Kevin Peter Hall

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Kevin Peter Hall

Born Kevin Peter Hall
May 9, 1955(1955-05-09)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Died April 10, 1991 (aged 35)
Hollywood, California, USA
Spouse(s) Alaina Reed (1988-1991)

Kevin Peter Hall (May 9, 1955 – April 10, 1991) was an American actor famous for his roles as Dr. Elvin Lincoln in Misfits of Science, the monsters in Prophecy, Without Warning, Harry and the Hendersons, Predator and Predator 2.

Contents

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Hall, an African-American, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[1] His father, Charles Hall, was 6' 6" and his mother, Sylvia Hall, was 6' 2". He was the tallest of six brothers, all over 6' 5".

During his high school years at Penn Hills High School, he excelled at basketball and eventually earned a scholarship to George Washington University in Washington, D.C.. In college, Hall continued to play basketball and majored in Theatrical Arts. During his college years, he met Jay Fenichel. They would both go on to make musical productions together. After graduation, Hall moved to Venezuela to play basketball. After a year, he lost interest and relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he again teamed up with Fenichel. The two would go on to create the semi-autobiographical two-man musical, In Five. Hall and Fenichel also created a two-man show called The Worst Of Friends. The duo performed the shows throughout Los Angeles area nightclubs.

[edit] Career

During its developmental stages, the Predator was going to be played by Jean-Claude Van Damme, who played the Predator for the first few scenes but fell out with Schwarzenegger and wasn't billed on end credits either, but the producers realized that all of the actors who were to be physically dominated by the creature were body builders that stood over 6 feet tall. The producers decided to cast the enormous Hall so that the Predator could realistically physically dominate the film's human characters. Hall can also be seen at the end of the movie as the helicopter pilot.

Hall also had guest spots on shows such as Night Court and Star Trek: The Next Generation. He was frequently cast in monster roles due to his extremely tall stature: he stood 7' 2½" (2.20 m). Hall had also reprised his role as Harry on the television series version of Harry and the Hendersons shortly before his death, but died before filming had been completed.

[edit] Personal life

While filming a guest spot on the television show, 227, Hall met actress Alaina Reed. The couple would marry both on the show, and in real life. Together, they had two children.

In the fall of 1990, Hall was involved in a serious car accident in Los Angeles. During surgery for his critical wounds, he received a blood transfusion that was contaminated with HIV. Soon after his transfusion, the HIV developed into AIDS and he went public with his illness with the full support of his wife.

[edit] Death

On April 10, 1991, Hall met an untimely death from AIDS. He was 35 years old.[2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Kevin Peter Hall Biography (c. 1955-1991)
  2. ^ "Kevin Peter Hall, Actor, 35", New York Times, 1991-04-19. Retrieved on 2008-02-14. 

[edit] External links

Persondata
NAME Hall, Kevin Peter
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hall, Kevin Peter
SHORT DESCRIPTION Actor
DATE OF BIRTH May 9, 1955
PLACE OF BIRTH Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
DATE OF DEATH April 10, 1991
PLACE OF DEATH Hollywood, California