Richard Kiel, the tall, oversized lumbering hulk of a man, who carved a niche in Hollywood with his many character roles, highlights being the villainous Jaws in the James Bond films The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker, has died at the age of 74.

The cause of death is not specified, but Kiel had suffered a broken leg last week reports Just Jared. It is not immediately known if Kiel’s death was due to complications from the leg injury.

Kiel, who was to celebrate his 75th birthday this Saturday had he lived, definitely carved one of the more eclectic and unique kind of Hollywood careers, which spanned television and film.

Early TV stints included The Wild, Wild West and The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and he was in the running to have played the TV incarnation of The Incredible Hulk before Lou Ferrigno wound up getting that titular role. His films ranged from the gridiron on the prison grounds comedy The Longest Yard (the original 1974 version), the comedy/thriller Silver Streak with Richard Pryor, and Happy Gilmore with Adam Sandler, to lighthearted children’s and family fare like Lassie’s Great Adventure and the mule with a kick and then some, Disney’s Gus.

In all of them, and especially the Bond films, Kiel could either switch gears from gentle giant to a menacing towering hulk. As Jaws in the aforementioned Bond films, his metallic grill, adorned over his teeth to create a gnawing, thrashing kind of sky-high tall enfant terrible, Richard Kiel was many things to different people–cult hero to some, memorable character actor to all. A presence that big cannot be forgotten; it would be impossible to fathom such a thought.

Richard Kiel was like a walking billboard that bore the legend, “larger than life,” and now our memories of the man will bear that legend as well.

[Source: JustJared]