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Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Where Is the Cast of 'Jaws' Now? A Look at the Stars' Lives 50 Years After the Iconic Film Premiered
The iconic 1975 film Jaws was directed by Steven Spielberg and starred Richard Dreyfuss, Roy Scheider and Robert Shaw The movie became an instant blockbuster and has continued seeing success 50 years after its premiere Jaws launched several people — including Spielberg — to fameJaws became an instant classic when it premiered 50 years ago. The blockbuster film, which was directed by Steven Spielberg, follows the small fictional town of Amity Island as it is rocked by a series of brutal great white shark attacks. The film opens with the first attack, which shows Chrissie Watkins (Susan Backlinie) running out to sea after a night out but never returning. When Police Chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) tries to shut down the beloved beach that brings thousands of tourists to the town, he's met with resistance by Mayor Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton) and the town. However, as the man-eating shark continues its killing spree, Brody must embark on a mission to destroy the shark and save the town. The Chief enlists the help of marine biologist Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and professional shark hunter Quint (Robert Shaw). In addition to the shark-hunting team, the cast consists of Lorraine Gray, who plays Brody's wife Ellen Brody; Jeffrey Kramer, who plays Deputy Leonard Hendricks; and Lee Fierro, who plays Mrs. Kintner. Meanwhile, Carl Gottlieb also acted as Harry Meadows after he co-wrote the screenplay. Peter Benchley, who wrote both the 1974 novel the film was based on and the screenplay, acted as an interviewer, as well. Jaws celebrated its 50th anniversary on June 20, 2025. To commemorate the movie's milestone, NBC is airing a special hosted by Spielberg alongside a screening of the movie. So, what are the stars from Jaws up to today? Here's a look at where the cast of the beloved summer blockbuster is now. Richard Dreyfuss, who starred as the eccentric biologist Matt Hooper, rose to fame with the help of Jaws in the 1970s. He continued working with Spielberg in the 1977 movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind. In 1978, Dreyfuss won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in the 1977 movie The Goodbye Girl. At the time, he was 30 years old and the youngest actor to win the coveted award. He continued starring in major films, including Stand by Me (1986), Stakeout (1987), What About Bob? (1991) and The American President (1995), among others. Dreyfuss stayed involved in the Jaws fandom and attended the Broadway comedic play The Shark Is Broken, which is based off the behind-the-scenes drama with the cast members in Jaws, in October 2023. Beyond his professional career, Dreyfuss married Svetlana Erokhin in 2006. Prior to Erokhin, he was married to Jeramie Rain from 1983 to 1995. The exes share three children: daughter Emily and sons Ben and Harry. Steven Spielberg, who directed the film, was a household name after Jaws became a smash hit in the summer of 1975. From there, he went on to direct more blockbusters, including E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), the Indiana Jones trilogy (1981-1989), The Color Purple (1985), Jurassic Park (1993), Saving Private Ryan (1998), Catch Me If You Can (2002), War Horse (2011) and West Side Story (2021), among many others. Spielberg won his first Academy Award for Best Director for the 1993 film Schindler's List and scored the honor a second time for Saving Private Ryan. He has also won four Golden Globe Awards, two BAFTA Awards and the first TIME 100 Impact Award in 2023. In addition to his successful career, Spielberg is a father to seven children. He shares his oldest child, son Max, with his ex-wife, Amy Irving. He went on to marry Kate Capshaw in 1991, and he became a father to her daughter Jessica and son Theo. The couple are also parents to four children: daughters Sasha, Mikaela and Destry and son Sawyer. Roy Scheider, who played the heroic Police Chief Martin Brody, died on Feb. 10, 2008. In addition to Jaws and Jaws 2, he acted in The French Connection (1971), All That Jazz (1979), The Rainmaker (1997) and The Punisher (2004), among other roles. He was nominated for two Academy Awards, one Golden Globe award and one BAFTA. Scheider had one daughter, Maximillia, with his ex-wife Cynthia Bebout. He went on to marry actress Brenda Siemer in 1989, and they had a son, Christian, and a daughter, Molly. In 2004, Scheider was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, but he died of a staph infection in February 2008. He was 75 years old. Robert Shaw, who played the shark hunter