Bruno Kirby

Bruno Kirby (born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu Jr.; April 28, 1949 – August 14, 2006) was an American actor, singer, voice artist, and comedian. He was known for his roles in City Slickers, When Harry Met Sally..., Good Morning, Vietnam, The Godfather Part II, and Donnie Brasco. He voiced Reginald Stout in Stuart Little.

Bruno Kirby
Kirby in When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
Born
Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu Jr.

(1949-04-28)April 28, 1949
New York City, U.S.
DiedAugust 14, 2006(2006-08-14) (aged 57)[1]
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesBruce Kirby Jr.
B. Kirby Jr.
OccupationActor, voice artist, comedian
Years active1971–2006
Spouse(s)
Lynn Sellers
(
m. 2003)
Parent(s)Bruce Kirby (father)

Early life

Kirby was born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu Jr. in New York City on April 28, 1949. His father was Bruce Kirby (born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu). His brother John Kirby was an acting coach.

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 Peter Clemenza, that raised his profile in Hollywood. In the summer of 1972 Kirby, in one of his early television appearances, portrayed Anthony Girelli, the son of Richard Castellano's character Joe Girelli, in The Super; Castellano had played the older Pete Clemenza in The Godfather.

Other television appearances include Room 222, and the pilot episode of M*A*S*H, portraying the character Boone (he has no lines). He also appeared in the 1974 Columbo episode "By Dawn's Early Light," alongside his father Bruce Kirby and in the season 2 episode "Seance" of Emergency!, where he was credited as "B. Kirby Jr."

Described by Leonard Maltin as the "quintessential New Yorker or cranky straight man", Kirby appeared in a series of comedies, typically playing fast-talking, belligerent, yet likable, 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 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 like Donnie Brasco as a double-dealing mobster.

Kirby appeared with Billy Crystal in When Harry Met Sally... (1989) and City Slickers (1991). Both featured Kirby's character as the opinionated best friend to Crystal's character. Kirby refused to sign on for 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 Stuart Little and was increasingly working in 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 that show.

Kirby appeared on the HBO TV series Entourage - Season 3, episode 4 - "Guys and Doll". He portrayed the movie mogul Phil Rubinstein.

Personal life

Kirby, similar to his character in This is Spinal Tap, was a fan of Frank Sinatra.[2] He enjoyed playing softball in the late 1970s. He was also strongly allergic to horses and needed daily allergy shots on the set of City Slickers (part of the reason he declined to return for City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold).[3] Kirby was invited to be a member of the Actors Studio in 2006, less than six months before his death.

Kirby married Lynn Sellers on September 29, 2003.

He died August 14, 2006, from complications related to leukemia at the age of 57.[1]

Filmography

Awards and nominations
Year Result Award Category Film or series
1992 Nominated American Comedy Awards Funniest Supporting Actor City Slickers
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References
  1. Associated Press (August 16, 2006). "Bruno Kirby dies at 57". today.com.
  2. Revealed in an interview on Bob Costas' Later show
  3. D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood came to town: a history of moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton, Utah: Gibbs Smith. ISBN 9781423605874.
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