Ralph Manza

Ralph Manza
Manza (right) with John Compton in The D.A.'s Man, 1959.
Born	Ralph A. Manza, Jr. (1921-12-01)December 1, 1921 San Francisco, California
Died	January 31, 2000(2000-01-31) (aged 78) Encinitas, California
Cause of death	Heart attack
Occupation	Television and film actor
Years active	1954-2000
Spouse(s)	Catherine Manza (m. 1948–2000)

Ralph Manza (born December 1, 1921 - January 31, 2000^[1]) was an American television and film character actor. He made appearances in over 160 films and television programs.

Career

A pre-med student at UC-Berkeley in the early 1940s, Manza was drafted into the United States Army during World War II. He was serving as a medic in the Army when he was assigned to an acting troupe.

Manza appeared on daytime television briefly in 1963 as an original cast member of the ABC-TV soap opera series General Hospital, where he played the role of Mike Costello. Manza went on to became a character actor appearing on many primetime TV series in guest role spots, beginning in the 1950s with the TV crime/drama series Highway Patrol, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

This part of his acting career continued to flourish through the 1960s, with appearances on such shows as 77 Sunset Strip, McHale's Navy, Perry Mason, Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. and Gunsmoke, continuing in the 1970s and 1980s on such series such as Get Smart, My Three Sons, Night Gallery, Police Woman, Chico and the Man, Barney Miller, Benson, Simon and Simon, and Night Court, on into the 1990s, with appearances on the long-running NBC-TV sitcom series Seinfeld, CBS-TV's The Nanny and NBC-TV's Friends. Manza also made appearances in several feature films and had a very active career up until the time of his death.

Death

Manza died in January 2000 in Scripps Health-Encintas Hospital in Encinitas, California of a heart attack. He had also suffered a heart attack three weeks before his death; while filming a commercial for Budweiser.

