Richard Bright

Biography

Date of Birth 28 June 1937, Brooklyn, New York, USA Date of Death 18 February 2006, New York City, New York, USA (struck by a bus) Birth Name Richard James Bright Height 5' 7½" (1.71 m) Richard J. Bright was an American actor known for his role as Al Neri in the The Godfather films. Bright was born in Brooklyn, New York to Ernest Bright, a shipbuilder, and Matilda (nee Scott).[1] Bright was the youngest of four brothers, all of whom were named after British kings, with Bright being named after Richard the Lionhearted. He began his career doing live television in Manhattan, at the age of 18, and made his film debut in Robert Wise's "Odds Against Tomorrow" (1959) He also worked on several movies early in his career with his friend, Sam Peckinpah. In 1965, Bright starred in poet Michael McClure's two-person show, The Beard, performing in London, New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, where, upon closing every night, he and his female co-star Billie Dixon were arrested for uttering obscenities and simulating sexual acts. The ACLU represented Bright, citing First Amendment rights to freedom of speech. In the end, the charges against Bright were dismissed. He had supporting parts in The Getaway (1972) (as a con man who tries to ply his trade on Ali MacGraw), and costarred in The Panic In Needle Park (1971) playing Al Pacino's brother Hank. In 1972, he appeared in Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of The Godfather as Al Neri, one of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino)'s caporegimes. At the end of the first film, his character, dressed as a police officer, murdered rival mob boss Emilio Barzini and his henchmen during the film's famous baptism scene. Bright also turned up as Neri in both of that film's two sequels in which he murdered both John Cazale's Fredo Corleone at the end of The Godfather II, and also the Vatican banker, Archbishop Gilday, at the Vatican at the end of Godfather III. ("Neri, take a train to Rome. Light a candle for the archbishop," the newly minted Don Vincent Corleone instructs the veteran henchman.) Bright's association with the Godfather films caused him to be frequently typecast as criminals and gangsters throughout his lengthy career. Bright played another hired killer, Chicken Joe, in Sergio Leone's gangster epic Once Upon a Time in America (1984). Other roles include Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia (1974; uncredited), Rancho Deluxe (1975), Marathon Man (1976), Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), the film adaptation of Hair (1979), The Idolmaker (1980) and Beautiful Girls (1995). Bright continued to make a number of low budget, independent films. He was erroneously reported by the Video Hound Movie Guide as having died in 1998. He continued working on stage and in television, appearing on such shows as Law & Order, Oz, Third Watch, and The Sopranos. Bright was fond of Shakespeare and was noted for his representation of King Richard III Bright was struck and killed by a tour bus on the Upper West Side in Manhattan on February 18, 2006. He was hit by the rear wheel of the bus and killed instantly, according to detectives and witnesses. The driver was unaware of the accident until he was notified upon reaching the Port Authority in midtown Manhattan; no charges were filed. Bright was 68. He is survived by his wife Rutanya Alda, son Jeremy, daughter Dianne, and brother Charles.