Acting wasn’t in Richard Kiel’s blood – his parents ran an appliance store – but it was certainly in his teeth.
Kiel, who at nearly 7 feet 2 loomed over many a movie set, was famous for his portrayal of “Jaws,” a James Bond villain who chomped through funicular cables, killer sharks and unfortunate humans with a set of jagged, gleaming chromium steel teeth.
Kiel, who in real life was a gentle soul with a mischievous sense of humor, died Wednesday at a Fresno, Calif., hospital. He was 74.
Richard George Kiel, a Fresno physician, said his father had been laid up with a broken femur. The cause of his death has not yet been determined.
Kiel (pronounced KEEL) was born with acromegaly, a hormonal condition that can result in abnormal growth. After suffering head injuries in a 1992 traffic accident, he lost his sense of balance and eventually had to use a motorized scooter to get around.