Actor Richard Kiel dead

http://fridaynightboys300.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/richard-kiel-rip.html
Obituary - and a 1963 pic of Kiel with the Beach Boys...

 

He seems like a good sport in this clip. I'm surprised Gene didn't quip back, "Don't you mean, 'Speak up!'"

 

He did get redeemed in Moonraker. So far as I can remember, he's the only Bond villain to become one of the good guys.

 

God Bless him and his loved ones.

 

As a kid I found that Keil's Jaws character was the kind of comic-book villain I was looking for, he was also amusing in the role and helped open the door for the Bond films to me. Rest in peace.

 

I know Moonraker gets crapped on pretty frequently here on the forums whenever a James Bond discussion comes up... but it was the first Bond film I ever saw as a kid, so I've always had a soft spot for it... and of course, Richard Kiel's performance as Jaws was one of the most memorable aspects of the movie. (It didn't seem to take much convincing for Jaws to become a good guy, though...)

 

I think you just figured out the fate of our planet's missing 2% on that new HBO series.
After all the show is called The Leftovers.

 

I run a Facebook Group page for the late 'little person' actor Michael Dunn. One of the members of the group reached out to Richard to get his thoughts about working with Michael on the TV series The Wild, Wild, West. I wouldn't share this while he was alive, unless he gave permission. Now that he's passed, I think it's okay to share this 'letter'. Richard was a very thoughtful man, and he was very candid and frank about the good and bad:

Dear Michael

I read the information about Michael Dunn on the web page that you sent me a link to with great interest especially the comments of Phoebe Dorin.

There is no question that Michael Dunn was a genius with a photographic memory and that he overcame great obstacles as an actor who happened to be a dwarf.

I saw and felt some of his pain working closely with him and I shared the demons of alcohol that caused him to not to be able to stop drinking to excess.

I was addicted to alcohol at one time in my life but through the help of prayer and agreeing with other Christians I was able to be set free from these influences in my life that were causing me to drink to excess.

Today, I can have a margarita but rarely have more than one and do not drink to excess.

Michael suffered from a disease that affected his bones and there was no cure for it. I had a tumour of the pituitary gland that caused excessive growth hormone and my body to continue to grow beyond puberty. Fortunately I sought treatment and through radiation and medication brought the growth problem under control and was able to be a loving husband, father of four and grandfather to six grandchildren that will be soon total seven.

Like Phoebe I admired and respected Michael for his talent and for being able to break free of the stereotype roles that would normally be given to a man of his stature.

Like Phoebe I also encountered a side of Michael that could be very hurtful. He came off of an Academy Award nomination for Ship of Fools unto the Wild Wild West set. I, on the other hand was still a struggling actor trying desparately to break free of type casting myself.

Because of the acclaim Michael had received from his role in Ship of Fools, Michael was given special treatment and was if not pampered certainly catered to.

I did not begrudge him this as I could see that he was in a lot of pain and was having trouble walking. I cerainly wouldn't have wanted to trade place with him.

In scenes when he was singing with Phoebe I tried to find things to do to keep from looking like a big dummy just sitting there. I got the prop man to give me a little bag containing licorice and while they were singing I undid my little bag and popped a licorice into my mouth. I also tapped my feet to the music which the director shot a closeup of.

Robert Conrad got a kick out of what I was doing and made jokes about it.

I did not say a word in the first two episodes I did with Michael and when I held out for dialogue in the third episode CBS casting told my agent no dialogue take it or leave it.

I shared this with Bob while working on on Honey West at the same studio and suddenly I was going to have dialogue.

When I got the revised script with dialogue I made arrangements to run a full page ad in the trades to bring the show to the attention of the industry.

Getting the dialogue and running the ad proved to be my undoing as far as working on the Wild, Wild West with Michael Dunne. The photo I used for the ad had me on the left and Michael on the right so naturally my name was first. This caused an upset with Michael Dunn as he surmised that CBS or the producers of the show had run the ad and he was not happy with it.

I also ran a full-page ad for the Honey West show I was in as I had a very good guest starring role with oodles of dialogue.

Like Phoebe I found myelf canceled from further Dr. Loveles/ Voltaire appearances on the show.

I knew that the show liked me as they cast me in a very dramatic role as Dimas in "The night of the Simian Terror."

My career was well on its way and as memories of the Wild Wild West faded into the sunset I found myself working with Michael Dunn again on a western television series called the Monroes. Michael played Nemo the side show dwarf and I played Casmir the strong man. This time we were on an equal footing as my role was every bit as good as Michael's.

I never did completely break away from the "giant" roles but I was able to make them more interesting. I was blessed to act in a great variety of characters as Captain Drazac in "Force 10 From Navarrone," "The Silver Streak," "Cannonball Run II," "The Longest Yard," "Pale Rider." and others.

As a man turning 75 next month I am saddened to think of why a tremendous talent like Michael Dunn had his life cut so short by alcohol.

Perhaps we can learn a great deal about life and its pitfalls through experiences like those that Michael Dunn endured so we can cope with them when they come along.

Richard Kiel

 

Don't forget his unforgettable (though small) role in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It's near the beginning of the film once the two leads return to their hideout. I can't say any more than that. Great actor. RIP.

 

Richard Kiel wasn't in BC&TSK. You're probably confusing him with Ted Cassidy ("Lurch" from the Addams Family) who did appear in BC&TSK, playing the character "Harvey Logan".

 

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