Tracy Milbanks: "James, are you okay?" James Bond Jr.: "Yes. But I think Jaws bit off a bit more than he can chew." ―After sinking Jaws via a magnetically-charged anchor, from the episode Plunder Down Under. Jaws is a fictional metal-jawed henchman who appeared in the 1991-92 animated television series James Bond Jr. and its accompanying 1992 Marvel comic-book series of the same name. Voiced by Jan Rabson, Jaws is loosely based on his movie counterpart (portrayed by Richard Kiel) and is often paired alongside fellow SCUM member Nick-Nack. Jaws is portrayed as a dim-witted villain whose trademark steel teeth destroy almost anything he chews. His clothing not only serves as a small source of comedy for the series but also compliments his lack of intelligence. He usually acts as a henchman for higher-ranking SCUM agents and is often paired with the diminutive Nick Nack for comic effect. Unlike his movie counterpart, he regularly talks, and has an entire lower jaw made of steel.
In the novelization "A View to a Thrill", it is explained that he was shot in the mouth during a bank robbery and "to save his life, the doctors had given him a set of metal teeth, and motors for jaw muscles." Valley of the Hungry Dunes Never Give a Villain a Fair Shake Between a Rock and a Hard Place Sherlock IQ, Quantum Diamonds The Thing in the IceActor Richard Kiel - who played steel-toothed villain Jaws in two James Bond films - has died in California aged 74.The towering American star, who appeared in The Spy Who Loved Me in 1977 and Moonraker in 1979, died in hospital in Fresno on Wednesday.A spokeswoman for Saint Agnes Medical Center confirmed Kiel's death, but did not reveal the cause.The 7ft 2in (2.18m) actor also appeared in the sports comedy Happy Gilmore, starring Adam Sandler, in 1996. Kiel made his name as cable-chomping henchman Jaws opposite Roger Moore as 007. Sir Roger said he was "totally distraught" at the death of his co-star. "We were on a radio programme together just a week ago," said the former Bond star, adding "[I] can't take it in".
Kiel and Sir Roger were guests on BBC's Radio 4 programme The Reunion, which aired on Sunday, along with Bond actress Britt Ekland, recalling their roles in the spy series.During the programme, Kiel said he initially thought playing Jaws - a man who killed people with his teeth - could appear "over the top"."I was very put off by the description of the character and I thought, well, they don't really need an actor, he's more a monster part," he said."So I tried to change that view of it... I said if I were to play the part, I want to give the character some human characteristics, like perseverance, frustration." Sandro Monetti, director at Bafta in Los Angeles and a former showbiz reporter, described Kiel as having "teeth of steel, but a heart of gold".He recalled seeing the actor at James Bond conventions: "It was like seeing kids meeting Santa Claus. Everyone has got such joyous memories of Jaws, and he had time for everybody."Monetti added: "Whenever you mentioned Jaws, his eyes lit up and there was that famous grin."
Micky Dolenz, who starred with Kiel in the seminal episode of The Monkees - I was a Teenage Monster, tweeted his memories of the star: "The great character actor and gentle giant."The character of Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me was originally intended to die at the end of the movie, but he was so popular with fans that Kiel was brought back to reprise the role in Moonraker."The original script had me being killed by the shark," Kiel said."They filmed that and they also filmed an ending where I survive and pop out of the ocean. "That was one of the big moments for me, watching the blue-collar screening of the movie, The Spy Who Loved Me, and having the reaction of the crowd at the theatre when Jaws popped out of the ocean, survived and swam away. There were hoots and howling, applause. I couldn't believe it." Born in Detroit, Michigan, Kiel had the hormonal condition acromegaly, which was said to have contributed to his height.His first break came in 1959 when he played the alien Kanamit in Twilight Zone.He published an autobiography in 2002, called Making It Big In The Movies.His many other acting roles included deadly assistant Voltaire in the 1960s TV series The Wild, Wild West;
playing opposite William Shatner in the 1970s TV sitcom Barbary Coast; taking on the lead character of Eli Weaver in the movie The Giant of Thunder Mountain; and spoofing his most famous role as "Famous big guy with silver teeth" in the movie version of Inspector Gadget.In recent years, he also spent much of his time touring the world and appearing at conventions to meet Bond fans.They’re the strivers, the overachievers, the dreamers. They’re the people not content with the status quo, not afraid of big ambitions or seemingly insurmountable challenges. They’re the people who dared to “Think Different,” as Apple would have said. They are the villains of the James Bond universe. And if it weren’t for a womanizing British spy with a weakness for customized personal technology, their names would be written in the stars. Literally written in the stars. With the aid of some kind of powerful laser housed in an underwater base and guarded by half-naked female assassins with semiautomatic weapons.
They may have failed in their efforts, but with “Skyfall” opening in theaters Friday, it seems a good time to remember the best of the Bond villains and honor their dastardly deeds. And with 23 Eon Productions 007 films, there are plenty of evil honchos and henchmen to choose from. We’ve narrowed them down to 10, though there were several that fell just short of the list. PHOTOS: Top 10 James Bond villains Among the honorable mentions are Alec Trevelyan (Sean Bean), a former MI6 agent and friend of Bond’s, who in 1995’s “GoldenEye” commits treason and taunts Bond for his loyalty to queen and country. There’s also assassin-for-hire Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee), from 1974’s “The Man with the Golden Gun.” Karl Stromberg (Curd Jürgens), the mastermind behind a plot to begin civilization anew underwater in the 1977 film “The Spy Who Loved Me,” fell short of our list, but is also worth noting. Perhaps our closest call is Irma Bunt (Ilse Steppat), an underling to archvillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the George Lazenby-starring 1969 film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.”