Richard Kiel stood seven feet, two inches tall. That is the first thing you have to wrap your head around when talking about the character Jaws. Bond movies usually rely on gadgets or sleek assassins to create tension, but with Jaws, the tension was purely physical. He didn’t need a laser watch. He just needed to walk into the frame.
He was massive.
When The Spy Who Loved Me hit theaters in 1977, audiences weren't exactly expecting a horror monster to show up in a spy flick. But that is exactly what they got. Jaws wasn't just a henchman; he was an unstoppable force of nature with a mouthful of cobalt-steel teeth that could bite through a shark cage or a padlock like it was warm butter. It’s actually kinda wild that a character who never speaks a single word (until the very end of his second appearance) became arguably the most iconic villain in the entire 007 franchise, rivaling even Oddjob.
The Accident That Created an Icon
Most people think Jaws was always meant to be a recurring character. He wasn't. Honestly, the original plan for The Spy Who Loved Me had Jaws dying at the end. In the initial script, he was supposed to be killed by a shark in Atlantis, which would have been a pretty ironic way to go out given the name.
However, director Lewis Gilbert noticed something during the test screenings. Every time Jaws appeared on screen, the audience went nuts. They didn't just fear him; they loved watching him.
Producer Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli saw the writing on the wall. He decided to film an alternate ending where Jaws survives his encounter with the shark and is seen paddling away into the sunset. It was a last-minute pivot that changed Bond history. Because of that choice, Richard Kiel was brought back for Moonraker in 1979, making him one of the very few villains to survive a Bond movie and return for a sequel.
What the Character Jaws Bond Movies Got Right About Terror
There is a specific psychology to why Jaws works. It’s the "Slasher" logic applied to a globetrotting adventure.
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Think about the train sequence in The Spy Who Loved Me. Bond and Anya Amasova think they are safe in their private cabin. The music is soft. Then, the camera pans. Jaws is just there, squeezed into a closet, waiting. It’s a jump scare that belongs in a Halloween movie.
The teeth were the kicker.
Designed by Katharina Kubrick (Stanley Kubrick’s stepdaughter, weirdly enough), those dental appliances were a nightmare for Richard Kiel. He could only wear them for about 30 seconds to a minute at a time because the metal plate gagged him and caused immense pain. You can actually see it in his performance—that grimace isn't just acting; he’s genuinely uncomfortable.
The Shift to Comedy in Moonraker
By the time Moonraker rolled around, the producers realized that kids absolutely adored Jaws. He was like a living cartoon character. This led to a massive shift in his tone.
In The Spy Who Loved Me, he was a cold-blooded killer who tore a man's throat out in an Egyptian tomb. In Moonraker, he’s falling out of airplanes without a parachute and landing on a circus tent, or falling in love with a tiny blonde woman named Dolly.
Some hardcore Bond fans hated this. They felt it turned the character into a joke. But you can't deny the impact. The sight of the giant Jaws and the diminutive Dolly holding hands is one of those "only in the 70s" moments that stuck in the collective consciousness. It showed a vulnerability to the character that made him more than just a killing machine. He had a soul. Or at least, he had a crush.
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The Reality of Being a Giant
Richard Kiel wasn't actually a violent guy. By all accounts, he was a "gentle giant" who hated the idea of Jaws being too scary for children. He insisted on the character having a redemptive arc in Moonraker.
He also suffered from acrophobia.
Imagine being seven feet tall and terrified of heights while filming a movie set in space and on top of cable cars in Rio de Janeiro. During the famous cable car fight, the stunt was incredibly dangerous. While a stuntman (the legendary Martin Grace) did the heavy lifting, Kiel still had to be up there for the close-ups. The sheer physicality of the role was exhausting.
Why We Don't See Villains Like This Anymore
Modern Bond movies, specifically the Daniel Craig era, moved toward "grounded" realism. We got tech moguls and disgruntled ex-agents. They are great, but they lack the mythic quality of the character Jaws. Bond movies today feel like they belong in our world. The Jaws era felt like it belonged in a fever dream.
There’s a certain charm to the practical effects used to bring Jaws to life. No CGI. No digital stretching. Just a very large man in a very well-tailored suit.
- The Height Factor: Kiel wore lifts to look even taller than he already was.
- The Teeth: They were made of chromium-plated steel.
- The Strength: He famously flipped a van in Egypt, which was done with a mix of practical rigging and Kiel's own leverage.
Tracking the Jaws Legacy Beyond the Screen
Jaws didn't just stay in the movies. He became a staple of the video games, most notably GoldenEye 007 on the N64. If you played as Jaws in multiplayer, you were basically cheating because his height made it harder for people to hit your head, though his hitbox was technically larger.
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He also appeared in Everything or Nothing, where Richard Kiel actually returned to voice the character and provide his likeness. It’s rare for a henchman to have that kind of staying power. Most of them are forgotten as soon as the credits roll.
Actionable Takeaways for Bond Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to dive deeper into the world of Bond villains or start a collection, the Jaws era is a goldmine.
1. Watch the "Human" Moments: Next time you watch The Spy Who Loved Me, look at Kiel’s eyes when he’s struggling with the shark or when he’s frustrated by Bond. He communicates everything through micro-expressions. It’s a masterclass in silent acting.
2. Seek out the "Autobiography of a Giant": Richard Kiel wrote an autobiography titled Making It Big in the Movies. It’s a fantastic read that goes into the technical difficulties of playing Jaws and his relationship with Roger Moore.
3. Check the Credits: Notice how the music changes when Jaws enters. Composer Marvin Hamlisch gave Jaws a distinct, menacing theme in his first outing, while John Barry played up the whimsical side in the second.
4. Collectible Hunting: Original 1970s Jaws action figures or lobby cards are highly sought after. Look for the Mego Corporation figures from 1979; they are the holy grail for Jaws fans.
The character Jaws in Bond movies represents a specific time when cinema wasn't afraid to be weird. He was a monster who became a hero, a silent killer who became a lover, and a man-mountain who defined a generation of action cinema. He’s the reason why, even now, whenever we see a pair of silver teeth, we think of 007.
To truly appreciate the craft, compare the train fight in The Spy Who Loved Me with the train fight in Spectre between Bond and Mr. Hinx (Dave Bautista). You can see the DNA of Jaws in every heavy-hitter henchman that has followed. They all owe a debt to the man with the metal teeth.