It’s odd when you’re really into something – like I am movies – and someone within that world dies. This morning it was announced that Bruno Kirby had passed away at 57-years old due to leukemia. You’re probably thinking, “Who’s Bruno Kirby?” You know him, but you just might not know his name. He’s the short, Italian guy in “City Slickers”. He also played second fiddle to Billy Crystal in “When Harry Met Sally”, too. He was the scheming rug thief in “The Godfather 2″, and he was the uptight station manager locked in a battle of the wills with Robin Williams in “Good Morning Vietnam”.

When I heard that Kirby had passed away, I reacted as though I knew him personally. No, I didn’t start crying or ask for the day off so I could pull myself together, but I did feel a little bit of shock and a little bit of sadness; sort of a “dang it” feeling knowing that he wouldn’t be around for future stand-out supporting roles.

Again, I find it odd that I felt so bad about the news of his death. But that’s sort of the nature of creative enterprises like acting. You give of yourself to the audience and in turn they feel like they get to know who you are, even if you’re just playing a character. Then again, a lot of Kirby’s roles were similar, so perhaps that’s why we felt like we knew him even if his personality might have been very different from his characters.

Either way, I’m sorry to hear of Bruno’s passing. He was always a great “that guy” for those of you who didn’t know his name and was even more to those of us who did.