Richard Kiel Net Worth

Richard Kiel's Quotes

• To be loved is important, as is having a sense of accomplishment, but to love is equally important in life, especially when it is combined with taking action to do something for someone else to make their life better.
• Not only did God deliver me from the bondage of alcoholism, he also blessed my family financially because of my commitment to honor what he had done for me and for not doing what I believed could possibly be destructive to others.
• I am actually 7'1-1/2" tall. I say 7'2" because it's easier. Unlike some tall skinny guys, I am really "big", weighing around 350 pounds.
• Once a Bond fan, always a Bond fan.
• It is always more fun to play a bad guy than to be yourself, as you can create a character unlike your own and be someone you are not for a change.

Interesting Facts about Richard Kiel

1. Best known for playing "Jaws", a giant and seemingly unstoppable assassin with steel teeth who battled James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979).
2. Original choice to play the title character in the TV series The Incredible Hulk (1977). After two days of filming it was decided that he was not "bulky" enough for the role. He was paid for the two movies of the week and replaced by Lou Ferrigno. He was happy this happened because he only had sight in one eye and the full contact lenses were bothering him.
3. Once said that people are always confusing him with André the Giant, Fred Gwynne ("Herman Munster" from The Munsters (1964)), or Ted Cassidy ("Lurch" from The Addams Family (1964)), all of whom are deceased.
4. In 1992 he was in a serious automobile accident that affected his auto-balance, and afterwards walked using a walking stick or riding a battery-powered scooter around if he has to go very far. In Happy Gilmore (1996) he is never seen walking and almost all of his scenes are from the waist up. There are only two full-body scenes and both times he is leaning on something--the first is a post, the second is a man.
5. Worked as a bouncer at a Los Angeles nightclub before being recruited by Arch Hall Sr. for the lead role in Eegah (1962).
6. Owned a film production company in Oakhurst, CA.
7. Appeared in a National Geographic special produced by David L. Wolper in which he portrayed Big Foot.
8. His son "Richard George" appears in the film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). He is the little boy on the beach pointing to the upcoming car that "James Bond" is driving from the water.
9. Interviewed in Tom Weaver's books "Eye on Science Fiction" (McFarland & Co., 2003) and "A Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde" (McFarland & Co., 2010).
10. Offered the role of Chewbacca in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977), but turned it down in favor of playing "Jaws" in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). He preferred "Jaws" because he felt he could bring more to the role, whereas Chewbacca required a full costume. Taking the role also meant working for scale and he had been working for so long that he felt such a low salary was beneath him.
11. Was terrified of heights, something not helped by his gigantic size. He often shuddered at some of the stunts he had to perform as "Jaws", so Martin Grace, Roger Moore's stunt double, would fill in for him. The stuntman did a superb job of capturing Kiel's movements, even though he was a foot shorter, but when watching the films, nobody could tell them apart.
12. Working on his third book which is "You can be a supersalesman using Christian principles." [2003]
13. Attended The Scandinavian Sci-Fi, Game & Film Convention in Malmö, Sweden. [May 2000]
14. Signed autographs at a DVD trading market in Cologne, Germany. [January 2004]
15. Attended Wondercon in San Francisco, signing autographs. [February 2009]
16. Beaulieu, Hampshire, UK: Selling books and signing autographs at the Motor Museum [May 2013]
17. Completed Kentucky Lion, The Cassius Marcellus Clay Story, a historical novel which is co-authored by Pamela Wallace who co-wrote the Academy Award winning screenplay for the movie, Witness (1985), with Harrison Ford. [2003]
18. Attended autograph session at Bally's Hotel/Casino, Las Vegas, NV. [December 2006]
19. Attended The Scandinavian Sci-Fi, Game & Film Convention in Stockholm, Sweden. [October 2003]
20. Wrote his autobiography "Making It BIG In The Movies. Published by Reynolds & Hearne of London, England. [2002]