Kevin Peter Hall Biography

Kevin Peter Hall (May 9, 1955 - April 10, 1991) was an American actor best known for his roles as the title character in the first two films in the Predator franchise and the title character of Harry in the film and television series, Harry and the Hendersons. He also appeared in the television series Misfits of Science and 227 along with the film, Without Warning.

Early life

Hall was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His parents were of above-average stature; his father, Charles Hall, was 6' 6", and his mother, Sylvia Hall, was 6' 2". At 7'2" (218 cm) tall, he was the tallest of seven brothers, all over 6' 5". During his high school years at Penn Hills High School, he excelled at basketball and earned a scholarship to George Washington University in Washington, D.C. In college, Hall continued to play basketball and majored in Theatrical Arts. After graduation, Hall moved to Venezuela to play basketball.

Career

Hall made his acting debut in the 1979 horror film Prophecy. Due to his height, he was often cast in monster roles. He appeared as the alien in the 1980 horror film Without Warning and as Gorvil in the 1982 television movie Mazes and Monsters. In 1985, he co-starred in the short-lived series Misfits of Science. He guest-starred on the sitcom Night Court as a huge but gentle mental patient who humorously towered over bailiff Bull Shannon (played by Richard Moll, who is 6'8" (203 cm)) and fellow mental patient; played by James Cromwell (who is 6'7" (201 cm)). The next year, Hall portrayed yet another monster in the horror film Monster in the Closet, followed by the role of Harry in Harry and the Hendersons.

In 1986, Hall was cast as the main antagonist in Predator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. 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 was not billed 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 would go on to reprise the role in the 1990 sequel.

Following his role in Predator, Hall appeared in the film Big Top Pee-wee (1988) and had a guest spot on Star Trek: The Next Generation. From 1989 to 1990, he had a recurring role on the NBC sitcom 227. In 1990, Hall reprised his role as Harry in the television series Harry 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 actress Alaina Reed while taping a guest spot on the television show 227. The couple would marry both on the show and in real life. His nephew Jamie Hall, is a stunt performer, who is best known as the Polar Bear performer in the Unatural horror/thriller film .

While working on the TV series Harry and the Hendersons, Hall announced that he had contracted HIV from a blood transfusion. He died from AIDS-related pneumonia on April 10, 1991. He was 35 years old.

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	Mazes and Monsters	Gorvil	Television movie
1983	One Dark Night	Eddie
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 to 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
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 to 1990	227	Warren Merriwether	11 episodes
1990	Predator 2	The Predator
1990 to 1991	Harry and the Hendersons (TV series)	Harry	4 episodes
1991	Highway to Hell	Charon