Leon Vitali Stanley Kubrick

Leon Vitali, the “Barry Lyndon” actor who became one of Stanley Kubrick's closest associates, has died. He was 74.

But when they finally met Vitali to make the film, they were struck by “his kindness, humility and the fascinating scope of his story.” He later worked with director Todd Field on his films “Little Children” and “In the Bedroom.” “He will be remembered with love and be hugely missed by the many people he touched.” 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 over two decades. Filmmaker Lee Unkrich also tweeted that he was, "Completely heartbroken to hear about the passing of Leon Vitali. Vitali even once set up a video monitor so that Kubrick could keep an eye on his dying cat.

Vitali, who starred in Barry Lyndon, died on Saturday in Los Angeles surrounded by loved ones including his three children, Masha, Max and Vera.

He was a sweet, kind, humble, generous man and a vital part of Stanley Kubrick’s team. Leon Vitali was one such person in mine. A kind, generous & forgiving nature.

After working together on the film Barry Lydon, Leon Vitali chose to give up his acting career in order to devote himself to the work of Stanley Kubrick.

Leon Vitali was one such person in mine. It was during the shoot that the pair bonded and, after filming wrapped, Kubrick asked Vitali if he wanted to stay on to observe the editing process. [No Film School](https://nofilmschool.com/2017/05/filmworker-leon-vitali-tony-zierra-stanley-kubrick-assistant) in 2017: “We went to [Ermey] originally for military advice. A kind, generous & forgiving nature. A loving father & friend to so many. Whilst working with Kubrick, Vitali served as a casting director, location scout, acting coach, dialogue coach, actor and much more. It was astonishing. I mean, it really was. I went around all the barracks and asked if anyone was interested. Vitali agreed and from there made the decision to give up on his promising acting career in order to devote himself entirely to the director over the course of the next two decades. In 2017, Vitali was the focus of the documentary Filmworker, directed by Tony Zierra, in which Vitali was interviewed extensively about giving up his acting career to work with Kubrick and the role he played behind the camera for the director for more than two decades. After working together on the film Barry Lydon, Leon Vitali chose to give up his acting career in order to devote himself to the work of Stanley Kubrick

Leon Vitali, who starred in films such as Barry Lyndon before giving up acting to serve as Stanley Kubrick's personal assistant, has died.

He was a sweet, kind, humble, generous man and a vital part of Stanley Kubrick’s team. RIP, dear Leon." A kind, generous & forgiving nature. A loving father & friend to so many. [tweeting](https://twitter.com/leeunkrich/status/1561346371294179329?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1561346371294179329%7Ctwgr%5E39f4dbed39e0bde2bec89293e201ea16481a5869%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fradiotimes.production.wcp.imdserve.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost-new.php) that he was "completely heartbroken to hear about the passing of Leon Vitali". "Leon was a special and lovely man driven by his curiosity, who spread love and warmth wherever he went," his family said in a statement.