Actor Rene Kirby, who became known for his role in “Shallow Hal“, a film by the Farrelly brothers, has passed away at the age of 70 after a long battle with spina bifida.
Actor Rene Kirby, who became famous for his role in “Shallow Hal“, a film by the Farrelly brothers starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black, passed away at the age of 70 after a long battle with spina bifida.
The death was confirmed to Seven Days by Kirby’s brother. According to him, the actor had been hospitalized for two months with kidney, bladder, and esophagus problems, as well as multiple infections.
Kirby was born with spina bifida, a birth defect that occurs when the spine and spinal cord do not fully close during pregnancy.
Kirby worked at IBM for two decades until he was discovered by Peter Farrelly, who at the time was directing “Me, Myself & Irene“, from 1999. After the two met, Farrelly decided to cast Kirby in “Shallow Hal”.
In the 2001 comedy, Kirby played Walt, a character who, like him, had spina bifida, and the role was created specifically for him. The actor also appeared in another Farrelly brothers’ film, “Stuck on You“, a 2003 production with Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear.
His last appearance on screen was in an episode of “Carnivàle” in 2005.
Images: 20th Century Fox. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
