Richard Kiel

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Richard Kiel (2014)

Richard Dawson Kiel (born September 13, 1939 in Detroit , Michigan - † September 10, 2014 in Fresno , California ) was an American actor . He became known for his role as a walker in the James Bond films The Spy Who Loved Me and James Bond 007 - Moonraker - Top Secret . But he also played later in feature films, e.g. B. in Pale Rider - The Nameless Rider by Clint Eastwood .

life and career

The grandparents of Richard Kiel are originally from the same town of Kiel in Germany , as in a TV appearance with 1979 Rudi Carrell confirmed. Exceptional was his height of 2.18 meters, which was due to the hormonal disorder acromegaly . At the age of 18 he was already over two meters tall. Kiel was originally a math teacher until a producer noticed him and gave him a guest role in an episode of the series At the Foot of the Blue Mountains . From then on, he kept appearing in television series and soon became a familiar face on American television.

In 1976 Kiel played the "giant guy with the not very attractive set of teeth" in Trans-America-Express called Reace , which was made entirely of steel teeth. In the mid-1970s, the producers of the James Bond series became aware of him. They gave him the role of the "walker" in The Spy Who Loved Me , a character who does not appear in the novel of the same name. Kiel had to wear metal teeth that made him feel sick. So Roger Moore recalled z. For example, because he “couldn't see” when Kiel choked and had to tear the bit out of his mouth. However, Kiel later said that he had great fun shooting and that the bit was only a minor evil.

Since Kiel was so popular with the test audience as a “bitch”, the authors did not let him die (as is usual in Bond films). When the film hit theaters in the late 1970s, it became a hit, and Kiel became even more popular than he had thought: The walker was not only very popular among James Bond fans , but also became a classic antihero par excellence. The producers let Kiel play the walker again in Moonraker - Top Secret . Part of the plot of the film had been relocated to space due to the tremendous success of Star Wars .

Since a car accident in 1991, Kiel had been using a walking aid or a battery-powered wheelchair for longer distances because he had problems with his balance. Kiel died on September 10, 2014, 3 days before his 75th birthday at Saint Agnes Medical Center Hospital in Fresno . He was admitted there a week earlier after breaking his leg.

Kiel was married to Faye Daniels from 1960 to 1973. The marriage remained childless and ended in divorce. From 1974 until his death he was married to Diane Rogers for the second time. From this marriage there were four children.

Filmography

Web links

Commons : Richard Kiel  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Biography about Richard Kiel at science-fiction-filme.com
  2. ↑ Trans-America-Express (1976), 0: 36'30 ″ (original: "A large man with not-very-attractive dental work".)
  3. ↑ Legendary James Bond villain: "Beißer" Richard Kiel dies . , Spiegel Online, September 11, 2014; accessed on September 11, 2014
personal data
SURNAME Kiel, Richard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kiel, Richard Dawson (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-American actor
DATE OF BIRTH September 13, 1939
PLACE OF BIRTH Detroit , Michigan
DATE OF DEATH September 10, 2014
Place of death Fresno , California