Quint, died on Aug. 28, 1978 — three years after Jaws premiered. Besides his leading role in Jaws, Shaw also appeared in The Sting (1973), From Russia with Love (1963), The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974) and Robin and Marian (1976). He was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his portrayal of Henry VIII in the 1966 film, A Man for All Seasons. Shaw was a dad to 10 children before his death. He had four daughters with his ex-wife Jennifer Bourke, whom he was married to from 1952 to 1963. He later married actress Mary Ure in 1963 and adopted her son. The couple went on to welcome more children as well. Shaw later wed Virginia Jansen in 1976 and he adopted her son as well as welcoming one son during their relationship. Shaw died from a heart attack on Aug. 28, 1978. He was 51 years old at the time of his death. Lorraine Gary, who played the police chief's wife Ellen Brody, retired shortly after Jaws. She went on to act in the 1976 movie Car Wash and the Spielberg-directed 1979 film 1941. Gary retired from acting in 1979 — except for briefly reprising the role of Ellen in the 1987 film Jaws: The Revenge. She married Sidney "Sid" Sheinberg, the head of Universal Pictures, in August 1956. The couple share two sons, Jonathan J. and William David. Murray Hamilton, who played Mayor Larry Vaughn, died on Sept. 1, 1986. Hamilton, who was a stage actor before starring in Jaws, continued working with Spielberg. He acted in the sequel Jaws 2 in 1978 and worked alongside Gary and Spielberg in 1941. He was also set to star in Jaws: The Revenge, but he died before filming began. Beyond the Jaws franchise, Hamilton acted in The Way We Were (1973), The Drowning Pool (1975) and Brubaker (1980). In 1953, Hamilton married Terri DeMarco, who sang in the famed group The DeMarco Sisters. The two shared one son, David. Hamilton died of lung cancer on Sept. 1, 1986. He was 63 years old. Carl Gottlieb, who co-wrote the screenplay and acted as Harry Meadows, continued a career in entertainment by writing, directing and acting in several films after Jaws. In addition to co-writing the screenplay for Jaws, he also co-wrote the sequels, Jaws 2 and Jaws 3-D. Gottlieb went on to make his directorial debut with the 1977 film, The Absent-Minded Waiter and later directed Caveman (1981). He also prioritized acting and worked on various films, including Cannonball (1976), The Jerk (1979) and Clueless (1995). Susan Jane Backlinie, who played the first shark attack victim, Chrissie Watkins, died on May 11, 2024. In addition to being an actress, Backlinie was also a successful stuntwoman. She worked with Spielberg and some of her other costars in 1941 and went on to act in Day of the Animals (1977), The Great Muppet Caper (1981) and Terror in the Aisles (1984). Backlinie died of a heart attack on May 11, 2024. She was 77 years old and is survived by her daughter, Dina. Jeffrey Kramer, who played Deputy Leonard Hendricks, got his start in the acting business with Jaws and Jaws 2. He continued acting and had roles in Hollywood Boulevard (1976), Halloween II (1981) and The 'Burbs (1989). Although Kramer acted in several films, he turned his focus towards producing TV shows in the 1990s. He worked as a producer on Chicago Hope (1994), The Practice (1997-1999) and Armed & Famous (2007). Lee Fierro, who played distressed mother Mrs. Kintner, died on April 5, 2020. Before Jaws filmed on Martha's Vineyard, Fierro had already established herself as a local. After starring in the movie, she continued living on the island and mentored over a thousand young actors as the artistic director of the Island Theatre Workshop from 1974 to 2017. Fierro had four children with her first husband, actor Marvin Stephens. After they divorced, she wed Bernard Fierro, and they had another child. On April 5, 2020, Fierro died after contracting COVID-19. She was 91 years old. Peter Benchley wrote the 1974 novel Jaws, which was adapted into the film. He also teamed up with Gottlieb to co-write the screenplay and acted as a journalist in the movie, as well. After the success of Jaws, Benchley continued writing and produced The Deep (1976), The Island (1979), Beast (1991) and White Shark (1994). Benchley died on Feb. 11, 2006, of pulmonary fibrosis. He was 65 years old. Read the original article on People
Toronto Star
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
‘Jaws' at 50: The cult classic and the parental debates it set off
LOS ANGELES — It didn't take long for 'Jaws' to make an impression. The movie that launched the summer blockbuster season and changed how people view sharks and the ocean 50 years ago also created a dilemma for parents: Was it a movie their children could watch? To help answer that, The Associated Press went to the film's star, Roy Scheider.
