15 Essential Bruno Kirby Characters
During Unmasked with Robert Wuhl, he told a brief story about his friend Bruno Kirby who was known in Hollywood as one of the great actors (and human beings) to come through Hollywood. He was loved by his peers, admired by writers and directors, and audiences who took notice were given a lesson in the craft of acting. There are more roles which could be included, but if you want to know what made him so special, just take a look at some of these performances.
15. Orbec: Flesh and Blood
The part is small but memorable for two reasons. One, the movie is just crazy, no surprise considering its Paul Verhoeven’s first English language movie and stars Rutger Hauer as the leader of a Italian middle-ages bandits. Second, in 1985, it was a legitimate risk for an actor to play a gay character in an action adventure movie, especially one which maintains that relationship without adding politically or social commentary. Kirby plays Orbec, one of the bandits under Hauer’s control who is in a relationship with one of the fellow bandits, the only genuine relationship in this entire crazy movie.
.
* * *
14. Jay: Modern Romance
“The ludes kicked in” might be one of the best comic quips ever and puts the perfect period on Albert Brooks long, drawn out rambling scene of drug fueled confessionary love for his assistant. As the deadpan assistant Jay, Kirby is primarily the sounding board to Albert Brooks’ Robert, a Hollywod editor dealing with a difficult break-up. If the movie weren’t one of the best romantic comedies ever made, it could have been a brilliant buddy-comedy satirizing the Hollywood system.
.
* * *
13. Swifty: Basketball Diaries
As the creepy pediphile basketball coach, it would be hard to find a more disturbing character for a mainstream actor to have taken on. Despite first appearing as a mentor to the boys in his first scenes, the realization that he’s using coaching to feed his sick urges makes the character far more disturbing than if they put his true nature upfront in the film. The scenes with DiCaprio are some of the hardest to watch, especially when you realize that as evil as his character is, Swifty isn’t a monster but a realistic character who could be in any school.
.
* * *
12. Mouse: Tin Men
One of the most charming characters Kirby ever played, there isn’t much on the page, but his performance completely fleshes him out. From his improvised rendition of La Bamba in the pool room to his constant grooming and fussing, he turned a side character into a memorable part of the ensemble. Despite having the smallest part, he holds his own with his group of fellow Tin Men (Danny DeVito, J.T. Walsh, Jackie Gayle, Stanley Brock) by always “doing bits of business” during his scenes. And his argument with DeVito over how much he spent for breakfast is one of Barry Levinson’s great random dialogue scenes.
* * *
11. Ed: City Slickers
City Slickers is a pretty dated film, especially when you look at how much of Billy Crystal’s stand-up act is not so subtly incorporated into the film. But everytime the movie starts to feel a little too “jokey” Bruno comes along with a levity that the movie almost doesn’t deserve. All one has to do is watch his unbearably painful “best day” scene, and its impossible to argue that there is a level of complexity to a performance which transends the film.
.
* * *
10. Marty Lewis: Where The Buffalo Roam
Poor Jann Wenner. The pointed commentary of Kirby’s performance makes about the Rolling Stones’ co-founder/editor is pretty brutal. From the hardass man of vision he was in the 60s to the entitled yuppy he became in the 1980s, it is the stand-out performance in this strange entry in Bill Murray’s filmography. Sure he changes his clothes and wears a fat pad in the scenes set in the 1980s, but there is far more to the performance which stretches a 20 year period in the life of Hunter S. Thompson.
.
* * *
9. Tony: I’ll Be Waiting (Fallen Angels series)
Tom Hanks made his directorial debut for the Showtime anthology series based on neo-noir short stories, casting Bruno Kirby, Marg Helgenberger, and Dan Hedaya in the story of a hotel dick who becomes the defender of a gangster’s mistress. Surprisingly, Kirby is perfect as one of Raymond Chandler’s amoral detectives, and his deadpan humor makes this contribution one of the standout short films in the Showtime series. Although rarely cast in romantic roles, he smolders, showing real chemistry between Kirby and Helgenberger, and is the polar opposite of the light comic characters he was best known for at the time. While one could credit Tom Hanks for casting against type, the two gave an interview in which Kirby went to town, criticizing Hanks’ opinion that he was only believable as nice guys, telling the reporter:
“You can’ be mad and likable. You can’t be scared and likable. You can’t be in love and likable. You can only be those things. Anything else after that is part of your character.”
* * *
8. Tommy: This is Spinal Tap
When you have an entire movie to establish a character, you have the luxury of time. But turning a minute on screen into a completely memorable and beloved character shows the strength and commitment from an actor that only exists in the best comic actors. As Frank Sinatra obsessed Tommy Pischedda (based on a short movie he and Reiner made a few years earlier as part of the HBO series Likely Stories), the band’s limo driver, he improvises some of the funniest lines in the movie, but never turns him into a cartoon character. But if you want more Tommy (and really, who doesn’t), just watch the outtakes of his evening of debautchery, pot, and pizza with the band.
.
