In 2006, I met Richard again at Autographica in London. He recognised me and commented on how smart I was. I liked the bit of the CBn interview where he says, "...Bond fans are not “geeks” although maybe one out of a thousand fancies himself as Bond and comes wearing a tux (whew!)" He signed my two Jeff Marshall lithos - The Spy Who Loved Me & Moonraker. He also signed a photo that Roger Moore had also signed. He had a long chat with me, talking about his family, and telling me how he got into acting.
I also met Richard Kiel in Birmingham in March 2005. I bought a copy of his autobiography which he signed for me.
I first met Richard Kiel at Collectormania, held at Milton Keynes in 2004. He signed my Sideshow model.
Wikipedia and IMDb have lots of fascinating information, and Richard has his own fan club website too for more about this 'Big Friendly Giant'.
In the 'CBn Interview' which everyone should read (see link below), Kiel selects The Wild, Wild West and The Longest Yard as two other roles that were key to his career. He also says why he wrote his autobiography Making it BIG in the Movies.
Despite being a 'henchman', Jaws popularity was such that he appeared again in the next Bond film Moonraker (1979), this time with his tiny girl friend Dolly. In Moonraker, Jaws is more of a comic character who becomes an ally of 007 by the end of the film.
Interestingly, Kiel's young son also appears in the film, as the little boy who points to Bond's car as it emerges from the water.
In the CBn interview, Kiel recalls that "The teeth were made by a dental technician near Pinewood who was only able to forge one set out of heavy chromium or cobalt steel. The uncomfortable part was that they went up into the roof of my mouth and that, combined with the taste of metal, created a gagging effect. I was only able to keep them in for a minute or so at a time.....!"
Many small roles in TV and films followed, but in 1977 came the James Bond film that brought him real fame The Spy Who Loved Me. His character was the steel-toothed Jaws, one of the most famous villains to have graced the silver screen.
Richard Kiel was born in Detroit in 1939, and is 7' 2" tall. After having various jobs, including night club bouncer, his first film role was as The Solarite in The Phantom Planet (1961).
I had my photo taken with Richard, who then asked me if I wanted another one with his famous 'head-crunch' pose. How could I resist?!
He said some nice things about Clint Eastwood (who he knows very well) saying how good a director he is, and how his films are always within budget, and also finished on time.
himself & Roger Moore in Moonraker
Richard Kiel signed this photograph for me of
Richard Kiel as Jaws
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Richard Kiel (1939-2014)
Richard Kiel died on September 10th 2014.