Richard Bright (actor)

Richard J. Bright (June 28, 1937 – February 18, 2006) was an American actor best known for his role as "Al Neri" in the The Godfather films.

Early years

Bright was born in Brooklyn, New York to shipwright Ernest Bright and wife Mathilde. He began his career doing live television in Manhattan, at the age of 18, and 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 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 small parts in The Getaway (1972) (as a con man who tries to ply his trade on Ali MacGraw), and The Panic In Needle Park (1971) playing Al Pacino's brother Hank.

The Godfather films

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 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.

Subsequent work

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), Rancho Deluxe (1975), Marathon Man (1976), Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), the film adaptation of Hair (1979), and Beautiful Girls (1995).

Later on he ceased being active in films, and 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.

Death

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 is survived by his wife Rutanya Alda, Simone Swanson, son Jeremy Bright, daughter Dianne, and brother Charles.

External links

Richard Bright at IMDb
Controversy surrounding The Beard, from a review and feature article on playwright Michael McClure
"Richard Bright, 68, an Actor in the 'Godfather' Movie Series, Dies", The New York Times, February 20, 2006