Jaws (James Bond)
| Jaws | |
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| James Bond character | |
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| Portrayed by | Richard Kiel |
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| Affiliation |
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| Classification | Henchman |
Jaws is a fictional character in the James Bond films The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker, played in both films by Richard Kiel. Jaws is one of the most popular James Bond henchmen and a recurring character in the James Bond video games. His primary role in Ian Fleming's novels is an assassin. He is a highly skilled killer relying on his brute strength and improvising any situation to quickly dispatch his victims.
The character was inspired by Ian Fleming's description of a hoodlum named Horror in his novel The Spy Who Loved Me. When Horror speaks, he reveals steel-capped teeth. The initial script of The Spy Who Loved Me concluded with Jaws being killed by the shark, but after a rough test screening (where director Lewis Gilbert's grandson was present), Jaws was so well-liked that the scene was changed to have him survive. In the storyboard of the sequence from Moonraker, Jaws appears with an Emilio Largo-style eye patch, and a mustache, neither of which was seen in the actual films in which the character appeared.
The character's teeth play a prominent role in the films. Albert R. Broccoli is credited with adding steel teeth to the character for The Spy Who Loved Me. Katharina Kubrick Hobbs designed the teeth as cog-like in shape as she felt that pointed teeth could have injured Kiel. Broccoli originally hired John Chambers to make the teeth; however, these were not used as they did not meet Broccoli's standards. Broccoli then sent Kiel to Peter Thomas, a dental technician who worked near Pinewood Studios, to construct the appliances. Kiel stated the props were uncomfortable for him and he could only wear them for less than one minute before gagging. When Kiel was required to use the teeth to bite through something, liquorice was used. After shooting a scene, the teeth were placed in a plastic container with cotton wool in the bottom of it and the teeth were rinsed with mouthwash before drying for use in the next scene. After the James Bond films, the teeth were taken to an unknown location. In 2002, the teeth were displayed as part of an exhibition at The Science Museum, London to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the release of Dr. No.
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