RICHARD Kiel has a bit of a problem as he has lost his teeth and is keen to find them before he crosses the Atlantic to visit Hampshire.

This predicament is particularly worrying for Richard as his molars are something of a global trademark. In fact, it could be said they have been his bread and butter over recent years.

Better known to his legion of fans around the world as James Bond’s evil nemesis, Jaws, Richard may be seven-foot, but it turns out he is the archetypal gentle giant.

He sounds a little sleepy when I ring his Californian home, which is eight hours behind British Summer Time.

The distinctive, deep timbre of his voice – so perfect for countless film roles as an out-and-out baddy – says he has just got up and is having a cup of coffee.

“What’s it like in Southampton?” asks Jaws, who is famously remembered for biting through the wire of a cable-car in the 007 movie Moonraker.

“I am looking forward to coming across to the UK and visiting Beaulieu to see the James Bond cars.”

The conversation inevitably turns to his famous character, once voted the best criminal henchman in all of the Bond films.

Does he still have the infamous metal teeth that gave him the nickname?

“I am not sure where the originals are now. I think they are in a museum somewhere,”

said 74- year-old Richard.

“But I had some copies made for members of my family and my grandchildren still have them.

“The original ones tasted terrible and made me feel nauseous as they were covered in chrome.”

Richard’s alter-ego, the steel-toothed Jaws, might have been a cold, calculating killer, but the man himself is a kindly figure who just enjoys chatting about his career and his younger days.

Richard’s distinctive height and features are a result of a condition known as acromegaly which first made itself felt during his earlier years.

“When I was a child I was just normal sized, but soon after becoming a teenager I started to grow and didn’t stop until I was seven foot two inches,” said Richard, who now enjoys making personal appearances at film-fan conventions where he often signs his autobiography, Making It Big in the Movies.

“I like going along to talk about the films and television series I have appeared in and people seem to enjoy having their photograph taken with me.”

Richard also suffers from acrophobia – the irrational fear of heights – so during the shooting of Moonraker a stunt double was used for the cable car scene which was filmed at more than 2,000ft.

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Richard made his acting debut in a 1960s television Western, Laramie in an episode called, Street of Hate and then made his move across to the silver screen a few years later.

However, before he managed to attract the attention of Hollywood, Richard worked as a night-club bouncer and even, at one time, a cemetery plot salesman.

A veteran of more than 40 films, Richard really came to prominence in 1977 in The Spy Who Loved Me as Bond’s intimidating foe. Then, two years later in Moonraker, 007 persuaded Jaws to give up his life of crime and help him destroy the evil mastermind, Drax, who was set on world domination.

It is in this later film that Jaws was given a girlfriend, Dolly, in the shape of the French actress, Blanche Ravalec.

The two will be reunited again later this month when Richard and Blanche make an appearance at the National Motor Museum at Beaulieu.

Their appearance, part of the Bond in Motion exhibition, the largest official collection of original James Bond vehicles anywhere in the world, will be on Sunday, May 26.

The exhibition, at which Richard will be signing his autobiography as well as posing for photographs, has been such a hit with visitors that the museum has extended its run until January of next year.

“I’ve heard the Bond exhibition is really something and it will be really great for Jaws to meet up with Dolly again,” said Richard, who also appeared in hit television series such as Gilligan’s Island, The Monkees, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

as well as Starsky and Hutch.

Richard is also keen to talk about the importance of his religious faith, which he says helped him overcome his one-time dependence on alcohol.

“I was brought up in a family which always went to church. It has, and will always be an essential part of my life,” said the actor, who has also provided the voiceover for a number of computer games.

“My faith has helped me get through problems and it continues to play a central role.”

Richard still has many fond memories of being on the film set of the James Bond films.

He said: “We had fun and Roger Moore is a real gentleman. He’s one of my favourite people. In real life, he’s a good friend.”

•For more information about the Bond in Motion exhibition and the personal appearance by Richard Kiel, log on to beaulieu.co.uk