Forbes
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘Jaws' By The Numbers: 50 Years Of Merch, Media And Money
American actors (left to right) Robert Shaw (1927 - 1978), Roy Scheider (1932 - 2008), and Richard ... More Dreyfuss promoting the movie 'Jaws', directed by Steven Spielberg, 1975. (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) Fifty years ago on Friday, director Steven Spielberg's Jaws was released in theaters. The terrifying shark movie came to be defined as the first 'summer blockbuster,' of course, but that was just the beginning. Apropos to the film's tagline that teased, 'Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the water,' Jaws opened revenue streams that are still gushing to this day. Starring Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss, Jaws was a monster hit, having earned $260.7 million in its initial domestic theatrical run in 1975. Adjusted for inflation via the Consumer Price Index, that amount equates to more than $1.5 billion in 2025. Production budget-wise, Jaws was made for $12 million, which USA Today reported was three times its original budget. According to the book George Lucas Blockbusting (via USA Today), Jaws' studio, Universal Pictures, spent an 'unprecedented' $700,000 on a TV advertising campaign before the film debuted on 400 screens nationwide (It's worthy to note that most big blockbuster films open on 4,000-plus screens today). Jaws is the seventh highest-grossing film, domestically, of all time, adjusted for inflation, per Box Office Mojo, behind Gone with the Wind, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, The Sound of Music, E.T. the Extraterrestrial, Titanic and The Ten Commandments. Behind Jaws at No. 8 on the list is Doctor Zhivago, followed by The Exorcist and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to round out the Top 10. Of course, the release of Jaws was only the beginning of the franchise. Per The Numbers, Jaws 2 was released in 1978, earning $102.9 million domestically, followed by 1983's Jaws 3-D ($42.2 million domestically) and 1987's Jaws 4: The Revenge ($20.7 million domestically). In total, the Jaws franchise made $439.5 million in domestic ticket sales. Coupled with international receipts, the four films in the Jaws franchise made $829.8 million worldwide. In the franchise's wake, of course, came an endless string of shark movies, but none that really matched the fury of the great white shark in Jaws that the production affectionately named 'Bruce.' Of the notables worth mentioning, though, are such shark thrillers as Deep Blue Sea, The Shallows, The Meg (short for Megladon— a 75-foot-long shark!), 47 Meters Down and for the kids' set, Shark Tale. Of course, the low-budget 2013 TV movie Sharknado is worthy of mention, since it became a genre unto itself with a mixture of gruesome horror and tongue-firmly-planted-in-cheek humor. Sharknado was so popular that it spawned five sequels — 2015's Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! arguably has the best title of the follow-ups — ending with 2018's The Last Sharknado: It's About Time. American actor Roy Scheider on the set of Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg. (Photo by Sunset ... More Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) 'Jaws' Lives On In Merchandising, Media, Video Games And Theme Park Attractions While Jaws went on to become one of the highest-earning movies of all time, the cash flow hardly ended at the closing of the final curtain. The introduction of Laserdiscs, as well as VHS and Betamax cassette tapes in the late 1970s and early 1980s, introduced the film to home audiences, which eventually gave way to DVDs and Blu-ray discs. While figures of how much money Jaws earned in early home media revenues are not avaialbe, The Numbers reports that Jaws made $12 million in DVD sales from 2012 to 2021, and $17 million in Blu-ray sales during the same time frame. The Jaws franchise has also carved out an existence in the video game space, beginning with the Commodore 64 8-bit video game simply named Jaws, which was released in 1987, according to Game Rant. The video game site said five more official Jaws-inspired console/computer games have also been released. They are Jaws: The Computer Game (1989), Jaws (1989), Universals Studios Theme Park Adventure (2001), Jaws Unleashed (2006), Jaws: Ultimate Predator (2011) and Pinball FX 3 (2017), where users could play pinball-like games inspired by Universal Pictures' Jaws, E.T. the Extraterrestrial and Back to the Future. Since it's a Universal Studios property, Jaws, naturally, has also had its run as a theme park attraction, first as part of a tram tour at Universal Studios Hollywood in 1976, according to SyFy. Universal Studios Florida began its iteration of the attraction in 1990, SyFy noted, featuring, of course, a (mechanical) great white shark that snuck up on riders of the boat tour. While the Universal Studios Florida Jaws attraction closed down in 2012, fans willing to travel can get their fix of the iconic shark at Universal Studios Japan's Amity Village, appropriately named after the film's fictional Amity Island (filmed in Martha's Vineyard, Mass.) in the 1975 film. "Jaws the Game" with shark and junk pieces. The 50th