Actor Leon Vitali, best known for his role in 'Barry Lyndon' and his working relationship with director Stanley Kubrick, has died at age 74.
Vitali was so fascinated by Kubrick and his processes that he made an unusual decision: He gave up on acting and devoted himself entirely to the famously demanding director for more than two decades. His next Kubrick credit was as"personal assistant to the director" on"The Shining," though that's only part of the story – Vitali famously helped cast 4-year-old Danny Lloyd to play Danny Torrance and Louise and Lisa Burns as the creepy Grady twins .
"I made one truly, truly radical change in my life and that was when I said, 'I'm more interested in that' than I was in the acting," Vitali told AP in 2017."That's the biggest conscious decision I've ever made. There were some sacrifices, but there were gains, too." After Kubrick's death in 1999, Vitali oversaw restorations for many of Kubrick's films. He received a Cinema Audio Society award for his work. Vitali later worked with director Todd Field on his films"Little Children" and"In the Bedroom."
Before making the documentary, Zierra said he and many Kubrick-obsessed fans knew Vitali for his performances in"Barry Lyndon" and"Eyes Wide Shut," in which he played Red Cloak, and as a key member of Kubrick's inner circle. But when they finally met Vitali to make the film, they were struck by"his kindness, humility and the fascinating scope of his story."
Zierra is working on a director's cut of"Filmworker" that will include new footage that he and Vitali wanted in the film, but couldn't get done in time for its Cannes debut in 2017.
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