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) was an American actor. Standing 2 m 17 cm (7 feet 1½ inches) 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".

Early life

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

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

Career

His career included movies, television guest starring, and co-authoring books.

Television

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.

Michael Dunn and Kiel on the set of The Wild Wild West

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. His scenes were then reshot with Lou Ferrigno.

Film

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.

Personal life and death

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. They had four children and nine grandchildren. 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."

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. Kiel was also a born-again Christian. His website states his religious conversion helped him to overcome alcoholism.

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

Filmography

Kiel at Supanova Pop Culture 2014

Features

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1957	The D.I.	Ugly Marine	Uncredited
1961	Run of the Hunted	Toland's Assistant	Uncredited
1961	The Phantom Planet	The Solarite
1962	Eegah	Eegah
1963	House of the Damned	Giant
1963	The Nutty Professor	Bodybuilder #1	Uncredited
1963	Lassie's Great Adventure	Chinook Pete
1963	30 Minutes at Gunsight	Unknown	TV Short
1964	Roustabout	Strong Man	Uncredited
1964	The Nasty Rabbit	Ranch Foreman	Uncredited
1965	Two on a Guillotine	Tall Man At Funeral	Uncredited
1965	The Human Duplicators	Dr. Kolos
1965	Brainstorm	Psychiatric Hospital Patient	Uncredited
1966	The Las Vegas Hillbillys	"Moose"
1967	A Man Called Dagger	Otto
1968	Now You See It, Now You Don't	Nori	TV movie
1968	Skidoo	"Beany"
1970	On a Clear Day You Can See Forever	The Blacksmith	Uncredited
1973	Deadhead Miles	Dick "Big Dick"
1974	The Longest Yard	Samson
1975	Flash and the Firecat	Tracker
1976	Gus	Large Man
1976	Silver Streak	Reace
1977	The Spy Who Loved Me	Jaws
1978	Wu zi tian shi	"Steel Hand"
1978	Force 10 from Navarone	Captain Drazak
1978	They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way	Duke
1979	The Humanoid	Golob
1979	Moonraker	Jaws	Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
1981	So Fine	Eddie
1983	Hysterical	Captain Howdy
1983	Phoenix	Steel Hand
1984	Aces Go Places 3	"Big G"
1984	Cannonball Run II	Arnold / Mitsubishi Driver
1985	Pale Rider	Club
1985	Qing bao long hu men	Laszlo
1989	Think Big	Irving
1989	The Princess and the Dwarf	Unknown
1991	The Giant of Thunder Mountain	Eli Weaver
1996	Happy Gilmore	Mr. Larson
1999	Inspector Gadget	Famous Big Guy With Silver Teeth	Parody of Jaws. Part of "The Minion Recovery Group"
2009	The Awakened	Jasper
2010	The Corpse of Albert Cradette	Albert Cradette
2010	Tangled	Vladimir	Voice (final film role)

Television

Kiel as Ali with Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman in I Dream of Jeannie, 1965

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1958	The Rifleman	Bit Part Bully
1960	Klondike	Duff Brannigan	Episode: "Bare Knuckles"
1961	Laramie	Rake, Tolan's Helper	Episode: "Run of the Hunted", Uncredited
1961	The Phantom	Mike "Big Mike"
1961	Thriller	Master Styx	Episode: "Well of Doom"
1961	The Rifleman	Corey Hazlitt's Cousin Carl	Episode: "The Decision"
1962	The Twilight Zone	Kanamit alien	Episode: "To Serve Man"
1963	The Paul Bunyan Show	Paul Bunyan
1964	The Man from U.N.C.L.E.	Henchman for Mr. Vulcan	Episode: "The Vulcan Affair" Uncredited
1965	The Man from U.N.C.L.E.	Merry	Episode: "The Hong Kong Shilling Affair"
1965	I Dream of Jeannie	Ali	Episode: "My Hero"
1966	Honey West	Groalgo	Episode: "King of the Mountain"
1966	My Mother the Car	"Cracks"	Episode: "A Riddler on the Roof"
1966	The Wild Wild West	Voltaire	Episodes: "The Night the Wizard Shook the Earth" 1965: "The Night That Terror Stalked the Town" 1965: "The Night of the Whirring Death"
1966	Gilligan's Island	Ghost	Episode: "Ghost-a-Go-Go"
1967	The Monkees	Monster	S1:E18, "I Was a Teenage Monster"
1967	The Monroes	Casmir	Episode: "Ghosts of Paradox"
1968	I Spy	"Tiny"	Episode: "A Few Miles West of Nowhere"
1968	The Wild Wild West	Dimas	Episode: "The Night of the Simian Terror"
1968	It Takes a Thief	Willie Trion	Episode: "The Galloping Skin Game"
1969	Daniel Boone	Le Mouche	Episode: "Benvenuto...Who?"
1970	Disneyland	Luke Brown	Episode: "The Boy Who Stole the Elephant: Part 1 & 2"
1974	Kolchak: The Night Stalker	The Diablero	Episode: "Bad Medicine"
1974	Emergency!	Carlo	Episode: "I'll Fix It"
1974	Kolchak: The Night Stalker	The "Père Malfait"	Episode: "The Spanish Moss Murders"
1975	Switch	Loach	Episode: "Death Heist"
1976	Starsky & Hutch	Iggy	Episode: "Omaha Tiger"
1975–1976	Barbary Coast	"Moose" Moran	14 episodes, 1975–1976
1976	Land of the Lost	Malak	Episodes: "Survival Kit" "Flying Dutchman"
1977	The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries	The Manager	Episode: "The Mystery of the Haunted House"
1977	Young Dan'l Boone	Unknown	Episode: "The Game"
1977	The Incredible Hulk	The Incredible Hulk	Pilot, uncredited
1980	Match Game PM	Himself, Panelist	Five episodes
1981	The Fall Guy	Animal	Episode: "That's Right, We're Bad"
1983	Simon & Simon	Mark Horton	Episode: "The Skeleton Who Came Out of the Closet"
1988	Out of This World	Norman	Episode: "Go West, Young Mayor"
1989	Superboy	Vlkabok	Episode: "Mr. and Mrs. Superboy"
2000	Bloodhounds Inc.	Mortimer	Episode: "Fangs for the Memories"

Video games

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	GoldenEye 007	Jaws	Uncredited use of likeness
1998	James Bond 007	Jaws
2000	007: The World Is Not Enough	Jaws	Uncredited use of likeness
2000	007 Racing	Jaws	Archival footage
2004	James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing	Jaws	Credited use of likeness
2010	GoldenEye 007	Jaws	Uncredited use of likeness
2012	007 Legends	Jaws	Uncredited use of likeness

See also

• John Aasen
• Ted Cassidy
• William Engesser
• Neil Fingleton
• André the Giant
• The Great Khali
• Rondo Hatton
• Henry Hite
• Lock Martin
• Jakob Nacken
• Carel Struycken
• Robert Wadlow

External links

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