Bruce Kirby

Bruce Kirby, born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu on April 28, 1925, in New York, New York, was an American character actor whose career spanned more than five decades across television, film, and Broadway. He died on January 24, 2021, in Los Angeles at the age of 95.

Kirby launched his television career in the 1950s with appearances on Goodyear Television Playhouse. Through the 1960s, he accumulated credits on a wide range of series, including Car 54, Where Are You? in nine episodes, Hogan's Heroes in three episodes, I Dream of Jeannie, The Nurses, The Defenders, and The Patty Duke Show. His television work continued steadily into the 1970s, with recurring appearances on Bonanza, Ironside, and The Rockford Files, each in three episodes, as well as roles in Kojak across six episodes, The Marcus-Nelson Murders, Barney Miller, M*A*S*H, and Alice. Among his most sustained television contributions was his work on the long-running series Columbo, in which he appeared nine times, most prominently as Sergeant George Kramer in six episodes. From 1981 to 1982, he portrayed San Francisco police officer Schmidt in the crime drama Shannon.

The 1980s brought additional recurring roles, including District Attorney Bruce Rogoff in thirteen episodes of L.A. Law between 1986 and 1991, as well as appearances on Remington Steele, Hunter in five episodes, Night Court, Matlock, Hill Street Blues, Lou Grant, and Punky Brewster. His 1990s television credits included The Golden Girls, In the Heat of the Night, Murphy Brown, Murder, She Wrote in two episodes, and Chicago Hope. Between 1999 and 2000, he appeared in eight episodes of the soap opera Days of Our Lives, and during the 2000s he had roles in The Sopranos, The Agency, Scrubs, and The West Wing.

Kirby's film work included supporting and minor roles in several notable productions. He appeared in the 1970 film Catch-22, the 1971 comedy How to Frame a Figg alongside Don Knotts, and the 1972 comedy Another Nice Mess with Rich Little. He had a role in Stand by Me in 1986, and in 2005 he played Pop Ryan, father of Officer John Ryan as portrayed by Matt Dillon, in the film Crash.

On Broadway, Kirby appeared in two productions during a career that spanned from 1965 to 1984: Diamond Orchid in 1965 and Death of a Salesman in 1984.

Kirby had two sons, one of whom was actor Bruno Kirby, born in 1949 and died in 2006. Father and son appeared together in the Columbo episode "By Dawn's Early Light," in which Bruno played Cadet Morgan, credited as B. Kirby, Jr., while the elder Kirby appeared as Sergeant Kramer. The two also shared the screen as father and son in "Suitable for Framing," a third-season episode of Room 222.