{"id":34252,"date":"2025-07-24T17:39:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T17:39:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/34252\/"},"modified":"2025-07-24T17:39:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T17:39:13","slug":"rene-kirby-shallow-hal-actor-and-farrelly-brothers-mainstay-dead-at-70","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/34252\/","title":{"rendered":"Rene Kirby, \u2018Shallow Hal\u2019 actor and Farrelly brothers mainstay, dead At 70"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rene Kirby<\/a>, known for his role in \u201cShallow Hal,\u201d died earlier this month in Vermont at the age of 70.<\/p>\n

Kirby\u2019s brother Jon confirmed to Seven Days<\/a> that the actor died at the University of Vermont Medical Center after being hospitalized for two months with kidney, bladder and esophagus issues.<\/p>\n

According to the report, Kirby was a throat cancer survivor but had his larynx removed and was unable to speak.<\/p>\n

Kirby, who was born with spina bifida, was cast in \u201cShallow Hal\u201d as Walt and worked with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jack Black.<\/p>\n

Kirby was also cast as Phil Rupp in \u201cStuck on You,\u201d marking his second collaboration with the Farrelly brothers in 2003. <\/p>\n

He is survived by his mother and six siblings.<\/p>\n

\u201cRene\u2019s a guy we met in real life, on our travels, in Burlington,\u201d Farelly told the Burlington Free Press<\/a> in 2023. \u201cHe\u2019s not the kind of guy you see in a movie. You see him in Burlington, but you don\u2019t see him in the movies. There\u2019s a disconnect there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim<\/a>. He can be heard on \u201cThe Opening Kickoff\u201d on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM <\/a>in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App <\/a>from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.<\/p>\n

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n