RIP Bruce Kirby, veteran actor and Columbo co-star

Variety reports longtime actor Bruce Kirby died in Los Angeles on Sunday. He was 95 years old.

Born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu in New York in 1925, Kirby began studying with Lee Strasberg at the Actor’s Studio in New York. He had just turned 30 when he made his small screen debut on The Goodyear Playhouse in 1955. A veteran character actor, he followed this appearance with several guest starring roles, throughout The Phil Silvers Show at I dream of Jeannie at Impossible mission. Kirby’s low-key charm everyone seemed particularly make it well suited for cop or detective parties, in shows like Car 54, where are you?, Chico and the man, Kojak, and Barney miller.

His most famous role is undoubtedly that of Sergeant George Kramer in the legendary detective series. Columbo. Such was the charisma of Peter Falk and the show’s series of high profile guest stars who, Aside from the brand’s trench coat, car, and basset, Kirby was the closest thing to the show for a recurring actor other than the main character. Sergeant Kramer was generally both bewildered and impressed with Columbo’s unconventional research methods. Kirby has appeared in nine episodes in total, not just as Kramer, but also a laboratory attendant and a TV repairer. In the 1980s, Kirby made an equally remarkable impression as a DA in 13 episodes of LA Law.

Over the decades, the actor’s pace never seemed to slow down, as he appeared on Matlock, Murphy Brown, and The murder she wrote. In recent years he has guided on Days of our lives West wing, and The Sopranos. Her last TV appearance was on a 2007 episode of Scrubs.

His appearances on the big screen were less frequent, but Kirby appeared in films like Catch-22, The Muppet movie, crash, Sweet dreams, overview, and played a character named after him, Mr. Quidaciolu in Support me, like the store owner who tells Gordy he looks like his late brother, Denny. He finally retired from acting in 2009.

Kirby was the father of equally hard-working actor Bruno Kirby, who died of leukemia in 2006 at the age of 57.

Bruce Kirby’s survivors include his son John, an interim trainer, and his wife Roz, whom he married in 1976.