Richard Dawson Kiel net worth is $500 Thousand. Also know about Richard Dawson Kiel bio, salary, height, age weight, relationship and more …

Richard Dawson Kiel Wiki Biography

Richard Kiel was born on the 13th September 1939, in Detroit, Michigan USA, and was an actor, comedian, and voice artist, probably best known for his role as Jaws in the James Bond movies such as “The Spy Who Loved Me” (1977) and “Moonraker” (1979). Kiel’s career started in 1960 and ended in 2014 with his passing.

Have you ever wondered how rich Richard Kiel was at the moment of his death? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Kiel’s net worth was as high as $500,000, an amount earned through his successful acting career. In addition to playing in the movies, Kiel also worked in numerous TV series, which improved his wealth.

Richard Kiel grew up in Michigan, and from an early age he suffered from a hormonal condition known as acromegaly, which reflected on his height which grew to 217 cm. Before his acting career, Kiel worked various jobs including as a nightclub bouncer and a cemetery plot salesman.

In 1960, Kiel debuted on television in one episode of “Klondike”, while in 1961 he appeared in “The Phantom Planet” and the TV movie “The Phantom”. In 1962, he played in “Eegah” as a prehistoric caveman, and also in an episode of the cult series “The Twilight Zone”. Kiel continued with roles in such movies as “House of the Damned” (1963), “Lassie’s Great Adventure” (1963), and he also in four episodes of “The Wild Wild West” (1965-1968). In 1974, Kiel had a part in Robert Aldrich’s Oscar-nominated movie called “The Longest Yard” starring Burt Reynolds. In the mid-‘70s, Richard appeared in “Flash and the Firecat” (1975), “Gus” (1976), and in Arthur Hiller’s Oscar-nominated comedy “Silver Streak” (1976) alongside Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor, and Jill Clayburgh. From 1975 to 1976, Kiel played in 14 episodes of the Primetime Emmy Award-nominated series “Barbary Coast” with William Shatner and Doug McClure, all of which increased his net worth.

However, his most notable role came in 1977 when Kiel played the villain named Jaws in Lewis Gilbert’s Oscar-nominated “The Spy Who Loved Me” starring Roger Moore. With a budget of $14 million, the movie grossed over $185 million at the box office, and helped Kiel to increase his net worth significantly. He ended the ‘70s with “Force 10 from Navarone” (1978) starring Harrison Ford, had a lead role in “The Humanoid” (1979), and played Jaws again in “Moonraker” (1979) with Roger Moore, which earned more than $210 million worldwide and received an Oscar nomination.

In the ‘80s, Kiel had a few notable roles including in “Phoenix” (1983), “Cannonball Run II” (1984) with Burt Reynolds, Dom DeLuise, and Frank Sinatra, and in Clint Eastwood’s western “Pale Rider” (1985). Because of his health problems, Kiel’s acting career drastically slowed down, but he still appeared in such movies as “The Giant of Thunder Mountain” (1991) and “Happy Gilmore” (1996) starring Adam Sandler. Most recently, he played in David Kellogg’s “Inspector Gadget” (1999) alongside Matthew Broderick and Rupert Everett, and he filmed “The Engagement Ring”, but the production details are unknown since he died.

Kiel also wrote and published his autobiography entitled “Making It Big in the Movies” in 2002.

Regarding his personal life, Richard Kiel was married to Faye Daniels from 1960 to 1973, and later to Diane Rogers from 1974 until his death. He has four children and nine grandchildren. Kiel was a born-again Christian, and his religion helped him to overcome alcoholism. He injured his head in a car accident in 1992, and from then he had problems with his balance, using a cane for support, and later a scooter and a wheelchair. In September 2014, Richard Kiel died of a heart attack at St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno, California.

IMDB Wikipedia $500 Thousand 1939 1939-9-13 2014-09-10 7′ 1½” (2.17 m) Actor Adam Sandler American Bennett Kiel Burt Reynolds Christopher Kiel Detroit Diane Rogers Diane Rogers (m. 1974–2014) Dom DeLuise Faye Daniels (m. 1960–1973) Frank Sinatra Gene Wilder Happy Gilmore (1996) Jennifer Kiel Jill Clayburgh Matthew Broderick Michigan Moonraker (1979) producer Richard Dawson Kiel Richard George Kiel Richard Kiel Net Worth Richard Pryor Robert Aldrich Roger Moore Rupert Everett September 13 Tangled (2010) The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) U.S. Virgo Writer

Richard Dawson Kiel Quick Info

Richard Dawson Kiel Trademarks

1. Towering height and menacing frame

Richard Dawson Kiel Quotes

• It is always more fun to play a bad guy than to be yourself as you can create a character unlike your own and be someone you are not for a change.
• Once a Bond fan, always a Bond fan.
• I am actually 7 foot and and one-half inches tall. I say Seven two because it’s easier. Unlike some tall skinny guys I am really ‘big’ weighing around 350 pounds.
• Not only did God deliver me from the bondage of alcoholism, he also blessed my family financially because of my commitment to honor what he had done for me and for not doing what I believed could possibly be destructive to others.
• To be loved is important as is having a sense of accomplishment but to love is equally important in life especially when it is combined with taking action to do something for someone else to make their life better.

