# Ralph Foody
**Ralph Foody** (Ralph Wesley Foody, November 13, 1928 – November 21, 1999) was an American character actor known for roles in Chicago-shot films of the 1980s and 1990s, and above all for playing the 1930s gangster Johnny in the fictional film-within-a-film *Angels with Filthy Souls* in *Home Alone* (1990) and its sequel *Angels with Even Filthier Souls* in *Home Alone 2: Lost in New York* (1992).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0285160)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | November 13, 1928, Chicago, Illinois; November 21, 1999, Lexington, Kentucky, of cancer, aged 71[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0285160) |
| Signature role | Gangster Johnny in *Angels with Filthy Souls* (*Home Alone*, 1990) and *Angels with Even Filthier Souls* (*Home Alone 2*, 1992)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0285160) |
| Famous lines | "Keep the change, ya filthy animal" and "Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal"[2](https://www.chicagomag.com/arts-culture/november-2015/10-things-you-never-knew-about-home-alone/) |
| Filmography | 14 credited film roles from *Mickey One* (1965) to *Home Alone 2: Lost in New York* (1992)[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/127020) |
| Other known roles | Det. Cragie in *Code of Silence* (1985), police dispatcher in *The Blues Brothers* (1980), police captain in *Raw Deal* (1986)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0285160) |
| Spouse | Jan Foody, married March 10, 1956 until his death; two children[4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0285160/bio/) |
## Early life and education
Foody was born in Chicago, Illinois, on November 13, 1928.
## Stage and screen career
**Stage work.** Foody had a prolific stage career, appearing in regional, touring, and repertory productions throughout Illinois and the Midwest. His first credited film appearance came in *Mickey One* (1965), in which he played a police captain.[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/127020)
**Chicago films of the 1980s.** After a gap in credited film work, he appeared steadily in productions shot in Chicago. The [American Film Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-film-institute) catalog lists 14 titles in his filmography, including *The Blues Brothers* (1980, police dispatcher), *Code of Silence* (1985, Cragie), *Raw Deal* (1986, captain), *Above the Law* (1988, federal clerk), *Vice Versa* (1988, doorman), *Betrayed* (1988, Lyle), *Music Box* (1989, pawn broker), *The Package* (1989, building manager), *Curly Sue* (1991, drifter), *The Babe* (1992, [Pittsburgh](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh) man), and *Straight Talk* (1992, desk clerk).[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/127020) He also appeared in the television series *Lady Blue* (1985–1986) in roles including Flynn and Commander Flynn.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0285160)
## Angels with Filthy Souls
Foody's most lasting role came in *Home Alone* (1990), written by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. He played Johnny, the mobster in *Angels with Filthy Souls*, a black-and-white gangster film-within-the-film that Kevin McCallister watches on videotape and later uses to frighten off the burglars.[5](https://www.thewrap.com/home-alone-keep-the-change-filthy-animal-scene-isnt-real/) The fake film was a parody of the 1938 Warner Bros. gangster picture *Angels with Dirty Faces*, and the sequence ends with Johnny's line "Keep the change, ya filthy animal," which became a widely quoted catchphrase.[2](https://www.chicagomag.com/arts-culture/november-2015/10-things-you-never-knew-about-home-alone/)The 80-second clip was shot in a single day, on the final test day before principal photography began, inside an abandoned high school in early 1990. Cinematographer Julio Macat shot it on black-and-white negative film stock with 1940s techniques, and the sequence looked realistic enough that many viewers, including the actor [Seth Rogen](https://www.edgepedia.org/seth-rogen), believed for years that it came from a real old movie.[5](https://www.thewrap.com/home-alone-keep-the-change-filthy-animal-scene-isnt-real/)
Casting director Janet Hirshenson later said Foody, well known around Chicago, "was the key to it."[6](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/home-alone-interview-macaulay-culkin-b1721771.html)
Foody reprised Johnny in *Home Alone 2: Lost in New York* (1992) for the fake sequel *Angels with Even Filthier Souls*; director Chris Columbus called recreating the look and sound of 1930s and 1940s gangster films "probably the most difficult part of the shoot."[2](https://www.chicagomag.com/arts-culture/november-2015/10-things-you-never-knew-about-home-alone/) • [5](https://www.thewrap.com/home-alone-keep-the-change-filthy-animal-scene-isnt-real/) Through archive footage, the Johnny character later appeared in the 2018 [Google Assistant](https://www.edgepedia.org/google-assistant) advertisement *Home Alone Again*.[7](https://homealone.fandom.com/wiki/Ralph_Foody)
## Later years and death
Foody retired from acting in 1992 after *Home Alone 2: Lost in New York*.[8](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/ralph-foody.html) He and his wife Jan moved from Chicago to [Lexington, Kentucky](https://www.edgepedia.org/lexington-kentucky), in 1990.[9](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/kentucky/name/jan-foody-obituary?id=8755547) He died of cancer on November 21, 1999, in Lexington, at age 71, and was laid to rest at Lexington Cemetery.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0285160) • [4](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0285160/bio/) Jan Foody, who was president and a mentor of the Kentucky Ballet Theatre, died in 2015.[9](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/kentucky/name/jan-foody-obituary?id=8755547)
## References
1. [Ralph Foody, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0285160)
2. [10 Things You Never Knew About Home Alone, Chicago Magazine (November 2015)](https://www.chicagomag.com/arts-culture/november-2015/10-things-you-never-knew-about-home-alone/)
3. [Ralph Foody filmography, AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/PersonDetails/127020)
4. [Ralph Foody Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0285160/bio/)
5. [Here's the Real Movie That Inspired the Fake 'Home Alone' Movie, TheWrap (December 27, 2018)](https://www.thewrap.com/home-alone-keep-the-change-filthy-animal-scene-isnt-real/)
6. ['Macaulay Culkin would try to make me laugh during takes': An oral history of Home Alone, The Independent](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/home-alone-interview-macaulay-culkin-b1721771.html)
7. [Ralph Foody, Home Alone Wiki (Fandom)](https://homealone.fandom.com/wiki/Ralph_Foody)
8. [Ralph Foody, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/ralph-foody.html)
9. [Jan Foody Obituary (1935–2015), Lexington Herald-Leader via Legacy.com](https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/kentucky/name/jan-foody-obituary?id=8755547)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Ev to F*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license