Leon Vitali, the actor who played Barry Lyndon and became one of Stanley Kubrick’s closest collaborators, has passed away at the age of 74.
Leon Vitali was an English actor who was perhaps best recognized for his work as Stanley Kubrick’s personal assistant and for his roles as an actor, most notably as Lord Bullingdon in Barry Lyndon. He is best known for his associations with Kubrick.
Vitali passed away in Los Angeles on Friday, his family reported on Sunday. He passed away quietly surrounded by his loved ones, especially Masha, Max, and Vera, his three children.
According to Leon’s children, he was a unique, kind, and curious man who spread love and warmth wherever he went. “He will be fondly remembered and sorely regretted by the countless lives he touched.”
The 2017 documentary Filmworker shed light on Vitali’s immense and mostly unrecognized contributions to the work of one of cinema’s most influential artists, from The Shining to Eyes Wide Shut.
He did everything from monitoring restorations to casting and coaching actors. Vitali even installed a video monitor so that Kubrick could observe his dying cat.
On Sunday, Matthew Modine, who appeared in the Stanley Kubrick film Full Metal Jacket, tweeted his condolences.
There are individuals who have a significant impact on our life. Leon Vitali was one of these individuals in my life,” wrote Modine.
“In every part of his life, he is an artist. A parent and friend to numerous individuals. A nature that is compassionate, generous, and forgiving. He personified and exemplified grace.”
Additionally, director Lee Unkrich stated that he was “very heartbroken.” “He assisted me greatly with my Shining novel, and I’m devastated that he won’t read it. He was a significant member of Stanley Kubrick’s crew. He was a nice, gentle, humble, and generous man.
Before meeting Kubrick, Vitali was a rising actor in the United Kingdom, having been in a number of British television productions, such as Softly, Softly, Follyfoot, Z Cars, and Notorious Woman.
In the 1974 film Barry Lyndon, he was cast as Lord Bullingdon, the character’s son-in-law.
Vitali was so captivated by Kubrick and his methods that he made the uncommon decision to abandon acting and devote more than two decades to the notoriously exacting filmmaker.
Vitali’s second Kubrick job was as “director’s personal assistant” on The Shining, but that’s not the whole story; he famously helped cast four-year-old Danny Lloyd as Danny Torrance and Louise and Lisa Burns as the frightening Grady twins (citing Diane Arbus as inspiration).
In 2017, he told the Guardian, “Meeting Stanley was a pivotal moment for me.” “Because of him, I began to see things from a fresh perspective. Stanley and I discussed working together, and he responded, “All right, let’s see what happens.”
In the same year, he described giving up acting as the “one truly, truly drastic transformation” in his life.
After Kubrick’s death in 1999, Vitali oversaw the restoration of several of his films and was honored by the Cinema Audio Society for his efforts. Later, he collaborated with filmmaker Todd Field on Little Children and In the Bedroom.
Tony Zierra, the filmmaker of the documentary Filmworker, stated that he and many Kubrick-obsessed fans know Vitali for his roles as Red Cloak in Barry Lyndon and Eyes Wide Shut, as well as for being a major part of Kubrick’s inner circle.
But when he finally met Vitali for the film, he was struck by “his compassion, modesty, and the magnitude of his story’s fascination.”
Zierra is working on a director’s edit of Filmworker that will feature new footage that he and Vitali planned to include but were unable to complete in time for the film’s 2017 Cannes premiere.
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Leon Vitali Death Cause
Veteran actor Leon Vitali, renowned for his collaborations with director Stanley Kubrick, went away unexpectedly at the age of 74.
Leon Vitali is most recognized for his collaborations and appearances in a number of Stanley Kubrick’s films.
According to a tweet from Stanley Kubrick’s official Twitter account, the actor Leon Vitali, who appeared in the 1999 films Eyes Wide Shut and Barry Lyndon, died peacefully on August 20, 2022.
Speculations indicate that Leon Vitali died of either a natural ailment or a disease.
Ngnews247 has attempted to contact the family and relatives for comment regarding the incident.
No responses have been received thus far. We will update the page as soon as sufficient information becomes available. Soon, additional details regarding Leon Vitali’s cause of death will be added.