Alfred Leon Vitali (26 July 1948 – 19 August 2022)[3] was an English actor best known for his collaborations with film director Stanley Kubrick, as his personal assistant,[4] and most notably as Lord Bullingdon in Barry Lyndon.[5]
Leon Vitali | |
|---|---|
 Vitali in 1974 | |
| Born | Alfred Leon Vitali 26 July 1948 Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England |
| Died | 19 August 2022 (aged 74)[1] Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1970–2018 |
| Spouses | Helen Broom
(m. 1968, divorced)Kersti Gustafsson (divorced)Sharon Messer (m. 2005–2022) |
| Children | Masha, Max and Vera[2] |
Life and career
editAs he was growing up, Vitali became interested in drama and decided to attend the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art after his English teacher sent him a prospectus.[3] Vitali guest-starred in a number of TV series in the early 1970s, appearing in Softly, Softly, Follyfoot, Roads to Freedom, Z Cars, Public Eye, The Fenn Street Gang, and Notorious Woman, among others. In 1973, he made his feature film debut in two movies: the Italian Super Bitch, directed by Massimo Dallamano, who had previously worked with Sergio Leone as a cinematographer in the first two of his Dollars Trilogy, and the television film Catholics, alongside Martin Sheen and Michael Gambon.
In 1974, Vitali met Stanley Kubrick, with whom he had a professional relationship for the rest of Kubrick's career. Vitali played Lord Bullingdon in Barry Lyndon, the title character's stepson.[6] Kubrick and Vitali bonded during the shoot.[7] As filming concluded, Vitali asked Kubrick if he could stay on, without pay, to observe the editing process, to which Kubrick agreed.[citation needed] Five years later, Kubrick sent Vitali a copy of Stephen King's The Shining and asked him to join the production of his next film. Vitali is credited in The Shining (1980) as "personal assistant to director".[2]
In 1977, he portrayed Victor Frankenstein in Terror of Frankenstein, Calvin Floyd's adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, where he met his future wife Kersti, who worked as costume designer on the shoot. The Vitalis then worked as costume designers in Birgitta Svensson's Mackan, after which Leon played a bit part in Svensson's next film, Inter Rail (1981). Leon and Kersti had two children, actress Vera Vitali and a son, videographer Max Vitali. Vitali also had a daughter, producer Masha Vitali, from his previous marriage to Helen Broom. Leon and Kersti eventually divorced. Leon was married to Sharon Messer from 2005 to his death in 2022.
Vitali teamed up with Kubrick again for Full Metal Jacket (1987), where he served both as casting director and assistant to the director. Twelve years later, Vitali was credited with the same titles in Kubrick's last film, Eyes Wide Shut (1999), in which Vitali also played Red Cloak. In the film, the words "fashion designer Leon Vitali" appear in a newspaper article that Tom Cruise's character reads.
After Kubrick's death, Vitali oversaw the restoration of both picture and sound elements for most of Kubrick's films.[8] In 2004, Vitali was honoured with the Cinema Audio Society's President's Award for this work.
In 2017, Vitali was the subject of a documentary, Filmworker,[8] directed by Tony Zierra and produced by Elizabeth Yoffe which premiered at The Cannes Film Festival and screened at many U.S. and international film festivals including the London Film Festival in October 2017. In Filmworker, Vitali was interviewed at length about his work with Kubrick.[9] The film was broadcast by Film4 in the UK on 7 March 2019, followed by a showing of Kubrick's The Killing (1956).
Death
editLeon Vitali died on 19 August 2022 in Los Angeles, as announced by his family,[10] The official social media presence for the Kubrick estate announced Vitali's death citing the incorrect date of 20 August 2022.[11][12]
Other work
editVitali worked with filmmaker Todd Field, with whom he appeared in Eyes Wide Shut. Vitali is credited as "technical consultant" on Field's In the Bedroom (2001), and as "associate producer" on Field's Little Children (2006), where he also made a cameo appearance as "The Oddly Familiar Man".
He played the apothecary in Carlo Carlei's Romeo & Juliet (2013).
