LICENCE TO KIEL: JAWS FROM JAMES BOND

The henchman Jaws, who was first seen in the epic James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) was played by the 7 ft 2 in tall. Richard Kiel.

The towering henchman’s name is of course a homage to the Steven Spielberg shark film from two years earlier. We even get Jaws chomping down on a shark with his teeth at the end of Spy, swiftly ending the debate whether Jaws the man or Jaws the fish would win in a showdown. I love it as he smiles with glee as he emerges as victor.

Perhaps if Jaws 3 - People 0 had made it to screens the shark could have returned the favour and taken him out?

James Bond was no stranger to riffing on popular culture, already doffing its 007 cap to the likes of blaxploitation in Live and Let Die (1973), the kung-fu craze in The Man With The Golden Gun (1974). And of course, would head into space on the back of the success of Star Wars (1977) in Moonraker. A film which would see the return of Jaws and his metal teeth, which was the first time we had seen a henchman return in the series.

For me. Jaws from James Bond was as much a part of me growing up as was the film Jaws, and at times he could be just as menacing and nightmare inducing. Step forward the carnival scene in Moonraker.

The Bond films were where Kiel was mostly recognised, but he had appeared as another henchman in the first screen pairing of Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor, in Silver Streak (1976). The Jaws actor would feature alongside Quint himself, Robert Shaw, in Force 10 From Navarone (1978).

He’d also go onto to appear in the Clint Eastwood western, Pale Rider (1985), The Cannonball Run 2 (1984) opposite Jackie Chan and a memorable turn in the Adam Sandler golfing comedy, Happy Gilmore (1996).

Kiel did return as Jaws, during a bizarre turn at the Oscars when the Oscar-nominated song from For Your Eyes Only (1981) was being performed by Sheena Easton. It really needs to be seen to be believed. He’d pay homage to the Jaws character in the live-action version of Inspector Gadget (1999) and also voice him for the James Bond videogames Everything Or Nothing and 007 Legends.

On TV he appeared in everything from The Twilight Zone to Kolchak The Night Stalker, and was the original person cast in The Incredible Hulk Tv series, starring Bill Bixby. He was let go from the role after a couple of weeks as wasn’t deemed bulky enough. Lou Ferrigno would fill his torn pants.

One of the most famous action sequences which he featured in was the parachute fight scene in the pre-titles credit sequence from Moonraker. That was performed by a stuntman, which was probably a good thing as the towering actor was ironically scared of heights.

Richard Kiel, who had both a huge heart – not to mention huge hands, he could fit Roger Moore’s head in them – died on September 10, 2014. He was 74 and passed away just three days shy of his 75th birthday.

FURTHER READING: JAWS BOND

Words by Dean Newman

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