Most movie buffs would certainly recognize Richard Kiel as the notorious and dealdy villian Jaws from two James Bond films, The Spy Who Loved Me and Jaws. As seen at left, Kiel wore metal inserts in his mouth by which he could bite into victims’ jugular vein, rendering them slightly dead. Younger movie buffs would certainly know Kiel for his portrayal of Mr. Larson in Adam Sandler’s Happy Gilmore. I’m ashamed to say that of the two, I knew him better from the latter film, never having been a big James Bond fan.
But Kiel in fact has had a long and lucrative film career since 1960 starring in other personal favorite films like Pale Rider and Silver Streak on the silver screen, and on the TV box in shows such as The Monkees, Gilligan’s Island, I Dream of Jeannie, Land of the Lost, and the classic episode of The Twilight Zone To Serve Man. Kiel was even the original choice to play The Incredible Hulk and filmed footage in the first two episodes.
I met Richard Kiel at the Hollywood Collectors Show on October 4, 2008. He was a nice guy with a good business sense, apparently something that is rare in these circles. He had the smarts to give a discount when purchasing a second photo and offered free photos with him if you purchased something from him. And guess what, he walked away with $30 from a happy customer rather than $20 from one who now had a bad impression of them.
Kiel the Kanamit in The Twilight Zone, with a proper inscription at my request
As the rather unfriendly Ali in an episode of I Dream of Jeannie
Even though Mr. Kiel stands just over 7’1″, I wasn’t quite scared enough to be hesitant to let him illustrate the fashion by which, had he wished to do so, he could have crushed my head with his bare hands. And I’m sure if he had popped in the metal teeth he could have eaten my head with the proper garnish. After all, he did at one time own a cookbook for that…
Richard Kiel illustrates what many others have wanted to…
…but then shows that we’re still pals…thank goodness
Celebs and autographs of the 2008 Hollywood Collectors Show will continue…
I remember him best on my favorite western “The Wild, Wild, West”
Bob
April 3rd, 2009