detroit, Michigan.^[3] His extraordinary height was a result of gigantism, a condition caused by an excess of human growth hormone.^[4] When he was 9 years old, his family moved to Los Angeles County, California, where Kiel graduated from Baldwin Park High School.^[5]

Before becoming an actor, Kiel worked in several jobs, including as a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman,^[5] a nightclub bouncer, and as a cemetery plot salesman.^[6] From 1963 to 1965, Kiel worked as a night-school mathematics instructor at the William B. Ogden Radio Operational School in Burbank, California.^[7]

His career included movies, television guest starring, and co-authoring books.^[1]

Kiel appeared in many television shows throughout the 1960s to the 1980s, including the famous 1962 Twilight Zone episode, "To Serve Man", where he portrayed the 9-foot tall Kanamit aliens. Other TV series he appeared in included Laramie ("Street of Hate", 1961), I Dream of Jeannie, The Rifleman ("The Decision", 1961), Honey West, Gilligan's Island, The Monkees, Daniel Boone, Emergency!, Starsky & Hutch, Land of the Lost, Simon & Simon, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, and The Fall Guy.

Due to his size, Kiel was often cast in villainous roles. He appeared as Voltaire, the towering mute-but-lethal assistant to Dr. Miguelito Loveless in three first-season episodes of The Wild Wild West. In the Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode "The Vulcan Affair" (1964), Kiel appeared as a guard in Vulcan's plant and portrayed Merry in "The Hong Kong Shilling Affair". In 1967, he played a monster in The Monkees episode "I Was a Teenage Monster".

He later appeared in an episode of The Wild Wild West, titled "The Night of the Simian Terror", as Dimas, the outcast son of a wealthy family, banished because of birth defects that distorted his body and apparently affected his mind. The episode first aired February 16, 1968. This episode is significant, because it allowed Kiel the opportunity to really act rather than just look intimidating.

In 1977, Kiel and Arnold Schwarzenegger were both considered for playing the Hulk in the American television series The Incredible Hulk. After Schwarzenegger was turned down due to his height, Kiel started filming the pilot. However, the producers quickly decided they wanted a more muscular Hulk rather than the towering Kiel, so he was dismissed. Kiel later said he did not mind losing the part, because he could only see out of one eye. He reacted badly to the contact lenses he had to wear for the role. He also found the green makeup unpleasant and difficult to remove.^[6] His scenes were then reshot with Lou Ferrigno.^[8]

Kiel broke into films in the early 1960s with Eegah (1962), which was later featured on Elvira's Movie Macabre and Mystery Science Theater 3000, as were The Phantom Planet (1961) and The Human Duplicators (1965). He also produced, co-wrote, and starred in The Giant of Thunder Mountain (1991). He also had a brief non-speaking appearance leaving a gym in the Jerry Lewis movie The Nutty Professor (1963).

The James Bond film producers spotted Kiel in Barbary Coast, and thought he was ideal for the role of Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). He was one of the few Bond villains to appear in two Bond films, later appearing in Moonraker (1979). He was often shot with his mouth closed or briefly showing his dangerous smile as he admitted the mouthpiece to simulate the metal teeth was extremely painful to wear and could only be used for a few minutes on every take. He reprised his role of Jaws in the video game called James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, supplying his voice and likeness. This was his second outing as a metal-toothed villain; a year before being cast in The Spy Who Loved Me, he had played Reace in the comedy-thriller film Silver Streak (1976). He used his size for comedic effect, as the "best-dressed giant" Mr. Eddie, in So Fine with Ryan O'Neal. Kiel also starred in the film Pale Rider (1985). Acting as the main antagonist's henchman, he redeems his character's status by saving the hero from a gunshot to the back.

The Spy Who Loved Me was the first of three films that Kiel appeared in alongside Barbara Bach in the late 1970s. The other two were Force 10 from Navarone and The Humanoid.

Although earlier roles had offered him little dialogue, his role in Happy Gilmore (1996) was quite the opposite. As Mr. Larson, Happy Gilmore's former employer, Kiel exchanges several one-liners with both Adam Sandler's Happy and Christopher McDonald's Shooter McGavin. Kiel took a quieter profile after Happy Gilmore's release, but left semi-retirement to record a role for Tangled (2010). In the acclaimed animated Disney film, he portrayed Vlad, a surprisingly softhearted thug who collects ceramic unicorns.

Kiel's first marriage was to Faye Daniels in 1960. They divorced in 1973. One year later he married Diane Rogers, who stood more than two feet shorter at 5 ft 1 in (154 cm) tall. Their marriage lasted for 40 years, until his death.^[6] They had four children and nine grandchildren.^[3] Despite being over two feet taller than his second wife, she described their mutual attraction as "We see eye to eye on so many things."^[1]

In 1992, Kiel suffered a severe head injury in a car accident, which affected his balance. Consequently, he had to rely on a cane for support, as seen in his appearance in Happy Gilmore. Later in life, Kiel utilized a scooter or wheelchair for mobility.

Kiel co-authored a biography of the abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay titled Kentucky Lion. In 2002, Kiel published his autobiography, Making It Big in the Movies.^[9] Kiel was also a born-again Christian. His website states his religious conversion helped him to overcome alcoholism.^[10]

On September 10, 2014, three days before his 75th birthday, Kiel died at St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno, California, from heart disease.^[1][11]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Richard Kiel.

• Richard Kiel at IMDb
• Richard Kiel at Find a Grave