Anniversary Of Jaws Has Inspired In Jaws' Toys And Collectibles While a movie where a great white shark attacks and kills people doesn't seem tailor-made for the toy marketplace, toys and collectibles makers have still managed to creatively squeeze in some games for fans to play and more recently, action figures. In 1975, the Ideal Toy Company released a crafty bit of merchandise called Jaws: The Game, which featured a plastic replica of the great white shark from Jaws along with 13 pieces of 'junk' — a boot, anchor, ship's wheel and a tire among them — with a pole. The object of the game is for the player to carefully fish the items out of the shark's mouth without it snapping down its, well, jaws. Of course, the original Jaws the Game can only be obtained on eBay and various auction sites now, but collectible maker NECA, just in time for the 50th anniversary of Jaws, reproduced Jaws the Game with updated stylings of the shark — which is 15 inches long— along with junk pieces. "Jaws" 50th anniversary collectibles: Shark with cage (Mondo), Quint and Hooper action figures ... More (NECA) and Shark and Orca water globe (Bradford Exchange). In addition, NECA is producing 7-inch tall 'Ultimate' action figures of Quint (Robert Shaw) and Hooper (Richard Dreyfus) with additional accessories. The company, however, has yet to obtain the license to make action figures of Roy Scheider's Chief Martin Brody. NECA isn't the only company producing merchandise celebrating Jaws' 50th anniversary. Collectibles maker The Bradford Exchange has the movie menace encased, appropriately, in a water globe that sits atop a stylized version of Quint's boat, the Orca, while collectibles maker Mondo features the sea monster breaking through a shark cage. The NBC Store— owned by NBC Universal— has a smattering of merchandise, from Amity Island beach towels, mugs and shot glasses to Jaws sweatshirts, T-shirts and even baby onesies. Presumably, the onesies were made for future Jaws fans as mementos when they celebrate the 100th anniversary of Jaws in 2075. For those fans invested in the now, Jaws celebrates its 50th anniversary on Friday.
Metro
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
Where to stream Jaws in the UK for the iconic film's 50th anniversary
Audiences in the UK can now stream Steven Spielberg's iconic Jaws in their own homes. This summer marks 50 years since Jaws first terrorised cinema audiences, transforming the film industry and beach holidays forever. Released in 1975, Steven Spielberg's breakout thriller is widely credited with inventing the modern summer blockbuster, proving that audiences were hungry for big, suspense-filled entertainment during the warmer months. The legendary movie followed a star-studded cast led by Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss, and Robert Shaw, as a team on the hunt for a terrifying great white shark after it attacked beachgoers. The film grossed more than $475million worldwide, and has gone down as one of the biggest blockbusters of all time. Now, half a century later, the appetite for Jaws hasn't waned. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The iconic shark thriller is being honoured with special screenings, retrospectives, and a wave of fans looking to relive the fear from the comfort of their homes. If you're in the UK and eager to revisit the waters of Amity Island, you're in luck because Jaws is currently available to stream for free with an Amazon Prime Video subscription. It's also available to rent or buy on platforms including Apple TV and the Sky Store, for those looking for a one-off watch or to add it permanently to their digital library. For those wanting the full cinematic experience, several UK cinemas, including BFI Southbank and select Picturehouse venues, are celebrating the milestone with limited-run screenings throughout June and July. More Trending Fans can expect a newly restored 4K version to appear on select screens, delivering more detail than ever before. Collectors haven't been forgotten either. A special 50th Anniversary Blu-ray edition has just been released in the UK, featuring behind-the-scenes extras, interviews, and archival footage, making it a must-have for cinephiles and shark movie enthusiasts alike. So whether you're watching it for the very first time or returning for your annual dose of shark-inflicted anxiety, Jaws remains the perfect summer rewatch. Grab your popcorn, dim the lights, and cue that iconic two-note theme. Half a century later, Jaws still knows how to make a splash. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: 'One of the best horror films' is finally coming to Amazon Prime next week MORE: Clarkson's Farm star worried about being 'out of a job' after major decision MORE: The 'best horror film of 2025' has arrived on Amazon Prime's Shudder
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Jaws' at 50: Jeffrey ‘Deputy Hendricks' Kramer recalls ‘horrific' first scene and an epic Roy Scheider flub