* * *
7. Victor Ray: The Freshman
It was Kirby’s favorite character, not only because it gave the Italian American actor a chance to work with Marlon Brando. Simply, he loved the character of Victor Ray, the hustler nephew of a mobster whose only ambition in life is to make his criminal family proud, despite being an oblivious loser. Laugh out loud funny as the man who gets Matthew Broderick involved in the mob, his commitment to the role extends from his voice and walk to the stupid tuxedo socks he wears with sloppy slacks. Even Marlon Brando had to admit that the kid was going to steal the movie.
* * *
6. Victor: The Gas Man (Homicide: Life on the Streets)
Another Victor, but he couldn’t be more different in the season finale (originally thought to be the series finale) of Barry Levinson’s crime series Homicide: Life on the Streets. More a short film than episode, Kirby plays a convict put away by Andrea Braugher’s Det. Pembleton, paroled and out for revenge with his side-kick Danny (Richard Edson). The entire episode follows Victor, switching quickly from bumbling buddy comedy to rage filled revenge thriller. It was one of the strangest hours of network television, but watching heavyweights like Braugher and Kirby in scenes written and directed by Barry Levinson is nothing but a pleasure…and not nominating Kirby for an Emmy is still one of baffling oversites in the history of that award show.
* * *
5. Nicky: Donnie Brasco
Kirby’s association with Levinson was one of the best collaborations between actor and director, ever. Levinson also put Kirby up for films he produced, like Donnie Brasco. Despite the actor’s resistance to making mob movies after The Godfather Part II, he happily took on the role of a low-class mobster who was more likely to bust up parking meters than run a crime organization. As Michael Madson’s sidekick, his lovable loser Nicky could have been expendable, but Kirby’s performance is so powerful, the end his character meets is the emotional core of the film…no matter how likable and fun they seem, at the end of the day, they are criminals and murderers.
.
* * *
4. Brad: It’s Garry Shandling’s Show
Kirby rarely did TV, but the one person he would do regular tv for was Garry Shandling. When Shandling’s alter-ego needed an agent, he brought in Kirby as Brad Brillneck, a hyper version of super-agent Bernie Brillstein. He only appeared in 8 episodes of the cult series, but every single scene he shared with Shandling showed a chemistry based on the trust and friendship they shared that instantly established Kirby as a member of Shandling’s ensemble.
.
* * *
3. Jesse: When Harry Met Sally
There’s an entire group of level-headed women who would rather have been with a man like Jesse than neurotic basketcase Harry. Sure, Harry’s the lead and gets America’s sweetheart, but Jesse is the well adjusted friend who can actually manage his life and surprisingly, is in touch with his emotions. How romantic were the pairing of Jesse and Marie (Carrie Fisher)? In one of the great romantic comedies of all time, it would be hard to find a line one more romantic than his “You’ll never have to be out there again.” And just try saying the word “babyfishmouth” without cracking a smile.
.
* * *
2. Young Clemenza: The Godfather Part II
It was the movie that could have made him a star, if he hadn’t gained 60 pounds, shaved his head, and spoke Italian, making him unrecognizable to the public. In the shadow of Richard Castella’s memorable performance of Clemenza in The Godfather, the 25 year old rose to the occasion. Sure, the scene of him stealing the carpet is his most iconic, going from slapstick comedy to deadly serious. But watch the scene right after of him playing with baby Sonny on the new carpet with DeNiro looking on, and you know all you need to about Vito and Clemenza’s life long friendship. All without a single word of dialogue.
* * *
1. Lt. Steve: Good Morning Vietnam
More than 10 years after The Godfather, critics and audiences finally started seriously taking notice of Kirby when he was allowed to shine in the Barry Levinson comedy Good Morning Vietnam as the unbearably ackward Lt. Steve. A tightly wound little character who could have been played by a lesser actor as simply a generic bad boss, Kirbby adds a complexity that made Steve lovable and even sad. Sure, his comedy stylings are cringe-worthy and his napoleon-esque approach to his staff ridiculous. But watch his face when he’s told to give up the microphone, and you’ll see a the sadness of told he can’t do what he loves.
.
* * *
BONUS: Himself on The Larry Sanders Show
Red Buttons never got a dinner, Rodney Dangerfield got no respect, and Kirby always got bumped from The Larry Sanders Show. It was sadly true that despite a favorite of both David Letterman and Tom Snyder for his quick-witted interviews, being a brilliant storyteller, and delightful guest, he was never as treasured by the public as he should have been. Garry Shandling knew how funny he was, giving him five episodes to play versions of himself, furious by the lack of respect he got in Hollywood. And at the end, he told off Arty for bouncing him from the final episode. But Shandling and Kirby couldn’t help but keep the bit going literally years later, when Kirby was accidentally bounced from the DVD special. Ultimately throwing a chair in frustration and telling off Shandling for the way. Sadly, it was the last piece Kirby ever filmed and Shandling ended his feature with a heartfelt note about his friend.
* * *
Other Posts You Might Like From Around the Internet:
Latest posts by Lesley Coffin (see all)
- Can a Cartoon be a Trojan horse in Politics? Our Cartoon President Uses Lightness to Deliver Truth - June 11, 2019
- Tom Rhodes New 3 Hour Album Covers Something Pretty Big: The World - March 25, 2019
- Ari Shaffir’s Renamed Storyteller Show: An Oral History - February 19, 2019
