Cita:
Bruno Kirby: 1949-2006
Bruno Kirby, the droopy-faced actor who anchored such films as The Godfather: Part II, When Harry Met Sally, and City Slickers, died Monday (8/14) in Los Angeles from complications related to leukemia. He was 57.
The son of veteran character actor Bruce Kirby, Kirby's penetrating squint and New York delivery earned him a devoted fan base, critical acclaim, and numerous roles over the years.
Kirby first came to the public's attention for playing the young Clemenza in The Godfather: Part II (played as an adult by Richard S. Castellano in The Godfather). Clemenza's genial request of the young, stoic Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) to hide a gun, and subsequently to help him pick up a rug from a friend, helps initiate Corleone into the New York underworld. It also provided one of the most memorable images from the Godfather trilogy; that of Clemenza, hiding behind a door and leveling a gun at an unsuspecting policeman who happens upon the apartment they're robbing.
Kirby was perhaps best known for his roles opposite Billy Crystal. In When Harry Met Sally he played Jess, the writer who is the male sounding-board for Crystal's Harry; in City Slickers, he was Ed Furillo, the insecure, overcompensating sporting goods salesman who proposes a cattle drive vacation to his best friends.
The actor also gained recognition for his role in Good Morning, Vietnam as 2nd Lt. Steven Hauk, the uptight, desperately humorless officer assigned to reigning in the wisecracking Adrian Cronauer (played by Robin Williams).
Other roles included variations on mobster types in The Freshman and Donnie Brasco. His most recent appearance was in this season's "Entourage" episode, "Guys and Doll", where Kirby played a producer paralyzed with grief after a beloved Shrek model is stolen from his home.
Kirby, who was just recently diagnosed with leukemia, is survived by his wife of two years, Lynn Sellers, his father Bruce Kirby, his stepmother Roz Kirby, brother John Kirby, and step-brother Brad Sullivan.
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