RIP Bruno Kirby

Familiar character actor Bruno Kirby died on Monday from leukemia.

Here's a link.

Its weird, these actors who we know from those pivotal character roles in films; I don't consciously remember them but when I know that their face will be gone forever, I get really sad. Kirby often played obnoxious, smarmy characters and I often didn't like him in films, but that's a sign of a good actor. And here's a sweet story from a talkbacker at AICN:http://aint-it-cool.com/tb_display.cgi?id=24175#1248480 So he was a good guy.

He was very funny too. He was great in This is Spinal Tap (one of my very favorite movies) especially the deleted scenes. And he has some of the best lines in City Slickers. Like when Billy Crystal is trying, very patiently and considerately, to explain how to work a VCR to Daniel Stern, and then Bruno interrupts with great intensity:

Kirby:"Shut up! Just shut up! He doesn't get it! He'll never get it! It's
been 4 hours! THE COWS CAN TAPE SOMETHING BY NOW! Forget about it please!"

*Beat*

Daniel Stern: How do you do the clock?

Kirby: You're dead. You are dead.

That brought on a lot of laughs to my early viewings. If you have any favorite stories to share, please do.