Richard Kiel

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".

• Name — Richard Kiel • Birth Name — Richard Dawson Kiel • Born — 13 September 1939 • Birthplace — Detroit, Michigan, US • Died — 10 September 2014 • Place of death — Fresno, California, US • Resting Place — Belmont Memorial Park, Fresno, California, US • Occupation — Actor • Years Active — 1958–2012 • Credits — Jaws in the James Bond films Mr. Larson in Happy Gilmore • Children — 4

Kiel was born on September 13, 1939 in Detroit, Michigan, the son of George Albert Kiel (1905–1958) and Mary May Kiel (née Mobbs, 1915–2008). His extraordinary height was the result of a condition caused by an excess of human growth hormone. When he was nine years old, his family moved to the Greater Los Angeles area, where Kiel graduated from Baldwin Park High School.

Kiel's career included films, television and co-authoring books. However, before this, Kiel worked in several jobs, including as a door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman, a nightclub bouncer, and 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.

Kiel appeared in many television shows throughout the 1960s to the 1980s, including the 1962 Twilight Zone episode "To Serve Man", where he portrayed the 9 ft 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". • Illustration — Michael Dunn and Kiel on the set of The Wild Wild West In 1968 he 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. 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.

With Pamela Wallace, Kiel co-authored Kentucky Lion (2007), a biography of the abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay. In 2002, Kiel published his autobiography, Making It Big in the Movies.

Kiel's first marriage was to Faye Daniels in 1960. They divorced in 1973. One year later, he married Diane Rogers. Rogers stated that, despite being, she and her husband "[saw] eye to eye on so many things." Their marriage lasted for 40 years, until Kiel's death. Kiel and Rogers had four children and nine grandchildren. Kiel was a born-again Christian, stating on his website that his religious conversion helped him to overcome alcoholism. On September 10, 2014, Kiel died at St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno, California, from heart disease. He was 74.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1957 — The D.I. — Ugly Marine — Uncredited • 1961 — Run of the Hunted — Toland's Assistant • The Phantom Planet — The Solarite • 1962 — Eegah — Eegah • 1963 — House of the Damned — Giant • The Nutty Professor — Bodybuilder #1 — Uncredited • Lassie's Great Adventure — Chinook Pete • 30 Minutes at Gunsight — Unknown — TV short • 1964 — Roustabout — Strong Man — Uncredited • The Nasty Rabbit — Ranch Foreman • 1965 — Two on a Guillotine — Tall Man At Funeral • The Human Duplicators — Dr. Kolos • 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 • 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 • Silver Streak — Reace • 1977 — The Spy Who Loved Me — Jaws • 1978 — Wu zi tian shi — "Steel Hand" • Force 10 from Navarone — Captain Drazak • They Went That-A-Way & That-A-Way — Duke • 1979 — The Humanoid — Golob • Moonraker — Jaws — Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor • 1981 — So Fine — Eddie • 1983 — Hysterical — Captain Howdy • Phoenix — Steel Hand • 1984 — Aces Go Places 3 — "Big G" • Cannonball Run II — Arnold / Mitsubishi Driver • 1985 — Pale Rider — Club • Qing bao long hu men — Laszlo • 1989 — Think Big — Irving • 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 • Tangled — Vladimir — Voice (final film role)

• 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 • The Phantom — Mike "Big Mike" • Thriller — Master Styx — Episode: "Well of Doom" • 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 — Merry — Episode: "The Hong Kong Shilling Affair" • I Dream of Jeannie — Ali — Episode: "My Hero" • 1965–1966 — The Wild Wild West — Voltaire — Episodes: 1965: "The Night That Terror Stalked the Town", "The Night of the Whirring Death" 1966: "The Night the Wizard Shook the Earth" • 1966 — Honey West — Groalgo — Episode: "King of the Mountain" • My Mother the Car — Cracks — Episode: "A Riddler on the Roof" • Gilligan's Island — Ghost — Episode: "Ghost-a-Go-Go" • 1967 — The Monkees — Monster — Episode: "I Was a Teenage Monster" • The Monroes — Casmir — Episode: "Ghosts of Paradox" • 1968 — I Spy — Tiny — Episode: "A Few Miles West of Nowhere" • The Wild Wild West — Dimas — Episode: "The Night of the Simian Terror" • 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" • Emergency! — Carlo — Episode: "I'll Fix It" • 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" • Young Dan'l Boone — Unknown — Episode: "The Game" • The Incredible Hulk — 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"

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