Acting coach John Kirby passed away last month, and his long-time client Jim Caviezel wrote him a sweet goodbye message.
“…I said goodbye to John Kirby, my acting coach and dear friend,” Caviezel shared in an Instagram post. “John died from complications from ALS that he battled valiantly and faithfully for 3 years.”
The SOUND OF FREEDOM and Teddy Bear Award® winning actor shared a photo of Kirby with the prayer of St. Francis. It’s a prayer about selflessness, sacrifice and choosing to follow God no matter the cost.
“Not only was it a prayer he loved, but it was a prayer he lived,” Caviezel wrote. He added to his followers, “Thank you for the kind words and prayers this past week. They’ve been a comfort during a hard time.”
Kirby was the son of actor Bruce Kirby. He and Caviezel have had a relationship for 34 years. In addition to Caviezel, he’s worked with Jeff Bridges, Cameron Diaz, Chrissy Metz, Morris Chestnut, Judith Light, Renée Taylor, Jordin Sparks, Jeremy Sumpter, Lewis Tan, Jessica Marie Garcia, Alyson Stoner and Kara Killmer, The Hollywood Reporter said.
His acting studio manager Nathan Nesbitt said he and others who knew him are struggling to cope. Reminders of Kirby are everywhere.
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“I can’t turn on a television or watch a film without recognizing someone John coached, mentored or influenced,” Nesbitt said. “His fingerprints are everywhere in this industry. His impact extends far beyond the performances we see on screen — it’s woven into the very fabric of Hollywood.”
Caviezel said Kirby had a tremendous impact on his career, and his influence is evident in all of his past projects.
“His legacy will continue to live on in the many people he trained and the peace he brought to every room,” Caviezel said, adding a prayer to God for Kirby:
Eternal rest grant unto John, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen
PETER PAN actor Jeremy Sumpter also shared a post about Kirby’s death. He said he was blessed to have known and worked with him.
On PETER PAN, “he took a bunch of unproven young kids who had never been on a set before and had never acted before and turned them into the lost boys, and the darling children, Tiger lily, tinker bell..”
Sumpter was the only child actor with set experience at the time, but he said his memorable Peter Pan character portrayal is owed all to Kirby
“It was @jkcoaching who turned me into that Peter Pan you’ve all come to know, he molded me. I will never ever forget that. And I will always use what I learned from him. John brought those characters to life. I loved the man, he loved me. RIP John,” he wrote.
Hollywood will feel a little more empty now without Kirby in it.
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