- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRichard James Bright
- Nickname
- Richie
- Height5′ 7½″ (1.71 m)
- Fair complexioned, cold-eyed actor Richard Bright notched up an impressive array of character performances of often shifty, or deadly characters on the wrong side of the law. He first came to attention as a burglar in the engrossing The Panic in Needle Park (1971), and then followed it the following year playing a slick con artist hustling naive Ali MacGraw for the bank robbery loot in The Getaway (1972), before Steve McQueen pummels Bright to get the money back.
In 1972, he made his first appearance as bodyguard/enforcer "Al Neri", protecting Al Pacino in The Godfather (1972), and returned in the same role in The Godfather Part II (1974) and, 16 years later, he was back once again still protecting mob boss Al Pacino in The Godfather Part III (1990). The actor's features endeared him to casting agents looking for both criminals and cops. He also appeared in Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America (1984), Sam Raimi's crazy Crimewave (1985), the union tale Teamster Boss: The Jackie Presser Story (1992) and Witness to the Mob (1998). In addition, he appeared regularly on TV in police/drama shows such as Hill Street Blues (1981), Houston Knights (1987), Third Watch (1999) and The Sopranos (1999).
- IMDb mini biography by: firehouse44@hotmail.com (updated by R.M. Sieger)
- SpousesRutanya Alda(June 11, 1977 - February 18, 2006) (his death, 1 child)Sue Douglas Wallace(August 28, 1967 - October 25, 1976) (divorced)Elisa Theresa Granese(September 22, 1956 - 1960) (divorced, 1 child)
- Children
- Specialized in tough, streetwise New Yorkers
- He was struck and killed by the rear wheels of a tour bus on the Upper West Side of New York City. The bus driver did not even know anyone was struck and kept on driving. Police interviewed the driver, at the bus terminal, and no charges were filed.
- Had one son with Alda, named Jeremy Bright (born 1988).
- Appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: The Godfather (1972), The Godfather Part II (1974) and The Godfather Part III (1990). The two first films were winners in the category.
- During the 1960s Lenny Bruce rage over rights of artistic free speech, poet/playwright Michael McClure's controversial play "The Beard" premiered on December 18, 1965, at the Actor's Workshop of San Francisco. It starred Richard as Billy the Kid and Billie Dixon as 'Jean Harlow'. The next few performances of the play took place at The Committee, a San Francisco theater nightclub. The play was secretly tape-recorded by the San Francisco Police Department, Billie and Richard were arrested backstage one night after a performance allegedly for using "blue" language. The actors were charged with "obscenity", then "conspiracy to commit a felony," and ultimately with "lewd and dissolute conduct in a public place." The American Civil Liberties Union took on the case, and the charges were eventually dismissed in what was considered a precedent for artistic expression rights. "The Beard" was originally agreed by McClure to be made into a film by Andy Warhol but he withdrew permission on the advice of attorneys. Warhol made the film anyway in 1966 starring two of his actor/groupies, Mary Woronov and Gerard Malanga, and gave the only print to McClure as a gift. The movie was never released.
- Best known for playing Al Neri, Michael Corleone's most trusted henchman in The Godfather. He was one of the few actors to appear of all of three of The Godfather films.
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