- William Engesser, Gator, 1976. Burt Reynolds had a role specially tailored for his pal but Kiel was committed elsewhere. Kiel then suggested his pal replace him as Bones. Engesser’s previous roles included Frankenstein’s monster and Bigfoot; this proved his final film.
- David Prowse, Star Wars, 1976.
- Lou Ferrigno, The Incredible Hulk, TV, 1978-1982. Schwarzenegger was too short and Kiel had problems galore… “I can only see out of one eye since birth,” he told the Den of Geek website. “They had a terrible time getting my eye to accept these contact lenses… really messing up my vision. Not to mention the green make-up getting all over the white interior of my car and the bathtub and the sheets on the bed! mI asked for somebody to drive me home because it wasn’t really safe for me to drive and also to scrub me down with a brush or something to get this makeup off. I didn’t work for a couple of days and then the producer called me and said: Richard, I hired you because you were a good actor but the Marvel Comics people really wanted to have a body builder muscle man. How would you feel if we paid you for the two movies of the week and substituted somebody else? I was delighted! And Lou Ferrigno did a terrific job.” He had the right height and bulk not the best growl – that came from (narrator) Ted Cassidy and (later) Charles Napier.
- Nicholas Worth, City Heat, 1984. Co-star and co-producer Burt Reynolds suggsted his pal for the heavy, Troy Roker. Co-star and co-producer Clint Eastwood said: “No, I’m gonna use him in my next movie, Pale Rider.”
- André The Giant, The Princess Bride, 1987. Jaws from two Bond films was tall enough for Fezzik the giant. Just not strong enough.
- Peter Fonda, Merecenary Fighters, 1988. The giant from Detroit towering 7ft 2in (218cm) was a memorable villains in two Roger Moore Bond films, The Spy Who Loved Me, 1977, and Moonraker, 1979. Kiel always said he refused four roles only in his career. This was the fourth – as Fonda took over the mercenary leader in this extremely mini-Expendables.
Birth year: 1939Death year: 2014Other name: Casting Calls: 6