Bruno Kirby

  • Name: Bruno Kirby
  • Date of Birth: April 28, 1949
  • Place of Birth: New York, New York, USA
Mini-bio: Bruno Kirby, born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu, Jr. (April 28, 1949 – August 14, 2006), was an Italian-American character actor. Kirby was a popular character actor through the late 1980s and early '90s,...( read more) although the frequency of his film appearances waned.

Kirby's film debut was in the little-seen The Young Graduates (1971). Early television appearances included the series Room 222 and The Super, but it was his role in The Godfather Part II, as the young Pete Clemenza, that raised his profile in Hollywood.




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 most well-known roles include a fellow colleague to Albert Brooks' film editor in Modern Romance, a talkative limo driver in This Is Spinal Tap (1984), the jealous, comedically-impaired U.S. Army officer Lt. Hauk in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) and a shifty assistant to Marlon Brando — a parody of his Godfather role — in The Freshman (1990). Kirby balanced comedies with dramatic roles in Donnie Brasco as a double dealing mobster and Sleepers in a disguised role as the wise father of Jason Patric's character.

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. Crystal replaced him with Jon Lovitz, and the film was widely panned.




In 1991, Kirby made his Broadway debut to great critical acclaim when he replaced Kevin Spacey in Neil Simon's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning play Lost in Yonkers

In the last decade of his life, Kirby (and his unforgettable voice) had a last great success in a major role apparently modeled on the character he always played, in the animated children's classic Stuart Little (1999), and was increasingly working on television. He starred as Barry Scheck in a 2000 CBS drama American Tragedy about the O.J. Simpson case. He played a paroled convict out for revenge in an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street. More recently, he played Phil Rubenstein in the HBO series Entourage.
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Replace this image with an actor photoBruno Kirby mini-bio: Bruno Kirby, born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu, Jr. (April 28, 1949 – August 14, 2006), was an Italian-American character actor. Kirby was a popular character actor through the late 1980s and early '90s, although the frequency of his film appearances waned. Kirby's film debut was in the little-seen The Young Graduates (1971). Early television appearances included the series Room 222 and The Super, but it was his role in The Godfather Part II, as the young Pete Clemenza, that raised his profile in Hollywood.

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 most well-known roles include a fellow colleague to Albert Brooks' film editor in Modern Romance, a talkative limo driver in This Is Spinal Tap (1984), the jealous, comedically-impaired U.S. Army officer Lt. Hauk in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) and a shifty assistant to Marlon Brando — a parody of his Godfather role — in The Freshman (1990). Kirby balanced comedies with dramatic roles in Donnie Brasco as a double dealing mobster and Sleepers in a disguised role as the wise father of Jason Patric's character. 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. Crystal replaced him with Jon Lovitz, and the film was widely panned.

In 1991, Kirby made his Broadway debut to great critical acclaim when he replaced Kevin Spacey in Neil Simon's Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning play Lost in Yonkers In the last decade of his life, Kirby (and his unforgettable voice) had a last great success in a major role apparently modeled on the character he always played, in the animated children's classic Stuart Little (1999), and was increasingly working on television. He starred as Barry Scheck in a 2000 CBS drama American Tragedy about the O.J. Simpson case. He played a paroled convict out for revenge in an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street. More recently, he played Phil Rubenstein in the HBO series Entourage.

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Last update: Aug 12 2008, 11:08 PM EDT by ed (content history | content tools) (help)
Keyword tags: Bruno Kirby Bruno Kirby biography Bruno Kirby quotes Bruno Kirby trivia Bruno Kirby vital stats Bruno Kirby wiki
Bruno Kirby Biography Bruno Kirby Quotes Bruno Kirby Best Movies and Characters

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  • sparky12789
    sparky12789
    Bruno was one of my favorite character actors. I never fully got over his untimely death last year. At least he died respectfully, and not in the middle of some outright durg binge like other celebrities. He will be missed

    Bruno Kirby
    1949-2006
    posted 1004 days ago
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  • In which movie did Bruno Kirby and Carrie Fisher argue over a wagonwheel coffee table?  Answer »
  • Robert DiNero played the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather Part II. Who played the young Clemenza?  Answer »
  • Which actor played a friend of Billy Crystal's in two movies, a con artist mouse, and was a partner in crime with Robert De Niro?  Answer »
  • What actor has appeared in these films? The Godfather: Part II Donnie Brasco Birdy Good Morning, Vietnam  Answer »
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