RIP: Leon Vitali, Stanley Kubrick’s right-hand man, dies at 74. “Before meeting Kubrick, Vitali was a rising actor in England, appearing in several British television shows including ‘Softly, Softly,’ ‘Follyfoot,’ ‘Z Cars’ and ‘Notorious Woman.’ Then in 1974 he got his biggest break yet, when he was cast in ‘Barry Lyndon’ as Lord Bullingdon, the son-in-law of Ryan O’Neal’s title character. 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. 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 (citing Diane Arbus as inspiration).”