Ralph Foody

Ralph Foody

Born: November 13, 1928
Died: November 21, 1999
in Chicago, Illinois
Ralph Wesley Foody was an American character actor.

He has several screen credits from the 1980s, but is probably best known for his bit part in the 1990 film Home Alone and its 1992 sequel as a stereotypical 1930s mobster "Johnny" in two black-and-white gangster films-within-the-films Angels with Filthy Souls and its sequel Angels with Even Filthier Souls (both are a parody of the 1938 film Angels with Dirty Faces by Warner Bros.), along with his famous catchphrases 'Keep the change ya filthy animal/Merry Christmas ya filthy animal and a Happy New Year'.

Foody also played "Det. Cragie", the alcoholic and the negligent Chicago cop in Code of Silence, as well as the police dispatcher in The Blues Brothers. He was also known for his incredible wit and was often referred to as "The Witster" on set.

Foody died of cancer in 1999 at age 71.

Movies for Ralph Foody...

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Title: Home Alone 2: Lost in New York
Character: Gangster
Released: November 15, 1992
Type: Movie
Instead of flying to Florida with his folks, Kevin ends up alone in New York, where he gets a hotel room with his dad's credit card—despite problems from a clerk and meddling bellboy. But when Kevin runs into his old nemeses, the Wet Bandits, he's determined to foil their plans to rob a toy store on Christmas Eve.
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Straight Talk
Title: Straight Talk
Character: Desk Clerk
Released: April 3, 1992
Type: Movie
Honest and straightforward small-town Shirlee Kenyon chucks her boyfriend and heads for Chicago. Accidentally having to host a radio problem phone-in show, it is clear she is a natural and is hired on the spot. But the station insists she call herself Doctor, and as her popularity grows a local reporter starts digging for the truth. Problem is, the more he is around her the more he fancies her.
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Cold Justice
Title: Cold Justice
Character: Ernie
Released: January 1, 1992
Type: Movie
When a washed-up boxer invites a British priest to minister in his South Chicago neighborhood, he never suspects that the priest is not who he says he is.
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Curly Sue
Title: Curly Sue
Character: Drifter
Released: October 25, 1991
Type: Movie
Bill Dancer and his young companion Curly Sue are the classic homeless folks with hearts of gold. Their scams are aimed not at turning a profit, but at getting enough to eat. When they scam the rich and beautiful Grey Ellison into believing she backed her Mercedes into Bill, they're only hoping for a free meal. But Grey is touched, and over the objections of her snotty fiancé.
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Home Alone
Title: Home Alone
Character: Johnny - Gangster #1
Released: November 16, 1990
Type: Movie
Eight-year-old Kevin McCallister makes the most of the situation after his family unwittingly leaves him behind when they go on Christmas vacation. But when a pair of bungling burglars set their sights on Kevin's house, the plucky kid stands ready to defend his territory. By planting booby traps galore, adorably mischievous Kevin stands his ground as his frantic mother attempts to race home before Christmas Day.
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Music Box
Title: Music Box
Character: Pawn Broker
Released: December 22, 1989
Type: Movie
A lawyer defends her father accused of war crimes, but there is more to the case than she suspects.
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The Package
Title: The Package
Character: Building Manager
Released: January 25, 1989
Type: Movie
Experienced Green Beret sergeant Johnny Gallagher is escorting a prisoner, Airborne Ranger Thomas Boyette, back to the US, but Boyette escapes and Gallagher must risk life and limb to catch him.
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Betrayed
Title: Betrayed
Character: Lyle
Released: August 26, 1988
Type: Movie
An FBI agent posing as a combine driver becomes romantically involved with a Midwest farmer who lives a double life as a white supremacist.
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Above the Law
Title: Above the Law
Character: Federal Clerk
Released: April 8, 1988
Type: Movie
Nico Toscani is an Italian immigrant, American patriot, ex-CIA agent, aikido specialist and unorthodox Chicago policeman. He is as committed to his job as he is to his personalized brand of justice—expert and thorough bone-crushing.
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Vice Versa
Title: Vice Versa
Character: Doorman
Released: February 25, 1988
Type: Movie
A mysterious oriental skull transforms a father into his son, and vice versa.
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Raw Deal
Title: Raw Deal
Character: Captain
Released: June 6, 1986
Type: Movie
Mark Kaminsky is kicked out of the FBI for his rough treatment of a suspect. He winds up as the sheriff of a small town in North Carolina. FBI Chief Harry Shannon, whose son has been killed by a mobster named Patrovina, enlists Kaminsky in a personal vendetta with a promise of reinstatement into the FBI if Patrovina is taken down. To accomplish this, he must go undercover and join Patrovina's gang.
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Code of Silence
Title: Code of Silence
Character: Cragie
Released: May 3, 1985
Type: Movie
A Chicago cop is caught in the middle of a gang war while his own comrades shun him because he wants to take an irresponsible cop down.
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Title: Lady Blue
Character: Howe
Released: April 15, 1985
Type: TV
Lady Blue is a crime drama starring Jamie Rose as a Chicago female homicide detective Katy Mahoney. The show was produced by MGM/UA Television and aired on ABC-TV from September 26, 1985 to January 25, 1986 for 13 episodes. It was cancelled after one season after low ratings in its Thursday night slot, but also because it was considered too violent for its time. The show later aired on Saturday nights but the show failed there as well. It ranked 72nd out of 82 programs that season, and averaged a 10.7 household rating. It was said that Katy Mahoney was the female version of Harry Callahan aka Dirty Harry, prompting television critics to refer to Mahoney's character as "Dirty Harriet".
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The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck
Title: The Lost Honor of Kathryn Beck
Released: January 24, 1984
Type: Movie
A shopkeeper is condemned by the police and the press for sleeping with a suspected terrorist.
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Chicago Story
Title: Chicago Story
Character: Sergeant Hesper
Released: March 15, 1981
Type: Movie
A pair of cops, a pair of doctors, and a pair of lawyers examine a crime — the wounding of a ten-year-old girl by a sniper — from three different angles in this pilot to the short-lived series.