Television and Film Appearances

• China Smith (1954) as Gluck; Ep. "The Manchu Emeralds"
• Highway Patrol (1955) as Jenkins; Ep. "Phony Insurance"
• Judge Roy Bean (1955) as Gasparo; Ep. "Citizen Romeo"
• Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956) as Waiter; Ep. "Safe Conduct"
• Front Row Center (1956) as Second Waiter; Ep. "The Human Touch"
• Hey, Jeannie! (1956–57) as Harry and First Cabbie; 2 Episodes
• The Enemy Below (1957) as Lieutenant Bonelli^[2]
• The Lineup (1957) as Lineup Suspect #2; Ep. "The Juke Box Bandit Case"
• Gang War (1958) as Bernard "Axe" Duncan
• The Hunters (1958) as Major Gifford (Uncredited)
• I Married a Monster from Outer Space (1958) as Waiter (Uncredited)
• Dragnet (series) (1958–59) as Guest Star; 2 Episodes
• The D.A.'s Man (1959) as Al Bonacorsi; Main Cast; 26 Episodes
• Lock-Up (1959) as Cappy; Ep. "Death in the Streets"
• The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond (1960) as Bookmaker (Uncredited)
• Sugarfoot (1960) as Glen Hause; Ep. "Return to Boot Hill"
• Too Soon to Love (1960) as Hughie Wineman
• Outlaws (1961) as Colonel; Ep. "The Little Colonel"
• Secret of Deep Harbor (1961) as Frank Miner
• Straightaway (1961) as Eddie; Ep. "The Bribe"
• Target: The Corruptors! (1961) as Guest Star; Ep. "Quicksand"
• 87th Precinct (1961–62) as Cabbie; 2 Episodes
• Surfside 6 (1961–62) as Delcastro and Martinelli; 2 Episodes
• 77 Sunset Strip (1961–63) as Dietz and Patsy Coniglio; 2 Episodes
• Perry Mason (1961–64) as Various Guest Roles; 4 Episodes
• Ben Casey (1962) as Guest Star; Ep. "To A Grand and Natural Finale"
• The Dick Powell Show (1962) as Guest Star; Ep. "The Sea Witch"
• The Gallant Men (1962) as Cafe Proprietor; Ep. "Some Tears Fall Dry"
• Going My Way (1962) as Charlie; Ep. "The Crooked Angel"
• The Third Man (1962) as Guest Star; Ep. "The Cross of Candos"
• The Twilight Zone (1962) as Doorman; Ep. "The Dummy"
• That Touch of Mink (1962) as Cab Driver^[3]
• The Untouchables (1962–63) as Max Templar and Jerry; 2 Episodes(Uncredited)
• This Is Not a Test (1962) as Looter
• Alcoa Premiere (1963) as Uncle Peter; Ep. "Lollipop Louie"
• General Hospital (1963) as Mike Costello; Main Cast
• The Wide Country (1963) as Lupo; Ep. "Yanqui, Go Home!"
• The Virginian (1963–64) as Harry the Barber; 2 Episodes
• Dear Heart (1964) as Restaurant Proprietor
• Kisses for My President (1964) as Rizzutti the Mechanic
• McHale's Navy (1965–66) as Angelo Barone and The Gypsy; 2 Episodes
• Laredo (1965–67) as Blue Dog; 3 Episodes
• Batman (1966) as Felix; 2 Episodes
• Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1966) as Sam; Ep. "Gomer, the Would-Be Hero"
• Honey West (1966) as Putzi; Ep. "Slay, Gypsy, Slay"
• What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? (1966) as Waiter^[4]
• He & She (1967) as Mr. Banaducci; Ep. "The Coming-Out Party"
• Dragnet (1967) as Gene Ellis; Ep. "The Big Explosion"
• Petticoat Junction (1967) as Pierre; Ep. "Kate's Day in Court"
• Get Smart (1967–70) as Various Guest Roles; 5 Episodes
• Family Affair (1968) as Clerk and Waiter; 2 Episodes
• Gunsmoke (1968) as Marco;^[5] Ep. "Deadman's Law"
• The Outsider (1968) as Charley; Ep. "There Was a Little Girl"
• The Smugglers (1968) as Batisto
• Three Guns for Texas (1968) as Blue Dog
• The Bold Ones: The Lawyers (1969) as Wilfred Fletcher; Ep. "Shriek of Silence"
• Dragnet 1966 (1969) as Eddie Garcia (Uncredited)
• Adam-12 (1969–71) as Various Guest Roles; 3 Episodes
• To Rome with Love (1969–71) as Paoli and Giotto; 2 Episodes
• The High Chaparral (1970) as Gomez; Ep. "Only the Bad Come to Sonora"
• Insight (1970) as Thomas; Ep. "The Day God Died"
• Ironside (1970–71) as Al and Emilio; 2 Episodes
• The Love Machine (1971) as Bartender (Uncredited)
• My Three Sons (1971) as Cab Driver; Ep. "Four for the Road"
• Night Gallery (1972) as Max; Ep. "The Ring with the Red Velvet Ropes"
