Kevin Peter Hall
Kevin Peter Hall (May 9, 1955 – April 10, 1991) was an American actor. Standing over seven feet tall, Hall frequently played monster characters during his career. He was the original title character in the science fiction "Predator" franchise, appearing in the first 1987 film and its 1990 sequel. Hall also portrayed the eponymous Harry in the fantasy comedy film "Harry and the Hendersons" (1987), a role he reprised for the first season of NBC's television adaptation (1990–1991). His human roles included Dr. Elvin "El" Lincoln on the NBC science fiction series "Misfits of Science" (1985–1986) and  Warren Merriwether on the sitcom "227" (1989–1990). Early life. Hall was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His parents were of above-average stature; his father, Charles Hall, was and his mother, Sylvia Hall, was . At tall, he was the tallest of seven brothers, all over . During his high school years at Penn Hills High School, he was a star basketball player. He subsequently attended George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he played for its basketball team and majored in Theatrical Arts. After graduation, Hall moved to Venezuela to 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 film "Prophecy". 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 , and a fellow mental patient, played by James Cromwell, who is . The next year, Hall portrayed yet another monster in the  horror film "Monster in the Closet", followed by the role of Harry, the Bigfoot, in "Harry and the Hendersons". In 1986, Hall was cast as the main antagonist in "Predator", opposite 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 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 the 1990 sequel, this time opposite Danny Glover and Gary Busey. Following his role in "Predator", Hall appeared in the feature film "Big Top Pee-wee" (1988) and had a guest spot on ""; Hall had been one of the actors considered for the role of Geordi La Forge on the latter, before the role went to LeVar Burton. 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 role on the television show "227". The couple would marry both on the show and in real life. While working on the TV series "Harry and the Hendersons", Hall announced that he had contracted HIV from a blood transfusion during surgery for injuries he sustained in a car accident. He died from AIDS-related pneumonia on 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.