James Bond, Moonraker and those Iconic Stainless Steel Teeth

When most people think of the word ‘Jaws’ in respect of iconic 1970’s films, they’ll either bring to mind giant man-eating sharks, or a particular hulking James Bond villain with a mouth full of metal. Whilst ‘Jaws’ the shark could be seen biting into metal bars on Roy Scheider boat, the stainless steel was already in the mouth of Bond villain ‘Jaws’, from the 1977’s ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ and 1979’s ‘Moonraker’. The polished stainless steel teeth saw actor Richard Kiel being able to bite through almost anything, even metal bar to free spaceships! In reality, the stainless steel prosthetic teeth covers used by Kiel could only be worn for a few minutes at a time, as the sensation of them against the roof of his mouth frequently caused an automatic gag reflex. During filming, specific members of the crew were given the glamorous task of washing them frequently between takes and making sure that they were locked up securely overnight. Whilst Jaws’ teeth could bite through almost anything . . . our Stainless Steel Tables are so strong and robust, I imagine they would have presented him with a little too much of a challenge!   Images: Wikipedia