Bruno Kirby

Bruno Kirby
Kirby in City Slickers, 1991
Born	Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu, Jr. (1949-04-28)April 28, 1949 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	August 14, 2006(2006-08-14) (aged 57) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other names	Bruce Kirby, Jr. B. Kirby, Jr.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1971-2006

Bruno Kirby (April 28, 1949 – August 14, 2006) was an American film and television actor. He was perhaps best known for his roles in the Hollywood films City Slickers, When Harry Met Sally..., Good Morning, Vietnam, The Godfather Part II, and Donnie Brasco.

Early life

Kirby was born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu, Jr. in New York City, New York. His father is actor Bruce Kirby (born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu). His brother, John Kirby, is a notable acting coach. Bruno Kirby attended Power Memorial Academy.

Career

Kirby was a popular character actor through the late 1980s and early 1990s. His film debut was in 1971's The Young Graduates. It was his role in The Godfather Part II, as the young Pete Clemenza, that raised his profile in Hollywood. Richard Castellano had appeared in The Godfather (1972) as hefty Pete Clemenza, a prominent member of the Corleone crime family, and Kirby subsequently played a younger version of Clemenza in The Godfather Part II. Coincidentally, Kirby portrayed Castellano's son in The Super, in one of his early television appearances.

Other television appearances include Room 222, and the pilot episode of M*A*S*H, playing the character Boone (he has no lines). He also appeared in the 1974 Columbo episode "By Dawn's Early Light" alongside father Bruce Kirby.

Described by film critic Leonard Maltin as "the quintessential New Yorker or cranky straight man", Kirby displayed his talents in a series of comedies, typically playing fast-talking, belligerent, yet strangely likeable characters. His best-known roles include a colleague of Albert Brooks' film editor in Modern Romance, a talkative limo driver in This Is Spinal Tap, the jealous, comedically impaired U.S. Army officer Lt. Hauk in Good Morning, Vietnam and a shifty assistant to Marlon Brando — a parody of his Godfather role — in The Freshman. Kirby balanced comedies with dramatic roles such as that in Donnie Brasco as a double dealing mobster.

Kirby and comedian Billy Crystal made a popular screen team in When Harry Met Sally... (1989) and City Slickers (1991). Both featured Kirby's character as the opinionated best friend to Crystal's character. However, Kirby refused to sign on for the sequel City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold unless script changes were made, and was subsequently replaced by Jon Lovitz.

In 1991, Kirby made his Broadway debut when he replaced Kevin Spacey in Neil Simon's Lost in Yonkers. In the last decade of his life, Kirby had success in the animated film Stuart Little, and was increasingly working on television. He starred as Barry Scheck in a 2000 CBS drama American Tragedy, played a paroled convict in a season three episode of Homicide: Life on the Street, and also directed an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street.

Personal life and death

Kirby married actress Lynn Sellers on September 29, 2003. Kirby died on August 14, 2006, from complications related to leukemia. According to the Associated Press and other news reports, his widow stated that he had only recently been diagnosed with the disease.

Kirby, like his character in This Is Spinal Tap, was a fanatical fan of Frank Sinatra. He enjoyed playing softball in the late 70's. He was also very allergic to horses, and needed daily allergy shots on the set of City Slickers. In 2006, less than six months before his death, Kirby was invited to be a member of Actors Studio.

Filmography

• Superdad (1973)
• Cinderella Liberty (1973)
• The Harrad Experiment (1973)
• The Godfather: Part II (1974)
• Between the Lines (1977)
• Almost Summer (1978)
• Where the Buffalo Roam (1980)
• Borderline (1980)
• Modern Romance (1981)
• Kiss My Grits (1982)
• Million Dollar Infield (1982)
• This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
• Birdy (1984)
• Flesh and Blood (1985)
• Tin Men (1987)
• Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
• When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
• We're No Angels (1989)
• The Freshman (1990)
• City Slickers (1991)
• Mastergate (1992)
• Hoffa (1992)
• Fallen Angels - Vol. 2 (1993)
• Golden Gate (1994)
• The Basketball Diaries (1995)
• Sleepers (1996)
• Donnie Brasco (1997)
• Stuart Little (1999) - Voice
• American Tragedy (2000)
• Spy Games (2000)
• One Eyed King (2001)
• Helter Skelter (2004)
• Played (2006)

Awards and nominations

Year	Result	Award	Category	Film or series
1992	Nominated	American Comedy Awards	Funniest Supporting Actor	City Slickers

External links

• Bruno Kirby at the Internet Movie Database
• MSNBC article on Kirby's death
• Washington Post obituary