RIP Richard Bright

Richard Bright, 68, an Actor in the 'Godfather' Movie Series, Dies

By Ben Sisario

February 20, 2016

Richard Bright, a veteran character actor who appeared in all three "Godfather" films and "The Sopranos," died on Saturday in New York. He was 68 and lived in Manhattan.

He was hit by a bus as it rounded the corner of Columbus Avenue and 86th Street at about 6:30 p.m., and was pronounced dead at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center shortly thereafter, the police said.

A versatile actor with a characteristic rasp in his voice, Mr. Bright had a busy career in movies and theater that stretched back to the late 1950's, when he made his film debut in a small part in Robert Wise's "Odds Against Tomorrow." During the 1970's, he appeared in "The Panic in Needle Park" with Al Pacino, Sam Peckinpah's "Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid,""Marathon Man" with Dustin Hoffman, "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" and "The Getaway."

In the "Godfather" pictures he played Al Neri, one of Michael Corleone's toughs, whose murders came at crucial plot points: in "The Godfather: Part II," he took a fateful ride in a fishing boat with Michael's untrustworthy brother Fredo, played by John Cazale.

Mr. Bright's theater credits included "The Beard" by Michael McClure, "Short Eyes" by Miguel Pinero, and a number of productions with Mr. Pacino, including "Richard III" at the Cort Theater in 1979 and "The Basic Training of Pavlo Hummel."

Among his other films are "Vigilante," Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in America,""Red Heat,""Beautiful Girls,""Brighton Beach Memoirs" and "The Ref." In recent years he appeared on episodes of "Law & Order" and "The Sopranos."

Mr. Bright is survived by his wife, the actress Rutanya Alda; a son, Jeremy Bright, of Manhattan; and a brother, Charles, of Rowland, Pa.

Born: 6/28/1937, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A.

Died: 2/18/2016, New York City, New York, U.S.A.

Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid – 1973 (Holly)

Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia – 1974 (bar patron)

Rancho Deluxe – 1975 (Burt)