Acting filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | Super Bitch | Unknown | |
| 1973 | Catholics | Brother Donald | |
| 1975 | Barry Lyndon | Lord Bullingdon | |
| 1977 | Terror of Frankenstein | Victor Frankenstein | |
| 1981 | Inter Rail | Ron | |
| 1999 | Eyes Wide Shut | Red Cloak | |
| 2006 | Little Children | Oddly Familiar Man | |
| 2013 | Romeo & Juliet | Apothecary | |
| 2018 | Haunted, Horrifying Sounds from Beyond the Grave | Nigel | Short film |
| 2023 | I Am What You Imagine | Short film, voice role |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Softly, Softly: Task Force | Henry Mardsley | Episode: "Safe in the Streets?" |
| The Roads to Freedom | Youth | TV miniseries | |
| 1971 | Z Cars | Bagley | Episode: "Nobody Wins, Nobody Loses: Part 1" |
| Long Voyage Out of War | Peter Price | Episode: "The Gentle Invasion" | |
| Hadleigh | Bob | Episode: "A Letter to David" | |
| Public Eye | Peter | Episode: "I Always Wanted a Swimming Pool" | |
| Justice | Brian Parsons | 2 episodes | |
| Please Sir! | Peter Craven | Episode: "Old Fennians Day" | |
| 1971-1972 | The Fenn Street Gang | Peter Craven | 16 episodes |
| 1972-1973 | Crown Court | Terrence Stein, Peter Thornhill | 2 episodes |
| 1973 | Love Story | Jack Truscott | Episode: "Two Tame Oats" |
| Follyfoot | Brian Foley | Episode: "Miss Him When He's Gone" | |
| Up the Workers | Fergy (1976) | ||
| Van der Valk | Jos Busselink | Episode: "A Dangerous Point of View" | |
| Crime of Passion | Gerard | Episode: "Gerard" | |
| ITV Saturday Night Theatre | Brother Donald | Episode: "Conflict" | |
| 1974 | Notorious Woman | Jules Sandeau | 2 episodes |
| 1975 | Dixon of Dock Green | Eric Mercer | Episode: "Baubles, Bangles and Beads" |
| Comedy Playhouse | Eric | Episode: "Captive Audience" | |
| Prometheus: The Life of Balzac | Jules Sandeau | TV miniseries |
References
edit- ^ "Leon Vitali, Stanley Kubrick's right-hand man, dies at 74". Associated Press. 21 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Leon Vitali, Stanley Kubrick collaborator and Barry Lyndon actor, dies aged 74". Film: Guardian Media Group. The Guardian. 22 August 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
- ^ a b "Leon Vitali obituary". The Times. 22 August 2022. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
- ^ Zeitchik, Steven (19 May 2017). "Cannes 2017: Stanley Kubrick's mysterious right-hand man steps out of the shadows". Los Angeles Times. Movies. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ^ Coyle, Jake (23 May 2017). "Kubrick's little-known right-hand man takes a bow in Cannes". Associated Press.
- ^ Smith, Kyle (22 May 2018). "All Work and No Play Serving Stanley Kubrick". National Review. E. Garrett Bewkes IV. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ^ Tobias, Scott (11 May 2018). "'Filmworker': How Leon Vitali Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Kubrick's Dark Moods". Rollingstone. Movie Features: Penske Business Media. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ^ a b Brody, Richard (9 May 2018). ""Filmworker," Reviewed: A Documentary About Stanley Kubrick's Right-Hand Man". The New Yorker. Retrieved 5 November 2019.
- ^ "How Leon Vitali became Stanley Kubrick's representative on earth". New Statesman. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
- ^ "Leon Vitali, Stanley Kubrick's right-hand man, dies at 74". Associated Press. 21 August 2022.
- ^ Murphy, J. Kim (21 August 2022). "Leon Vitali, 'Barry Lyndon' Actor and Personal Assistant to Stanley Kubrick, Dies at 74". Variety. Retrieved 21 August 2022.
- ^ Stolworthy, Jacob (21 August 2022). "Leon Vitali death: Stanley Kubrick film 'mainstay' dies, aged 74". The Independent. Retrieved 21 August 2022.