Bruno Kirby - RIP

Bruno Kirby, the actor probably best known as young Clemenza in Godfather II and as Billy Crystal's sidekick in When Harry Met Sally and City Slickers, is dead at the age of 57 from leukemia related complications.

My two favorite Kirby roles (besides Godfather II of course) were his Lt. Steven Hauk in Good Morning Vietnam and his cheesey/greesey Victor Ray (Brando's nephew) in The Freshmen.

I was surprised to read at IMDB that he appeared in the pilot episode of M*A*S*H and really got a chuckle out of this credit:

Cruising (1980) (uncredited) .... Man greasing up his fist in club

Cruising was the Al Pachino movie about an S&M killer in the gay subculture of New York.

I have to admit that I always felt like Kirby was playing himself - a good natured New Yorker. If Kirby had a mustache in the role that meant he was the good natured New Yorker with a bit of an attitude. I know Kirby was much more range than that but that was my impression. It was also my impression that Kirby would have been a great guy to share a couple of beers with but now we'll never have that chance.