Lee Fierro, ‘Jaws’ Actor, Dies of Coronavirus at 91

By Jordan Moreau

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Lee Fierro, an actor best known for playing Mrs. Kintner in “Jaws,” has died of complications from coronavirus, according to The Martha’s Vineyard Times . She was 91.

A resident of Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., Fierro had been living at an assisted care facility in Ohio when she died.

Fierro’s character was the mother to Alex Kintner (Jeffrey Voorhees), the second victim of the great white shark in “Jaws.” In the 1975 film, her son was attacked off the shore of Amity Island, and she walks up to police chief Brody (Roy Scheider) and slaps him in a memorable scene. She also reprises her role as the character in “Jaws: The Revenge” in 1987.

While shooting the Steven Spielberg movie in Martha’s Vineyard, Fierro was a drama teacher at the Island Theatre Workshop, where she mentored hundreds of aspiring actors. She spent more than 25 years there as the artistic director, and she continued helping out well into her 80s. Fierro moved to Ohio in 2017 to be closer to her family.

A small service, due to the social distancing rules in place during the coronavirus pandemic, is being planned by Fierro’s family in Ohio. There are plans for a memorial service in Martha’s Vineyard at a later date.