Bruno Kirby's high, husky voice makes an opinion hard to ignore. We value the humour and honesty he brings to supporting parts, even when another fast-talking New Yorker feels a little too familiar.
Fi1m perspective
Bruno Kirby often sounds as though he has more to say and would prefer to say it before anyone interrupts. His high, husky voice makes the opinionated New Yorkers easy to recognise, sometimes too easy: we can find ourselves waiting for the belligerence. In Donnie Brasco (1997), his streetwise presence belongs to Nicholas 'Nicky' Santora, a mobster rather than a comic friend. We recommend it as a useful place to start with an actor whose dramatic work deserves attention alongside the comedies.
His profile rose with young Clemenza in The Godfather Part II (1974), followed by steady work across comedy and drama. The comic parts include limousine driver Tommy Pischedda in This Is Spinal Tap (1984) and Lieutenant Steven Hauk, the straight man opposite Robin Williams in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). Rob Reiner and Barry Levinson both directed him repeatedly. There is no good reason to regard that supporting career as an unsuccessful attempt to become a leading man.
The two best-friend roles opposite Billy Crystal give a clearer account of his appeal: Jess in When Harry Met Sally... (1989) and Ed Furillo in City Slickers (1991). We warmed to Jess because Kirby makes the friendship feel honest even while supplying the humour. A friend on screen can be reduced to someone who sets up the leading actor's next line, and Kirby's care with character helps prevent that. The familiar voice gets our attention; the thought behind the part gives us a reason to keep listening.
Donnie Brasco also puts his contribution in proportion. Its strongest scenes belong to Al Pacino and Johnny Depp, whose uneasy friendship makes the danger hurt, and there is no need to pretend Kirby is the principal attraction. The family story is thin, a significant weakness in a crime drama we otherwise find quietly gripping. Choose it for the dramatic company Kirby keeps, but do not expect the film to clear a space for him at everyone else's expense.
Biography
Bruno Kirby was an American actor, also credited as B. Kirby Jr. or Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu Jr. Born in New York City, he began working in film and television in the late 1960s and appeared in supporting roles across comedies and dramas until 2006.
His credits include Young Clemenza in The Godfather Part II (1974), Tommy Pischedda in This Is Spinal Tap (1984), Lieutenant Steven Hauk in Good Morning, Vietnam (1987), Jess in When Harry Met Sally... (1989), Ed Furillo in City Slickers (1991), Swifty in The Basketball Diaries (1995), Shakes' father in Sleepers (1996) and Nicholas 'Nicky' Santora in Donnie Brasco (1997). He also voiced a character in Stuart Little (1999).
Kirby was the son of actor Bruce Kirby and the brother of John Kirby.
