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Richard Kiel, RIP FRESNO, Calif.–Richard Kiel, whose towering height and distinctive baritone voice defined his nearly 50-year career in television and films, most notably as the steely toothed James Bond villain Jaws, died at a hospital here Sept. 10. He was 74.MSTies will remember him as Dr. Kolos in the movie in episode 420- THE HUMAN DUPLICATORS, the Solarite in the movie in episode 902- THE PHANTOM PLANET and, of course, for the title role in the movie in episode 506- EEGAH! 51 Replies to “Richard Kiel, RIP”Commenting at Satellite News
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Appropriate that I re-watched Human Duplicators last night. R.I.P., Mr. Kiel, you’ll always be someone to look up to.
RIP Richard. Hope they get some lovely ladies to give you one more good shave.
Sorry to hear this.
I Thought he was good in ‘Happy Gilmore’, one of the few roles to allow him to show a different side of himself.
Stemlo, sweet chariot. Comin’ for to carry you home.
Rest in Peace. Never heard an unkind word about him. Another huge star in the constellation MST3K. :star:
He was the last of his kind. RIP Richard, a larger (in many senses of the word) star than Hollywood could handle. We’ll miss your steely grin, and especially your ability to chase dimwitted teenagers and incompetent adult explorers through the desert.
Speaking of a certain quote in a solarite movie… This could be
the origin of it:
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“Every year of my life I grow more convinced that it is wisest and best to fix our attention on the beautiful and the good, and dwell as little as possible on the evil and the false.” Richard Cecil
A bit about Richard Cecil …
Richard Cecil (born London, England November 8, 1748; died Hampstead, England August 15, 1810) was a leading Evangelical Anglican clergyman of the 18th and 19th centuries.
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Two interesting early career roles. Marshall Dillon as the Thing in The Thing From Another World,
and Richard Kiel as a Solarite. Well, at least he didn’t have to have the mute girl shave him.
Kiel was just in his early 70s. Too soon. Too tall guys die sooner? I’d note Wilt Chamberlain, but
then Bill Russell has aged well.
Eegah, May you Shtemlo with the angels.
Richard Kiel was a sweet, gentle man and not a strong enough actor to hide it. Sure, he looked menacing in The Spy Who Loved Me, but you can’t believe him as a real threat; he was just too nice a guy. Why else do you think they had Jaws save the day in Moonraker? Now he joins the pantheon of noble movie monsters.
Eegah is survived by his petrified mother, father, sister and grandmother. Mourners are asked to bring shaving gear and bitter water. Donations in honor of EEgah to can be made out to the Watch out for Snakes Society of America.
Mr Kiel you will be missed! :cry:
Very sad, he sounded like a truly nice person based on both what his colleagues and fans who met him in person have said.
RIP Mr. Kiel. You will be missed by all MSTies everywhere.
“Kiel was just in his early 70s. Too soon. Too tall guys die sooner? I’d note Wilt Chamberlain, but
then Bill Russell has aged well.”
Kiel had gigantism, which often leads to death at a younger age. So at 74 he lasted pretty long.
To Richard Kiel: “STEMLO!”
RIP big guy…Long before MST3K,I enjoyed watching you on Gilligan’s Island,The Monkees,Twilight Zone,the movie Moonraker;just to name a few and now with Eegah and The Human Duplicators..You were loved by all of us and our thoughts and prayers go out to your family…Thanks for the memories..Stemlo to you from all of us…
Don’t go, Richard…. It’s a COOKBOOK!
RIP
Richard Kiel will forever be the Kanamits to me (he played all of them in the classic Twilight Zone episode):
“Height a little over nine feet, weight in the neighborhood of 300 pounds. Motives, therein hangs a tale.” Rod Serling, To Serve Man, The Twilight Zone.
RIP, Mr. Kiel.
Another great one gone.
RIP Richard. Watch out for snakes.
I was looking him up on Wikipedia last night after I heard of his passing. I thought he was only in a couple of episodes, but he was in four. The one not mentioned in the article was The Magic Sword. What’s funny is he’s one of those actors you wouldn’t think you’d miss, but somehow I seem to watch the episodes besides Eegah and never really notice he was in there.
Besides the MST3K episodes, I have seen him in old clips of Match Game. You really could get the sense he was a gentle giant and very friendly. It’s not real surprising to find out he was a fan of the show, because he didn’t take himself too seriously. He would have been an awesome dinner guest in his time.
Richard Kiel elevates every movie he’s in. That’s both a lousy joke and sincerely meant praise.
