In Memoriam: Richard Kiel

Richard Kiel, perhaps best remembered as the Bond villain Jaws and Mr. Larson in “Happy Gilmore,” passed away today at the age of 74. No other details were released on the cause of death.

Kiel was a literal giant at 7 foot 2 inches, his height being attributed to a condition known as acromegaly. He famously told Shooter McGavin that he’d be waiting for him in the parking lot, and just as famously tussled with James Bond as the uber-henchman Jaws in both “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “Moonraker.”

In perhaps his most iconic moment in those films, he famously fought with Bond high up in the air on top of a cable car. Jaws also tussled with Bond in mid-air over a parachute in one of the best stunt sequences in the Roger Moore era films. He also found love on the Moonraker space station and sacrificed his life to save Bond.  Awwwwww. . . .

But it was Kiel’s smile with those giant metal teeth that always got me the most. It was both menacing and charming at the same time– the way a Bond henchman ought to be. 

Swank-mo-tron and I reviewed both “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “Moonraker” as part of our “30 Days of Bond” last Fall. You can read the full reviews of both films and hear exactly how bad those movies were and how awesome Kiel was in the role of Jaws.

The Spy Who Loved Me

Moonraker