Kiel had been in hospital after breaking his leg last week, although it is not known whether the injury had any connection to his death.
The actor, who was born in Detroit, originally worked as a nightclub bouncer before making the move in to movies in the 1960s, notching up a string of film and TV appearances while holding down other jobs.
However it was his role as Bond villain Jaws – who he played in 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me and the 1979 effort Moonraker – for which he will be best remembered.
Kiel, who reportedly turned down the chance to play Star Wars’ infamous Darth Vader in order to join the ranks of 007 infamy – previously revealed that the character had originally been set to die at the end of The Spy Who Loved Me.
However Jaws, known for his impressive set of gnashers and ability to kill people with them, was given a reprieve after proving so popular.
‘The original script had me being killed by the shark,’ Kiel explained. ‘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.’
Kiel’s other notable roles include starring alongside Adam Sandler in Happy Gilmore, as well as voicing Vlad in the 2010 Disney smash Tangled.
Sir Roger Moore – who played Bond alongside Kiel in the two films – was among the first to pay tribute to the actor, admitting on Twitter he was ‘distraught’.
Source: Metro.co.uk
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