Bruno Kirby(1949-2006)
- Actor
- Director
- Soundtrack
Native New Yorker and Italianate Bruno Kirby tended towards assertive,
pushy, streetwise characters and was armed with a highly distinctive
scratchy tenor voice that complemented his slim eyes and droopy puss
and accentuated his deadpan comedic instincts on film and TV. The
well-regarded character actor was born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu on April 28,
1949, in New York City, the son of Lucille (Garibaldi) and actor Bruce Kirby. He was raised in NY's Hell's Kitchen section.
In the late 1960s he moved with his family to California. His career
began to rev up in the early 1970s with a part in the TV pilot episode
of M*A*S*H (1972) and roles in the
films
The Young Graduates (1971),
The Harrad Experiment (1973),
Cinderella Liberty (1973) and
Superdad (1973). Most notable of all,
however, was his featured part as Young Clemenza alongside
Robert De Niro's young Vito Corleone in
The Godfather Part II (1974).
Bruno also played
Richard S. Castellano's son in the
short-lived ethnic sitcom
The Super (1972). Coincidentally,
Castellano played older Clemenza in the original
The Godfather (1972).
On stage in the 1980s and 1990s, Bruno appeared in "On the Money"
(1983) and "Geniuses" (1985) and later replaced
Kevin Spacey on Broadway in "Lost in
Yonkers" in 1991. In 1997 he showcased off-Broadway, playing writer
Alan Zweibel in "Bunny Bunny," Zweibel's
tribute to comedienne Gilda Radner and
their close 14-year friendship.
Bruno's close association with director
Rob Reiner and actor
Billy Crystal arguably led to the apex of
his film career. In the early 1980s he chummed around with both Reiner
and Crystal on a softball team, along with writer/actor/director
Christopher Guest. Bruno wound
up playing Crystal's best buddy in two of Crystal's biggest box-office
hits --
When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
and City Slickers (1991). He also
appeared in Reiner's cult hit
This Is Spinal Tap (1984).
Other important film roles for him included his humorless lieutenant in
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987),
the refined salesman named "Mouse" in
Tin Men (1987) and
Marlon Brando's nephew in
The Freshman (1990), that more or
less amusingly parodied the "Godfather" association.
Bruno was equally effective in taut, heavier stories and supported such
up-and-coming stars as
Leonardo DiCaprio in the dark and
downbeat
The Basketball Diaries (1995)
and Johnny Depp in the mob family-styled
drama Donnie Brasco (1997). On TV
he was a regular on
It's Garry Shandling's Show. (1986),
played dogged prosecutor
Vincent Bugliosi in the miniseries
Helter Skelter (2004),
which was a reenactment of the
Charles Manson family horror, and
appeared on the more popular shows of the day, such as
Entourage (2004). He was married
for the first time to actress Lynn Sellers
in 2004 at age 55. His brother John is a well-known acting coach. An
occasional TV director to boot, Bruno was diagnosed with leukemia
shortly before his death on August 14, 2006, after having completed his
part in the film Played (2006) starring
Gabriel Byrne.
pushy, streetwise characters and was armed with a highly distinctive
scratchy tenor voice that complemented his slim eyes and droopy puss
and accentuated his deadpan comedic instincts on film and TV. The
well-regarded character actor was born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu on April 28,
1949, in New York City, the son of Lucille (Garibaldi) and actor Bruce Kirby. He was raised in NY's Hell's Kitchen section.
In the late 1960s he moved with his family to California. His career
began to rev up in the early 1970s with a part in the TV pilot episode
of M*A*S*H (1972) and roles in the
films
The Young Graduates (1971),
The Harrad Experiment (1973),
Cinderella Liberty (1973) and
Superdad (1973). Most notable of all,
however, was his featured part as Young Clemenza alongside
Robert De Niro's young Vito Corleone in
The Godfather Part II (1974).
Bruno also played
Richard S. Castellano's son in the
short-lived ethnic sitcom
The Super (1972). Coincidentally,
Castellano played older Clemenza in the original
The Godfather (1972).
On stage in the 1980s and 1990s, Bruno appeared in "On the Money"
(1983) and "Geniuses" (1985) and later replaced
Kevin Spacey on Broadway in "Lost in
Yonkers" in 1991. In 1997 he showcased off-Broadway, playing writer
Alan Zweibel in "Bunny Bunny," Zweibel's
tribute to comedienne Gilda Radner and
their close 14-year friendship.
Bruno's close association with director
Rob Reiner and actor
Billy Crystal arguably led to the apex of
his film career. In the early 1980s he chummed around with both Reiner
and Crystal on a softball team, along with writer/actor/director
Christopher Guest. Bruno wound
up playing Crystal's best buddy in two of Crystal's biggest box-office
hits --
When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
and City Slickers (1991). He also
appeared in Reiner's cult hit
This Is Spinal Tap (1984).
Other important film roles for him included his humorless lieutenant in
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987),
the refined salesman named "Mouse" in
Tin Men (1987) and
Marlon Brando's nephew in
The Freshman (1990), that more or
less amusingly parodied the "Godfather" association.
Bruno was equally effective in taut, heavier stories and supported such
up-and-coming stars as
Leonardo DiCaprio in the dark and
downbeat
The Basketball Diaries (1995)
and Johnny Depp in the mob family-styled
drama Donnie Brasco (1997). On TV
he was a regular on
It's Garry Shandling's Show. (1986),
played dogged prosecutor
Vincent Bugliosi in the miniseries
Helter Skelter (2004),
which was a reenactment of the
Charles Manson family horror, and
appeared on the more popular shows of the day, such as
Entourage (2004). He was married
for the first time to actress Lynn Sellers
in 2004 at age 55. His brother John is a well-known acting coach. An
occasional TV director to boot, Bruno was diagnosed with leukemia
shortly before his death on August 14, 2006, after having completed his
part in the film Played (2006) starring
Gabriel Byrne.