Ralph Wesley Foody (November 13, 1928 – November 21, 1999) was an American actor. He was best known for his role as Johnny in ''

Home Alone ''Home Alone'' is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and written and produced by John Hughes. The first film in the ''Home Alone'' franchise, the film stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Hear ...

'' and '' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York''.

Early life

Foody was born in

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

on November 13, 1928.

Career

Foody had several screen credits from the 1980s, including the

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...

movie '' Raw Deal'' and 1991's ''

Dillinger John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dill ...

'', which featured fellow gangster actor

Lawrence Tierney Lawrence James Tierney (March 15, 1919 – February 26, 2002) was an American film and television actor who is best known for his many screen portrayals of mobsters and tough guys in a career that spanned over 50 years. His roles mirrored his ...

. In 1990 Foody played 1930s mobster Johnny in the 1990 film ''

'' and its 1992 sequel '' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York''. As Johnny, Foody appears 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 ''Angels with Dirty Faces'' is a 1938 American crime drama film directed by Michael Curtiz for Warner Brothers. It stars James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, The Dead End Kids, Humphrey Bogart, Ann Sheridan, and George Bancroft. The screenplay was wr ...

'' by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

). His appearances are notable for the famous catchphrases 'Keep the change ya filthy animal' and 'Merry Christmas ya filthy animal — and a Happy New Year'. His appearance in ''Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' was also his final film role. Foody also played Det. Cragie, the alcoholic and the negligent Chicago cop in ''

Code of Silence A code of silence is a condition in effect when a person opts to withhold what is believed to be vital or important information voluntarily or involuntarily. The code of silence is usually followed because of threat of force or danger to onesel ...

'', as well as the police dispatcher in ''

The Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respective ...

''. He was also known for his incredible wit and was often referred to as "The Witster" on set. After filming ''Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'', Foody retired from acting. He moved to

Lexington, Kentucky Lexington is a city in Kentucky, United States that is the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, Fayette County. By population, it is the List of cities in Kentucky, second-largest city in Kentucky and List of United States cities by popul ...

where he remained until his death.

Death

Foody died of cancer in 1999 at age 71.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Foody, Ralph American male film actors American male television actors 1928 births 1999 deaths Deaths from cancer in Kentucky Male actors from Chicago 20th-century American male actors