Kevin Peter Hall (May 9, 1955 – April 10, 1991) was an American actor. Hall stood tall, and 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. Hall came from a tall family. His father, Charles Hall, stood , and his mother, Sylvia, stood . At , Hall was the tallest of his brothers, all of whom were at least tall. 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