Richard Kiel

Born in Detroit, Michigan, on September 13, 1939, Richard Kiel had a peculiar physique resulting from acromegaly, a rare condition that occurs when the body produces too much growth hormone. As a consequence he was 2.17 meters tall.

After working various jobs, such as a security guard, at the age of 20 he discovered that he could get a lot out of his appearance on the screen, and he began to appear playing giants in various television series. His work stands out in the cult episode “Serving Man”, from Twilight Zone , where he played a huge alien, who comes to earth assuring that he intends to help humanity. He became very popular as Voltaire, companion to the evil Dr. Loveless, in The Adventures of Jim West .

In cinema he began to stand out as a contract killer in the hilarious Chicago Express , and as an inmate in Robert Aldrich ‘s The Bonebreaker . Soon after, he was recruited to play his most iconic character, Jaws, a fictional steel-toothed assassin who assisted the evil Karl Stromberg in his fight against agent 007, Roger Moore , in The Spy Who Loved Me . He made such a splash that the producers brought him back for Moonraker , where he finally redeemed himself.

Later he continued working on papers without much importance, except for the fact that he participated in The Pale Rider , where he faced the character of Clint Eastwood , also director of the film, with a sledgehammer. He was chosen to play the green giant in The Incredible Hulk , but was eventually replaced by bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno . In 1992, he was in a serious car accident that left him with the need for a cane to walk.

Divorced from his first wife, Faye Daniels, Richard Kiel had four children with Diane Rogers, with whom he lived until his death.