Kevin Peter Hall

For persons of a similar name, seeKevin Hall (disambiguation).

Kevin Peter Hall
Born	(1955-05-09)May 9, 1955 Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	April 10, 1991(1991-04-10)(aged 35) Hollywood,California, U.S.
Education	Penn Hills High School George Washington University
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1978–1991
Known for	Predator
Height	7 ft 2 in (218 cm)
Spouse	Alaina Reed Hall ​ (m.1988)​

Kevin Peter Hall(May 9, 1955 – April 10, 1991) was an American actor. Hall stood 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) tall,and frequently played monster characters during his career. He was the originaltitle characterin the science fictionPredatorfranchise, appearing in thefirst 1987 filmand its1990 sequel.Hall also portrayed the eponymous Harry in the fantasy comedy filmHarry and the Hendersons(1987), a role he reprised for the first season ofNBC'stelevision adaptation(1990–1991). His human roles included Dr. Elvin "El" Lincoln on the NBC science fiction seriesMisfits of Science(1985–1986) and Warren Merriwether on the sitcom227(1989–1990).

Early life

Hall was born inPittsburgh,Pennsylvania. Hall came from a tall family. His father, Charles Hall, stood 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), and his mother, Sylvia, stood 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m). At 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m), Hall was the tallest of his brothers, all of whom were at least 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) tall.

During his high school years atPenn Hills High School,he was a starbasketballplayer. He subsequently attendedGeorge Washington UniversityinWashington, D.C.,where he played for its basketball team and majored in Theatrical Arts.

After graduation, Hall moved toVenezuelato play professional basketball.

Career

Due to Hall's height, he was often cast in monster roles. He made his acting debut in the 1979 horror filmProphecy.He appeared as the alien in the 1980 horror filmWithout Warningand as Gorvil in the 1982television movieMazes and Monsters.In 1985, he co-starred in the short-lived seriesMisfits of Science.He guest-starred on the sitcomNight Courtas a huge but gentle mental patient who humorously towered over bailiff Bull Shannon, played byRichard Moll,who is 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), and a fellow mental patient, played byJames Cromwell,who is 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m). The next year, Hall portrayed yet another monster in the horror filmMonster in the Closet,followed by the role of Harry, theBigfoot,inHarry and the Hendersons.

In 1986, Hall was cast as the main antagonist inPredator,oppositeArnold Schwarzenegger,Carl WeathersandJesse Ventura.During its developmental stages, thePredatorwas going to be played byJean-Claude Van Damme,who played the Predator for the first few scenes, but was uncredited in the end credits. The producers decided to recast the role with Hall so that the Predator could more convincingly dominate the film's human characters with its greater size. Hall also appeared unmasked as a helicopter pilot at the end of the film. Hall would go on to reprise the role in the1990 sequel,this time oppositeDanny GloverandGary Busey.

Following his role inPredator,Hall appeared in the feature filmBig Top Pee-wee(1988) and had a guest spot onStar Trek: The Next Generation;Hall had been one of the actors considered for the role ofGeordi La Forgeon the latter, before the role went toLeVar Burton.From 1989 to 1990, he had a recurring role on theNBCsitcom227.In 1990, Hall reprised his role as Harry in the television seriesHarry and the Hendersons,based on the 1987 film of the same name. He died during the series' first season.

Personal life and death

Hall met actressAlaina Reedwhile taping a guest role on the television show227.The couple would marry both on the show and in real life.

While working on the TV seriesHarry and the Hendersons,Hall announced that he had contractedHIVfrom a blood transfusion during surgery for injuries he sustained in a car accident.He died fromAIDS-related pneumoniaon April 10, 1991, a month short of his 36th birthday.

Honors

Hall was posthumously inducted into the Penn Hills Hall of Fame as part of the inaugural class on May 8, 2009.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1979	Prophecy	Mutant bear	Uncredited
1980	Without Warning	The Alien	Credited as Kevin Hall
1982	One Dark Night	Eddie
1982	Mazes and Monsters	Gorvil	Television Movie
1984	The Wild Life	Bouncer	Credited as Kevin Hall
1984	E/R	Donald Haines	Episode: "Mr. Fix-It"
1985	Night Court	Wendell Martin	Episode: "Nuts About Harry"
1985	The Dukes of Hazzard	Floyd Malone	Episode: "Opening Night at the Boar's Nest"
1985–1986	Misfits of Science	Dr. Elvin "El" Lincoln	16 episodes
1986	Monster in the Closet	Monster
1987	Harry and the Hendersons	Harry
1987	Predator	The Predator,Helicopter pilot	Double role
1988	Big Top Pee-wee	Big John
1989	Rodney Dangerfield: Opening Night at Rodney's Place	Richard Small	Television special
1989	Shannon's Deal	Harry	Television movie
1989	Star Trek: The Next Generation	Leyor	Episode: "The Price"
1989–1990	227	Warren Merriwether	11 episodes
1990	Predator 2	The Predator, Elder Predator	Double role
1990–1991	Harry and the Hendersons	Harry	Main role
1992	Highway to Hell	Charon	Final film role

See also

• List of tallest people

External links

• Kevin Peter HallatIMDb
• Sports Reference College Basketball stats