‘Barry Lyndon’ actor with close ties to Stanley Kubrick, Leon Vitali, dies

• Barry Lyndon actor Leon Vitali dies.
• He became one of Stanley Kubrick’s closest associates.
• He died Friday in Los Angeles.

Leon Vitali dies. The Barry Lyndon actor who became Stanley Kubrick’s right-hand man has died. He was 74 years old. Vitali died Friday in Los Angeles, his family told The Associated Press on Sunday. He passed in peace surrounded by his loved ones including their three children, Masha, Max and Vera, according to the AP.

«Leon was a special and charming man driven by his curiosity, who spread love and warmth wherever he went,» his children said in a statement provided by Masha Vitali about their father’s departure. «He will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by the people he touched.»

LEON VITALI’S FAME

Although Vitali was often described as Kubrick’s assistant, Tony Zierra’s 2017 documentary Filmworker shed light on Vitali’s enormous and largely anonymous contributions to the work of one of cinema’s greatest figures from The Shinning to Eyes Wide Shut. He did everything from casting and training actors to supervising restorations. Vitali even once set up a video monitor so Kubrick could keep an eye on his dying cat.

Matthew Modine, who starred in Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, tweeted his condolences on Sunday. “There are people we meet who have a profound impact on our lives. Leon Vitali was one of those people in mine,» Modine wrote. “An artist in all aspects of his life. A loving father and friend to so many. A kind, generous and forgiving nature. He exemplified and personified grace.”

WHAT DO THE FILMMAKERS SAY?

Filmmaker Lee Unkrich also tweeted that he was “completely heartbroken to hear of the passing of Leon Vitali. He helped me (asterisk) tremendously (asterisk) with my Shining book and I’m devastated that he won’t see it. He was a sweet, kind, humble and generous man and a vital part of the Stanley Kubrick team.»

Before meeting Kubrick, Vitali was a rising actor in England, appearing on a number of British television shows including Softly, Softly, Follyfoot, Z Cars and Notorious Woman. Then, in 1974, he got his biggest break yet, when he was cast in Barry Lyndon as Lord Bullingdon, the son-in-law of Ryan O’Neal’s title character. Filed Under: Leon Vitali dies

WHAT DID LEON VITALI DO IN LIFE?

After the news of Leon Vitali’s death, it was said that he was so fascinated by Kubrick and his processes that he made an unusual decision. He gave up acting and devoted himself entirely to the famous and demanding director for more than two decades. His next Kubrick credit was as «personal assistant to the director» on The Shining, though that’s only part of the story: Vitali helped cast 4-year-old Danny Lloyd to play Danny Torrance and Louise and Lisa Burns as Grady Twins (citing Diane Arbus as inspiration).

“I made one truly, truly radical change in my life and that was when I said, ‘I’m more interested in that’ than I was in the acting,” Vitali told the Associated Press in 2017. “That’s the biggest conscious decision I’ve ever made. There were some sacrifices, but there were gains too.” After Kubrick’s death in 1999, Vitali oversaw restorations of many of Kubrick’s films. He received a Cinema Audio Society Award for his work. Vitali later worked with director Todd Field on his films Little Children and In the Bedroom. Filed Under: Leon Vitali dies

HOW HE WAS KNOWN?

Before making the documentary, Zierra said that he and many Kubrick-obsessed fans knew Vitali from his performances in Barry Lyndon and Eyes Wide Shut, in which he played Red Cloak, and as a key member of Kubrick’s inner circle. But when they finally met Vitali to make the film, they were struck by «his kindness, his humility and the fascinating scope of his story.»

Zierra is working on a director’s cut of Filmworker that will include new footage that he and Vitali wanted in the film, but couldn’t finish in time for its Cannes debut in 2017. The news shocked fans, family, friends and co-workers. Filed Under: Leon Vitali dies