Thanks, Richard, for being a star.
Eegah! The Human Duplicators to Serve Man?
I just watched “To Serve Man” the other night, weird that he passed away so soon after. He sounded like a really good natured individual with a big heart. He will be missed.
Of course even scarier than To Serve Man was the Simpson’s
Treehouse of Horror episode where the cookbook said
“How to Cook People”, no wait it’s “How to Cook for People”.
Hold it, it’s How to Cook forty People!”
ready4sumfootball: The reason “The Magic Sword” is not included is that he is not listed in the IMDB as being in that movie. The IMDB is our guide.
Richard Kiel! A real star for once!
Richard was an amazing man.. I had the pleasure of hosting him at many conventions over the years. I was lucky enough to facilitate the meeting of him and Joel, Trace, Frank & J Elvis back in 2008 in San Jose.
His smile and laugh will be sorely missed. Truly a “gentle giant.” He was a Nor Cal fixture.
RIP Richard..
Of course I remember him in Eegah!. TV fans will also remember him as Ali on an I Dream of Jeannie episode, and the ghost on a Gilligan’s Island episode.
RIP
I got to speak to him once on a radio show – I was a caller and I asked him what he thought of MST3k. He was a great sport and said he was grateful for those roles.
Good guy.
good night sweet eegah.
let me say this, moonraker was a good film (the plot is somewhat to be desired) but again because of some movie that come out in 1977, everyone wanted to do a film like that (see blackhole and the first star trek film)
Like I suggested a while back, someone should put together an “In Memorium” video for all of the MSTed alumni we’ve lost over the year. Something tasteful, like what TCM does each year.
There were giants in those days…
I remembered her purse. I mean…. he REMEMBERED HER PURSE! What a gaaah, egah!
RIP
Scott Armstrong, does that mean you got Richard Kiel to meet Joel and the gang? How did that go?
In any case, RIP Richard Kiel.
“I WILL GET YOU SHOOTER!!! HOLD STILL!!!!”
Voltaire and Dr. Loveless are at last reunited…
Sampo: I looked again on the Wikipedia page. It said he was in that movie last night, but since then it’s been removed from the list of movies he was in. So yeah, he may not have been in it at all. Hmm…
This is so sad…
I remember him in so many roles.
He had a good career, quite a resume!
He was in ‘Silver Streak’ w/ Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor. One of my favorite movies.
RIP gentle giant, you will be missed.
“Well, here’s to us.”
RetroTV has moved up Eegah to play this weekend in tribute to Mr. Kiel.
#34.. Look on Joel’s Facebook page, and he gives a little story about it in his memorial today. I also linked a photo on Trace & Joel’s page last night of them talking to him at the show.
“Check it out! God has an oven in the living room!”
RIP, good sir.
Loved him in Cannonball Run II.
Watch out for Bummers! :-(( :cry:
RIP, ya big lug.
http://squealingtiresondirt.blogspot.com/2014/09/rip-richard-kiel.html
A couple of Richard Kiel stories…
He lived in the Sierra foothills above Fresno for a number of years, and was a great supporter of the public television station in town. My wife worked there and was the official Celeb Escorter; she said he was a nice guy who would come in to do Pledge Week promos. Typical was for him to be at a mike, being interviewed at the station, and he’d close by making a request for a pledge, whereupon the camera would zoom in, he’d bare his teeth, glare, make a gigantic fist, and growl.
I just asked my wife how frequently Mr. Kiel showed up at the station; she said, frequently, to do pledge work, promos, maybe half a dozen times while she was there, and that (again) he was just a sweetie.
No secret: by his own account he had a serious alcoholism problem for years, which he overcame by turning to religion. I’d have to guess that the damage done from the alcohol, plus the additional problems from acromegaly, contributed to shortening his life. He will be missed.
@42
and Happy Gilmore.
Bummed to hear this news, especially with all the stories about how “down to Earth” he was coming to light upon his death. RIP.
Damn. He died before they could duplicate him.
So long, big man. You were enjoyed.
Reading these made me tear up a little. Can’t believe he’s gone.
@ 31 – I LOVE that idea!
@31 – Count me in on that one, as well! That would be really wonderful. I feel like we’ve lost a lot of them this year.
Also… “Eegah” just started on RetroTV… very appropriate, and spooky timing. Wonder if it was done on purpose to pay tribute?
Rest in peace, big guy. Say hi to William Burroughs, William Burroughs, William Burroughs, and Rose Kennedy for me.
You will be missed.