Move over Helen of Troy. Fifty years ago, Jeffrey Kramer became the face that launched a trio of shark hunters on that famously not-big-enough boat, the Orca. Released on June 20, 1975, Steven Spielberg's Jaws holds bragging rights as Hollywood's first contemporary summer blockbuster, generating massive box-office returns and waves of movie-based merchandise. And Kramer can boast to being the first actor in the four film Jaws-verse to react to the gruesome remains of a shark attack victim. More from GoldDerby Ryan Murphy and the JFK Jr.-Carolyn Bessette controversy, explained: Why 'American Love Story' Instagram post got so much hate Everything to know about 'The Pitt' Season 2 'The Daily Show' leads Best Talk Series Emmy odds amid outrage over the low number of available slots As Amity Island's Deputy Leonard "Jeff" Hendricks (more on those two names later), the actor is first on the scene the morning after the titular great white sinks its jaws into its first piece of human prey, a nude night swimmer named Chrissie. While Hendricks' boss — water-avoidant police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) — approaches, Kramer's horrified face dominates the foreground, his hand at his mouth in shock and his eyes wide with terror. That expression single-handedly establishes the stakes of the movie — and telegraphs the thrills and jump scares to come. "Hendricks is the audiences' eyes and ears," Kramer, now 79, confirms to Gold Derby. "He reacts with the same revulsion viewers had in the theater. And none of us have swam in the ocean the same way since!" Kramer credits Spielberg and the Jaws crew with giving him something revolting to react to in that moment. A bloody severed arm — of the artificial variety, mind you—was buried in the sand as real crabs clambered all over it. "It was pretty horrific," recalls Kramer, who grew up visiting the beaches that wrap around Martha's Vineyard, the Massachusetts island retreat where the problem-plagued production was filmed over the course of five very long months. Of course, Kramer had another good reason for feeling queasy. His crucial reaction shot was filmed on the very first day of his very first major studio production. "There were a lot of firsts happening," he says with a hearty laugh. "I was so nervous, I probably could have thrown up for real!" Derek Storm/Everett Collection Kramer's all-too-human response is one of the many grounded grace notes that makes Jaws an endlessly rewatchable character study in addition to being an eminently re-playable thrill machine. Five decades on, Kramer — who still wears his Amity Police cap every day, including during this interview — says that his association with Jaws reaps more valuable rewards than the $10,000 fee that Quint (Robert Shaw) received for piloting the Orca out to open water with Brody and Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) in tow. "I got stopped by a cop in Sherman Oaks once for running a stop sign," he recalls. "I apologized, and he said, 'Why are you wearing that hat?' I told him, 'Oh, I played the deputy in Jaws.' He let me go and said: 'I love that movie — don't run that stop sign again.'" To celebrate the golden anniversary of Spielberg's classic shark tale, Kramer shared five stories from the sets of Jaws and its 1978 sequel, Jaws 2. Consider this your essential summer beach reading. Talk about your temperamental movie stars. Due respect to the trio of Scheider, Shaw, and Dreyfuss, but Jaws' main attraction was a mechanical shark named Bruce — and he famously didn't like performing on command. Bruce's various breakdowns and no-shows have long since become the stuff of Hollywood legend, and Kramer can attest to their veracity. Universal Pictures/Everett Collection "The first time I ever saw the shark, it was supposed to surface, but instead it just sank," he remembers. "Sometimes they'd be rolling three cameras, and there wouldn't be a foot of film that they could use." The upshot of Bruce's unreliability is that Kramer ended up with more screen time. "They needed to keep shooting something,' he laughs. 'So, my part blessedly got a little bigger." Meanwhile, watching Spielberg roll with the shark's various punches gave him an early crash course in set management — a lesson Kramer took with him later in life when he moved behind the camera as a producer on such shows as The Practice and Chicago Hope. "I always found him to be a kind, decent and talented man," Kramer says of the two-time Oscar winner. "There was so much on his shoulders, but he knew what he wanted, and he let you get there — but also helped you along the way." As an example of how Spielberg would allow the actors find their own way through a scene, Kramer points to a moment early on in Jaws where Brody and Hendricks are busying themselves as a battalion of fisherman descend on Amity in the hopes of being shark slayers. While Hendricks stands on the dock observing the action, Brody is inside a shack speaking hurriedly into the phone. As he hangs up, he throws a handful of debris at the window to catch his deputy's attention and motions for him to come inside. Universal Pictures/Everett Collection Kramer says that bit of business was improvised by Schieder on the day of filming. "It was a better entry into the scene than just having me walk through the door," he explains. "It also adds to the characters a little bit. Hendricks is such a happy guy, and he loves the island, so he's a little suspicious of all the outsiders showing up." Some of those outsiders do