Richard Kiel
Actor

Richard Kiel Net Worth

3 months ago

Richard Kiel was a towering 7' 2" actor who had a long career playing intimidating henchman, bayou swamp monsters, and steel toothed villains. He began his career in the late 1950s and early 1960s, appearing in minor roles in films and TV shows. His most famous role was as the unstoppable henchman "Jaws" in the 1977 Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. He reprised the role in the 1979 film Moonraker. In the 1990s, demand for Kiel's unique attributes dropped, leading to only a handful of roles. In 2002, he wrote his autobiography entitled "Making it BIG in the movies".
Richard Kiel is a member of Actor

Age, Biography and Wiki

Who is it? Actor, Writer, Producer
Birth Day September 13, 1939
Birth Place  Detroit, Michigan, United States
Age 81 YEARS OLD
Died On September 10, 2014(2014-09-10) (aged 74)\nFresno, California, U.S.
Birth Sign Libra
Cause of death Heart attack
Resting place Belmont Memorial Park, Fresno, California, U.S.
Occupation Actor, voice artist, comedian
Years active 1960–2014
Notable credit(s) Jaws in the James Bond films
Height 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m)
Spouse(s) Faye Daniels (m. 1960; div. 1973) Diane Rogers (m. 1974; his death 2014)
Children 4

💰 Net worth: $19 Million (2024)

Richard Kiel, a renowned American actor, writer, and producer, is reputed to have an impressive net worth of $19 million as of 2024. Kiel, who sadly passed away in 2014, left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry with his extraordinary talent and towering presence. Best remembered for his iconic performances as Jaws in the James Bond films, Kiel's remarkable career spanned several decades. Beyond acting, he ventured into writing and producing, showcasing his multi-faceted abilities and contributing to the creative landscape. With a successful career and numerous accolades to his name, Richard Kiel's legacy continues to resonate within the hearts of audiences worldwide.

Biography/Timeline

1960

Kiel broke into films in the early 1960s with Eegah (1962), which was later featured on Elvira's Movie Macabre and Mystery Science Theater 3000, as were The Phantom Planet and The Human Duplicators. He also produced, co-wrote, and starred in The Giant of Thunder Mountain. Kiel appeared as the towering — and lethal — assistant Voltaire to Dr. Miguelito Loveless in first-season episodes of The Wild, Wild West. He later appeared in the episode "The Night of the Simian Terror" as Dimas, the outcast son of a wealthy family, banished because of birth defects that distorted his body and apparently affected his mind. This episode is significant because it allowed Kiel the opportunity to really act rather than just look intimidating. Kiel also had a cameo role in a 1961 episode of The Rifleman.

1962

In television, Kiel portrayed the Kanamit alien in the now-classic The Twilight Zone episode "To Serve Man" (1962) and Dr. Miguelito Loveless' assistant, Voltaire, in first-season episodes of The Wild Wild West (1965-1966).

1963

From 1963 to 1965, Kiel worked as a night school math instructor in Burbank, California.

1967

In the Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode "The Vulcan Affair", Kiel appeared as a guard in Vulcan's plant, and he portrayed Merry in "The Hong Kong Shilling Affair". In 1967 he played a Monster in an episode of The Monkees ("I was a Teenage Monster").

1977

The James Bond-film producers spotted Kiel in Barbary Coast, and thought he was ideal for the role of Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). He was one of the few Bond-villains to appear in two Bond-films, later appearing in Moonraker (1979). He reprised his role of Jaws in the video game called James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing, supplying his voice and likeness. Prior to becoming Jaws, Kiel gave a similarly menacing performance as another metal-toothed villain, Reace, in Silver Streak (1976).

1992

In 1992, Kiel suffered a severe head injury in a car accident, which affected his balance. He was subsequently forced to walk with a cane to support himself (as shown in his appearance in Happy Gilmore, where he is seen leaning on a person or a cane). Later, Kiel used a scooter or wheelchair.

1996

While Kiel's roles as Jaws and Reace offered him little dialogue, his role in Happy Gilmore (1996) was quite the opposite. As Mr. Larson, Happy Gilmore's former employer, Kiel exchanges several one-liners with both Adam Sandler's Happy and Christopher McDonald's Shooter. Kiel took a quieter profile after Happy Gilmore's release, but left semi-retirement to record a role for Tangled (2010). In the acclaimed animated Disney film, he portrayed Vlad, a surprisingly soft-hearted thug who collects ceramic unicorns.

2014

On September 10, 2014, three days short of his 75th birthday, Kiel died at St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno, California, of a heart attack, possibly caused by coronary artery disease.

Some Richard Kiel images

Tags 1939 births 2014 deaths 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male comedians American comedians American male film actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors American male writers American people of German descent Disease-related deaths in California Male actors from Detroit People with acromegaly Writers from Detroit

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About the author

Lisa Scholfield

As a Senior Writer at Famous Net Worth, I spearhead an exceptional team dedicated to uncovering and sharing the stories of pioneering individuals. My passion for unearthing untold narratives drives me to delve deep into the essence of each subject, bringing forth a unique blend of factual accuracy and narrative allure. In orchestrating the editorial workflow, I am deeply involved in every step—from initial research to the final touches of publishing, ensuring each biography not only informs but also engages and inspires our readership.