He was the giant with metal teeth: Richard Kiel, known from the James Bond films “Moonraker” and “The Spy Who Loved Me”, has died at the age of 74 years.
The fake teeth were made of steel, cobalt and chromium, together they were the scariest bit of film history: Now as the James Bond opponent “The Biter” is become known actor Richard Kiel died. This was confirmed by his manager Steven Stevens and a spokeswoman for the Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno, California. Kiel was there last in treatment. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Kiel was in “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977) and “Moonraker – Top Secret” (1979) the opponent Roger Moore and thus became the most famous minor character in the James Bond series, but at least for the most indestructible: Jaws, as the Biter was officially called, survived plane crashes and train crashes. While talking of more than 2.10 meters tall giant in front of the camera only in exceptional cases, but gladly showed his fearsome teeth, with which he was able to crack Not even steel.
From the tooth-overset Kiel, who was actually a mathematics teacher and suffered from a hormonal disorder regularly badly on the set was – an unacceptable restriction for one who -Pulley became world famous by the “Jaws” and because of its popularity a second appearance as Bond-antipode got. He did, Kiel said later in an interview, suggested the producers in his first “Bond” to give his character more human qualities – and this probably exaggerated, “I was too sympathetic, so you could not just kill me.” In “Moonraker” of “Jaws” was allowed to trample not only through the scene, but also anschmachten a blonde.
Born in Detroit, Michigan actor was first known as the Series star and entered the sixties, inter alia, in the comedy “The Nutty Professor” on. He also turned off the 007-series numerous theatrical and television films; among other things, he worked with Gene Wilder and Clint Eastwood. Nevertheless, it was always associated with his role as a Bond villain.
“To this day I only go with sunglasses and hat against the door,” Kiel still said this year the “Daily Mail”. “People call else ‘Hey, Jaws!’, Even from the other side of the street from.”
Richard Kiel would have been on Saturday 75.