Richard Dawson Kiel Important Facts

• Died 3 days before his 75th birthday after a fall at home in which he broke his leg. He may have died from the amount of anaesthetic because of his height.
• Was very good friends with Roger Moore. Between his friendship with Moore and the popularity of Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me(1977), he was asked to come back for Moonraker(1979).
• Despite often playing big, scary people in his career, he was well-known for being a very kind and friendly man who was friends with many people he worked with.
• He died three days shy of his 75th birthday.
• Lived in a custom built house with the floor a few feet below ground level.
• In Spain, he is known as “Tiburón”.
• Signed autographs at The Mad Monster Party in Charlotte, NC on March 21-23, 2014. Was also on a Twilight Zone Panel on March 22nd with William Shatner and Anne Serling, Rod Serling’s daughter.
• Signed autographs and sold books at OmegaCon. [March 2008]
• Walnut Creek, CA: Attended the Vintage Toys & Memorabilia Show [April 2013]
• Attended The Scandinavian Sci-Fi, Game & Film Convention in Helsingborg, Sweden [October 2009]
• Signing autographs at the Sims and Hankow Astronaut Autograph Show in Burbank, California, due to his portrayal of “Ali” in I Dream of Jeannie (1965). Uses a walking stick normally, but at convention he uses a battery powered scooter. [September 2004]
• Wrote his autobiography “Making It BIG In The Movies. Published by Reynolds & Hearne of London, England. [2002]
• Attended The Scandinavian Sci-Fi, Game & Film Convention in Stockholm, Sweden. [October 2003]
• Autograph session at Bally’s Hotel/Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada. [December 2006]
• Completed Kentucky Lion, The Cassius Marcellus Clay Story, a historical novel which is co-authored by Pamela Wallace who co-wrote the Academy Award winning screenplay for the movie, Witness (1985), with Harrison Ford. [2003]
• Beaulieu, Hampshire, UK: Selling books and signing autographs at the Motor Museum [May 2013]
• Attended Wondercon in San Francisco, signing autographs. [February 2009]
• Signing autographs at a DVD-Trading market in Cologne, Germany. [January 2004]
• Attended The Scandinavian Sci-Fi, Game & Film Convention in Malmö, Sweden. [May 2000]
• Working on his third book which is “You can be a supersalesman using Christian principles.” [2003]
• He was terrified of heights, something not helped by Kiel’s gigantic size. He often shuddered at some of the stunts he had to perform as Jaws, so Martin Grace, Roger Moore’s stunt double, would fill in for him. He did a superb job of capturing Kiel’s movements even though he was a foot shorter, but when watching the films, nobody could tell them apart.
• Offered the role of Chewbacca, but turned it down in favor of playing Jaws. He preferred Jaws because he felt he could bring more to the role whereas Chewbacca required a full costume. Taking the role also meant working for scale and Kiel had been working for so long that he felt such a low salary was beneath him.
• Interviewed in Tom Weaver’s books “Eye on Science Fiction” (McFarland & Co., 2003) and “A Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde” (McFarland & Co., 2010).
• His son “Richard George” appears in the film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). He is the little boy on the beach pointing to the upcoming car that “James Bond” is driving from the water.
• Appeared in a National Geographic special produced by David L. Wolper in which he portrayed Big Foot.
• Owns a film production company in Oakhurst, California.
• Worked as a bouncer at a Los Angeles nightclub, before being recruited by Arch Hall Sr. for the lead role in Eegah (1962).
• In 1992 he was in a serious automobile accident that affected his auto-balance, and he now walks using a walking stick or rides a battery-powered scooter around if he has to go very far. In Happy Gilmore (1996) he is never seen walking and almost all of his scenes are from the waist up. There are only two full body scenes and both times he is leaning on something. The first is a post, the second is a man.
• Once said that people are always confusing him with André the Giant, Fred Gwynne (“Herman Munster” from The Munsters (1964)), or Ted Cassidy (“Lurch” from The Addams Family (1964)), all of whom are deceased.
• Original choice to play the title character in the television series The Incredible Hulk (1978). After 2 days of filming it was decided that he was not “bulky” enough for the role. He was paid for the two movies of the week and replaced by Lou Ferrigno. He was happy this happened because he only had sight in one eye and the full contact lenses were bothering him.
• He is best known for playing Jaws, a giant and seemingly unstoppable assassin with steel teeth who battled James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979).

Richard Dawson Kiel Filmography

Richard Dawson Kiel Awards