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 The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dar ...

'' (1990) and '' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' (1992).

Early life

Foody was born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, on November 13, 1928.

Career

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

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

movie '' Raw Deal'' and 1991's '' Dillinger'', 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 fifty years. His roles mirrored ...

. Foody played 1940s mobster Johnny in the 1990 film ''

'' and '' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' in 1992. 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. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

). 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 acting role. Originally, he was intended to play Snakes, the character whom Johnny kills in the first ''Angels with Filthy Souls'' and Michael Guido was intended to play Johnny. However, having just undergone a

knee replacement Knee replacement, also known as knee arthroplasty, is a surgical procedure to replace the weight-bearing surfaces of the knee joint to relieve pain and disability, most commonly offered when joint pain is not diminished by conservative sources. ...

surgery, he was unable to do the death scene where Snakes drops to his knees, leading to the roles being reversed. 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 onese ...

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

The Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers (formally, The Fabulous Blues Brothers’ Show Band and Revue) are an American blues and soul music, soul revue band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, who met and began collaborating as original cast ...

''. 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 Consolidated city-county, consolidated city coterminous with and the county seat of Fayette County, Kentucky, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census the city's population was 322,570, making it the List of ...

where he remained until his death.

Death

Foody died of cancer on November 21, 1999, aged 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 Burials at Lexington Cemetery