Bruce Kirby

Bruce Kirby was an American film and television actor.

The father of actor Bruno Kirby, Bruce Kirby is perhaps best known for portraying the gullible Sgt. George Kramer in the television series Columbo. He got his start in television, appearing in The Phil Silvers Show and Omnibus before landing his breakout role as a goofy cop in Car 54, Where Are You?.

Kirby would become a television staple for the next five decades, often playing authority figures and landing recurring roles in The Mothers-In-Law, Kojak, Holmes and Yoyo, Shannon, Hunter, Anything But Love, L.A. Law, and Days of Our Lives. He guest starred in a number of series including I Dream of Jeannie, Mission: Impossible, Banacek, M*A*S*H, Hill Street Blues, The Golden Girls, Punky Brewster, Murphy Brown, The West Wing, The Sopranos, and Scrubs.

Kirby also appeared on the big screen in The Muppet Movie (1979), Stand by Me (1986), Armed and Dangerous (1986), Throw Momma from the Train (1987), The Big Picture (1989), and Crash (2004).

Kirby died January 24, 2021, in Los Angeles, California. He was 95.