Jaws actor from Bond films Richard Kiel dies at 74

FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2007 file photo, actor Roger Moore, right, who played the part of James Bond 007 in seven films, poses with actor Richard Kiel who played the role of Jaws in "The Spy Who Loved Me," during a ceremony honoring Moore with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. Kiel, the 7-foot-2-inch performer famously played the cable-chomping henchman who tussled with Moore's Bond in "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker" has died. He was 74. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, file) FILE - In this Oct. 11, 2007 file photo, actor Roger Moore, right, who played the part of James Bond 007 in seven films, poses with actor Richard Kiel who played the role of Jaws in "The Spy Who Loved Me," during a ceremony honoring Moore with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, in the Hollywood section of Los Angeles. Kiel, the 7-foot-2-inch performer famously played the cable-chomping henchman who tussled with Moore's Bond in "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker" has died. He was 74. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, file)

By Associated Press September 10, 2014 1 min read

FRESNO, Calif. (AP) – Richard Kiel, the towering actor best known for portraying steel-toothed villain Jaws in a pair of James Bond films, has died. He was 74.

Kelley Sanchez, director of communications at St. Agnes Medical Center, confirmed Wednesday that Kiel was a patient at the hospital and died. She declined to provide further details.

The 7-foot-2-inch performer famously played the cable-chomping henchman who tussled with Roger Moore’s Bond in “The Spy Who Loved Me” and “Moonraker.” His massive height was attributed to a hormonal condition called acromegaly.

Kiel’s other memorable film and TV appearances included roles as towering boss Mr. Larson in “Happy Gilmore,” lethal assistant Voltaire in “The Wild, Wild West” and extraterrestrial Kanamit in “The Twilight Zone.”

He published an autobiography in 2002 titled “Making It Big in the Movies.”