Richard James Bright (June 28, 1937 – February 18, 2006) was an American actor, well known for his role as Al Neri in the Godfather films. Early life Bright was born in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Matilda (née Scott) and Ernest Bright, who was a shipbuilder. Career Bright began his career doing live television in Manhattan at the age of 18, and made his film debut in Robert Wise's Odds Against Tomorrow (1959). He also worked on several movies early in his career with his friend Sam Peckinpah. In 1965, Bright starred in poet Michael McClure's two-person show The Beard, performing first in San Francisco and later in Los Angeles, New York City, and London. In San Francisco, his female co-star Billie Dixon and he were arrested and brutally beaten by police for uttering obscenities about local politicians and simulating them in sexual acts. The ACLU represented Bright, citing First Amendment rights to freedom of speech. In the end, the charges against him were dismissed; the case was considered important for free speech in general and actors' rights in particular. He had a supporting role in The Getaway (1972) as a con man who tries to ply his trade on Carol McCoy (Ali MacGraw), and co-starred in The Panic in Needle Park (1971), playing Hank, brother of Al Pacino's character. In 1972, he appeared in Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of The Godfather as Al Neri, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino)'s primary enforcer and bodyguard. Michael, as the don of the Corleone family, implements a security detail that keeps Neri and Rocco Lampone (Tom Rosqui) close by at all times. A deleted scene from The Godfather shows former consigliere and family attorney Tom Hagen reviewing the payroll ledgers, discovering that both Neri and Lampone are being paid much more than their nominal jobs are worth. Both are soon revealed, in fact, as assassins Michael has doubling as bodyguards. In the book, Neri's character is a former New York City police officer who is hung out to dry by the department after killing a sadistic pimp. Michael uses Corleone family influence to get him off the hook and draws Neri into his service. At the end of the first film, Neri, dressed as a police officer, murders rival mob boss Emilio Barzini and his henchmen during the film's baptism scene. Also, the last faces to be seen in