Talk:Richard Kiel/Archive 1

Injury or handicap?

In Happy Gilmore, I noticed that in several scenes Kiel was holding a cane or leaning on something for support. Did he or does he have some sort of injury that necessitates such assistance? — Frecklefoot | Talk 15:08, Jun 24, 2004 (UTC)

Probably just his gigantism. People afflicted with gigantism often have troubles walking, because their bones are not capable of supporting their large weight. Sandy Allen, for instance, has been in a wheelchair for some time. thefamouseccles 02:09, 8 Mar 2006 (UTC)

The Internet Movie Database biography page for Richard Kiel states the following: "In 1992, he was in a serious automobile accident which affected his auto-balance and now walks using a walking stick or rides a battery powered scooter around if he has to go very far. In the movie Happy Gilmore (1996), he is never seen walking and almost all of his scenes are from the waist up. There are only two full body scenes and both times he is leaning on something. The first is a post, the second is a man."

Height

Is there really a need to state Kiel's height down to hundredths of a millimetre? Such minuscule differences are invisible to the naked eye, and are difficult to see even with a magnifying glass. Actually, at this accuracy, Kiel's height would change if one of his hairs moved.

The measurement was probably written by someone whose knowledge of the metric system ends with the conversion factor between inches and centimetres. He/she did a routine calculation and wrote its result without understanding it. — JIP | Talk 08:55, 7 Mar 2005 (UTC)

At his age, Kiel needs a cane. He's 66 years old, and most big guys (7 footers) have their knee and back joints arthiritic by that age. I mean, compare this to the 41 year old basketball champion Arvydas Sabonis who already has sustained major knee and foot injuries to his 7 foot 3 inch 300+ lb frame.

RK was in a serious car accident a few years back, not certain if this has anything to do with it, but I believe he was injured.

Kiel stood 7'2 and weighed 345lbs (most muscular physique) more than 500lbs (mid 70's-current).

Christian

To those who keep removing the Christian actors link.If wiki has a Christian actors category,(which it does) and it is proven that the person identifies themself as a Christian(which it has been) then why can't their name be added? I don't think you can use the "I think it's idiotic" excuse to prevent someone from being added to an already existing category.California 12

Categorizing actors by religion is about as inane as it gets. I can't help that someone has created such a category, but I can keep the nonsense from spreading to this article. -- BBlackmoor ^(talk), 2006-01-10 T 04:18 Z

Your assessment of the matter - "inane" and "nonsense" - does not make the sourced information any less biographical. This is an encyclopedia - not a selectopedia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.64.0.253 (talk) 20:28, 24 May 2013 (UTC)

Richard Kiel has been on Christian lists around wiki for years.The only thing new is that the lists are now getting converted to categories. Some people like these lists, some don't..California 12

Have reverted again.Have provided source with www.richardkiel.com as source...California 12

• BBlackmoor, thanks for stating your opinion. However, at Wikipedia, people are listed by things such as religion (or lack thereof). Would you care to say why you don't like this fact? Regardless, it's certainly allowable, so please don't revert. --Jason Gastrich 09:01, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

Provide a few examples where an actor's religion impacts their acting (as in, say, their choice of roles, or the types of features in which they will appear), and I will agree that the actor's article may reasonably be categorized by that actor's religion. Lacking any such references, it makes as much sense to categorize an article by the actor's religion as it would to categorize it by their favorite color. It's not notable: it's extraneous noise. -- BBlackmoor ^(talk), 2006-01-16 T 20:45 Z

See Kirk Cameron. --Jason Gastrich 02:29, 17 January 2006 (UTC)

Precisely. In Cameron's case there is a justification for that categorization. I've seen no such justification here, so that categorization is not appropriate here. -- BBlackmoor ^(talk), 2006-01-17 T 19:18 Z

I missed the thrust of your question. The category description doesn't say, "Actors whose faith causes them to insist on moral scenes." The category says, "This category is for Christian actors; male and female. It includes Christians who have acted in any kind of notable role; not just Christian movies." Therefore, he fits and the category should stay. --Jason Gastrich 19:23, 17 January 2006 (UTC)

That's inane, and you should be embarassed for even quoting it. But once again, we see the problem with Wikipedia. I don't have the time for such nonsense: you win. -- BBlackmoor ^(talk), 2006-01-17 T 19:39 Z

Is anyone else as curious as I am with respect to why it's so important to Gastrich that a senior-citizen, has-been actor being classified as a "Christian" at Wikipedia (along with other issues) is more important to him than other things? - WarriorScribe 22:09, 21 January 2006 (UTC)

If Kiel is a Christian (born-again or not), that info, along with the category American Christians, should be on this article. Even if his religion has never affected his career, a person's religion is relevant to their life, and as such is relevant to their biography. A bio is about the subject's life, not merely their career. Qzm (talk) 23:52, 14 September 2009 (UTC)

Ferrigno

Richard Kiel was taller than Lou Ferrigno, but Lou Ferrigno was more muscular because Rechard Kiel had more bodyfat and less muscle mass than Lou Ferrigno? nagara373 18:17, 9 Aug 2007 (JST)

Cannonball Run

Just wandering, didn't Kiel appear in the Cannoball Run movies (starring: Burt Reynolds)?, with a Japanese guy as his friend & co-driver? I think we should add this to the article. GoodDay 20:44, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

And if memory serves, that guy was Jackie Chan. 69.176.50.157 14:12, 4 February 2007 (UTC)

7ft 2in...

this part doesn't make much sense. "Kiel stands at 7 feet 2 inches...He notes in his 2002 autobiography...that he used to state that he was 7 feet and 2 inches because it was easier to remember." so how tall is he really? 24.234.170.197 06:05, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

Someone changed the sentence, Kiel is actually slightly under 7ft 2in. GoodDay 23:34, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

I've reversed that 'someone's edit, to slightly under 7'2. GoodDay 23:43, 21 May 2007 (UTC)

Cassius Marcellus Clay biography

Has Kiel's biography of the southern abolitionist Cassius Marcellus Clay been published?

A passage from a 2005(?) Chiller Theater magazine article about Kiel mentioned that he had finished the Clay biography and had a manuscript.[1] 72.82.219.253 07:59, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

YouTube link

I removed the link to YouTube as these are not desired in Wikipedia to avoid any copyright infringements. I did mention that the commercial can be found on YouTube, and anyone with half a brain will be able to find it there. If there is no problem with the copyright the video file should be copied to Wikimedia and then linked to from here. TinyMark 17:47, 3 October 2007 (UTC)

Teeth in "Jaws"

I know this is getting pretty esoteric, but I seem to remember that in his role as "Jaws" his teeth were supposedly made of "cobalt", rather than steel (ignoring of course how pointless that would be). Anybody have a source that can confirm/deny this? JDS2005 (talk) 13:30, 26 February 2009 (UTC)

I saw an interview with him some years back. The steel rope he had to bite through was made of liquorice, which Kiel unfortunately dislikes. He couldn't wear the teeth for long without gagging either. 81.187.1.83 (talk) 11:26, 6 October 2013 (UTC)