R.I.P. Bruno Kirby

Bruno Kirby has one hilarious scene in my favorite comedy of all time, This is Spinal Tap, as an enthusiastic limo driver and Rat Pack fan. Remember? "Have any of you ever read Yes I Can by Sammy Davis Jr.? It should have been called Yes I Can, if Frank Sinatra Says It's Okay. Frank called the shots for all those guys."

There's a long and gloried history of limo drivers in the movies - from Argyle in Die Hard all the way to Dom Irrera in Big Lebowski - and even if he had achieved nothing else, this would be sufficient.

Among other memorable roles, Kirby will always be remembered as young Clamenza in Godfather 2, so this is a man with a secure legacy. He died of leukemia yesterday at the tender age of 57.



Bruno Kirby was one of those character actors with a famous face whose name a lot of people didn't know. Almost everyone has seen him - he's been in some big hit movies - but would your average Joe on the street be able to come up with the name "Bruno Kirby" if pressed?

Sometimes, I think this might be the worst possible kind of celebrity. You're getting approached and recognized all the time by assholes in public, so you get the whole downside of fame, but you don't really command the big salaries or the high-profile projects that an A-list star would expect. I always think of Alvy Singer in Annie Hall; Kirby had that "how do I know you?" kind of fame.

It wasn't for a lack of parts. The guy worked an awful lot, right up until his death as it turns out. (He had appeared recently on "Entourage.") Early in his career, in 1973, he appeared in Disney's Superdad, featuring soon-to-be-tragically-and-freakishly-murdered "Hogans Heroes" vet Bob Crane. You can find out more about this fascinating, grisly chapter in television history by watching Paul Schrader's hilarious ode to sexual addiction Auto Focus.

Tbogg helpfully points out that Kirby played "Man Greasing Up his Fist In Club" in William Friedkin's bizarre gay slasher Al Pacino vehicle Cruising. Kirby is shockingly actually credited for the film, despite his central role. I mean, can you imagine that movie without the man greasing up his fist in that club? The whole second half falls apart!

Kirby also made some movies where his character earned a name, not just a description of his favorite method of lubricant application. He's terrific as Albert Brooks' best friend in Modern Romance, a welcome respite from 90 minutes of Albert Brooks sitting alone in his apartment feeling sorry for himself. He plays a key role in Bill Murray's overlooked Hunter Thompson adaptation, Where the Buffalo Roam. He fits in snugly with the ensemble casts of hit comedies like When Harry Met Sally, The Freshman, Tin Men and City Slickers.

Kirby's specialty was playing tough guys who were actually really sensitive and vulnerable behind their macho facades. He primarily made comedies, but even in dramatic films, the goofy good-natured guy within would pop out on occasion. In one of the best moments in the overall brilliant Donnie Brasco, Michael Madsen's Mafia boss smacks him in the mouth when a joke about stealing parking meters hits too close to home. Sure, Kirby's believable as a gangster, but he's still the sweet, likable gangster.

I suspect his two roles that everyone will remember are Clemenza in Godfather 2 (pictured above) and 2nd. Lieutenant Hauk in Good Morning Vietnam. Levinson's Vietnam dramedy is not the greatest movie. You all know my feelings on Robin Williams in general by now. But Kirby has the best role in the whole movie and really makes the most out of it. His flummoxed hardass is infinitely more funny than Williams' endless jabbering, to my mind. It's rare that the villain in a film will also serve as the comic relief, but Kirby pulled it off.

Anyway, not much more to say. It's sad to see the guy go so young.