eventually catch a shark — though it's not the one that's responsible for all the mayhem. A tiger shark is hoisted on the dock as Amity's tourist-minded mayor, Larry Vaughn (Murray Hamilton), prematurely declares the crisis over. Kramer says that the body of a real tiger shark was used for that scene, flown in directly from Florida, due to the absence of that particular species from Massachusetts waters. "They flew it up in a box filled with ice and every night after shooting they'd put it back in the box," he says now. "After three days, it smelled so bad! But we still had to smile and pretend that it didn't." Speaking of funky smells, Kramer recalls a particularly fragrant night out with Hamilton during the production of Jaws 2. As with the first film, the sequel wound up being a much longer shoot than anticipated… like nine months longer. Universal Pictures/Everett Collection Fortunately, Kramer and Hamilton had become fast friends during their first extended go-around on the Vineyard and knew how to put all that extra time on the island to good use — namely, lots of late nights at local watering holes. After one of those last-call lost evenings, the duo made their way back to their hotel when Hamilton decided to stop and pet a stray cat that had crossed their path. There was just one problem — that nighttime critter wasn't a cat. "It was a skunk!" Kramer exclaims, cringing at the sense memory. "Murray got full-on skunked! When we got to the hotel, he refused to go to his room and ended up sleeping on the couch in the lobby. By the next morning, that place was almost uninhabitable." Despite the olfactory offense, Kramer has nothing but fond memories of Hamilton, who passed away in 1986. "We shared a dressing room, and Murray used to keep a bottle of gin in my boot,' he says wistfully. 'Those movies took so long to shoot that you tended to make lifelong friends." You're not crazy: Deputy Hendricks really does go by Leonard or "Lenny" in the first Jaws. But in a key scene in Jaws 2, Brody calls him Jeff — a Scheider flub that ended up in the finished film. Universal Pictures/Everett Collection It's not unlike the infamous moment in Star Wars: A New Hope when a post-trench run Luke Skywalker triumphantly climbs out of his X-Wing and bellows, "Carrie!" — as in Carrie Fisher — instead of "Leia." (For the record, Mark Hamill has strenuously declared himself innoncent in the name-blame game.) "Roy called me Jeff in the scene and how it ended up staying in there, I'll never know," Kramer sighs. "It's such an oversight; I never imagined that they'd leave it in." The blatant flub might be indictive of Scheider's general disinterest in being part of Jaws 2. Kramer says that the actor was contractually obligated to headline the sequel, for which neither Spielberg nor Dreyfuss returned. Scheider fulfilled his contract, but his mind was clearly on other things — like soaking in the beach rays. "Roy got so tan in the movie, he had to be color-corrected in the final mix," Kramer says, chuckling. "He loved the sun — he sat out there all the time with a reflector and a G-string." (Scheider died in 2008 at age 75.) For a hot minute, it looked like Scheider was going to lose a deputy going into Jaws 2 as well. Kramer recalls that he turned down the movie after original director, John D. Hancock, created a partner for Hendricks who got all of the best lines. "But then Hancock got fired, and they brought in Jeannot Szwarc," Kramer explains. "Jeannot said, 'What happened to the deputy who was in the first movie? I liked him.' They brought me back and I was so grateful." During the course of Jaws 2, Hendricks becomes Amity's police chief after Brody is stripped of that title courtesy of his shark obsession. And even though the ex-chief ultimately saves the island again, Kramer believes that Brody let his deputy keep the badge. "I think Brody said, 'Get me off of this island!'" laughs Kramer. "'If I'm going to live here, I'm just going to go to the beach — I don't want to deal with sharks anymore.'" Universal Pictures/Everett Collection It's worth noting that 1987's Jaws: The Revenge revealed that Brody died of a heart attack in between movies. Kramer says he wasn't asked back for that notoriously awful fourth and final installment and wouldn't have wanted to return anyway. "Even I knew when to stop," he jokes. But that doesn't mean he's stopped thinking about his alter ego. Kramer says that he believes Hendricks remains a devoted Amity islander to this day, starting a family and maybe even taking his own adult kid on as the department's newest deputy. (In 2018, Hendricks starred in his own independent comic book that took the character in a more fantastical direction.) Not for nothing, but a Chief Hendricks cameo would be ideal fodder for an all-new Jaws sequel or reboot, although Kramer doesn't expect either to happen anytime soon. "Jaws will never get remade," he vows. "Nowadays they just want these kinds of movies to be bigger and it takes you out of any essence of reality." "Steven captured the fear of the primordial and the depths of the unknown, and inspired a generation of filmmakers," Kramer continues. "As time goes by, you appreciate Jaws more and more." 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