• Banacek (1972–74) as Jay Drury; Main Cast, 17 Episodes
• Cops and Robbers (1973) as Cop
• The Odd Couple (1973) as Tony Mugucci; Ep. "Myrna's Debut"
• Blazing Saddles (1974) as Man Playing Hitler
• A Cry for Help (1975) as Tony Garafolas
• Police Woman (1975) as Lombardi; Ep. "Target Black"
• The Wild Party (1975) as Fruit Dealer
• Chico and the Man (1975–77) as Hector Gomez; 2 Episodes
• The Practice (1976) as Herman; Ep. "Jules Takes a Partner"
• Serpico (1976) as Monsignor Rossi and Stefano; 2 Episodes
• Spencer's Pilots (1976) as Man in Camper; Ep. "The Prisoner"
• Fish (1977) as Jackman; 2 Episodes
• Terraces (1977) as Nick Parisi
• Barney Miller (1977–82) as Leon Roth; 6 Episodes
• A.E.S. Hudson Street (1978) as Ambulance Aide Stanke; Main Cast; 5 Episodes
• The Cat from Outer Space (1978) as Weasel
• The One and Only (1978) as Bellman^[6]
• Perfect Gentlemen (1978) as Frankie Fox
• Big Shamus, Little Shamus (1979) as Lou; 2 Episodes (Unaired)
• The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979) as Little Guy^[7]
• Love at First Bite (1979) as Limo Driver^[8]
• Samurai (1979) as Irving Berman
• Benson (1980) as Crazy; Ep. "Takin' It to the Streets"
• Fatso (1980) as Danny^[9]
• Little Miss Marker (1980)^[10]
• Hill Street Blues (1981) as Morris Wine; Ep. "Fruits of the Poisonous Tree"
• Simon & Simon (1981) as Hotel Manager; Ep. "A Recipe for Disaster"
• Soap (1981) as Digger; 3 Episodes
• Nero Wolfe (1981) as Guest Star; Ep. "Might as Well be Dead"
• WKRP in Cincinnati (1981) as Harvey Green; Ep. "Clean Up Radio Everywhere"
• One Day at a Time (1981–82) as Guest Star; 2 Episodes
• CHiPs (1982–83) as Cooper and Hot Dog Vendor; 2 Episodes
• Amanda's (1983) as Mr. Ahern; Ep. "I Ain't Got Nobody"
• The Facts of Life (1983) as Mr. Balducci; Ep. "Help from Home"
• The Fall Guy (1983) as Guest Star; Ep. "The Chameleon"
• Fantasy Island (1983) as Chef Henri; Ep. "Revenge of the Forgotten"
• Hart to Hart (1983) as Leo; Ep. "Too Close to Hart"
• Little House on the Prairie (1983) as Hugo; Ep. "Once Upon a Time"
• Zorro and Son (1983) as Waiter; Ep. "The Butcher of Barcelona"
• Blue Thunder (1984) as Willie; Ep. "Trojan Horse"
• Cover Up (1984) as Sergi; Ep. "Death in Vogue"
• Mama Malone (1984) as Padre Guardiano; Main Cast; 13 Episodes
• The Philadelphia Experiment (1984) as Older Jim^[11]
• Night Court (1984–92) as Various Guest Roles; 4 Episodes
• Beer (1985) as Frankie's Grandfather^[12]
• The Golden Girls (1985) as Augustine Bagatelli; Ep. "The Competition"
• Scarecrow and Mrs. King as Guest Star; Ep. "A Little Sex, a Little Scandal"
• Crazy Like a Fox (1985–86) as Various Guest Roles; 4 Episodes
• Newhart (1985–90) as Bud; 18 Episodes
• Highway to Heaven (1986) as Charley Carthy; Ep. "Basinger's New York"
• Mama's Family (1986) as Leonard P. Finstadtler; Ep. "Where There's a Will"
• The Twilight Zone (1986) as Sol; Ep. "Cold Reading"
• Beauty and the Beast (1987) as Old Man #1; Ep. "Siege"
• Knots Landing (1987) as Bereaved Man; Ep. "Noises Everywhere Pt. 1"
• Matlock (1987) as Littman; Ep. "The Doctors"
• Retribution (1987) as Amos
• Growing Pains (1988) as Izzy; Ep. "The Mom Who Knew Too Much"
• Punky Brewster (1988) as Santa Clause; Ep. "Christmas Hero"
• Have Faith (1989) as Guest Star; Ep. "The Competition"
• Hooperman (1989) as Manny; Ep. "Rashomanny"
• Nearly Departed (1989) as Ralph; Ep. "Grandpa's Date"
• Santa Barbara (1989–92) as Father Sierras; 2 Episodes
• Anything But Love (1990) as Guest Star; Ep. "Three Men On a Match"
• Doogie Howser, M.D. (1990) as Charlie Wilson; Ep. "Whose Mid-Life Crisis Is It Anyway"
• The Fanelli Boys (1990) as Sicilian #2; Ep. "Pilot"
• Murder, She Wrote (1990) as Father Anselmo; Ep. "The Sicilian Encounter"
• 9 1/2 Ninjas! (1991) as Old Man^[13]
• The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1991) as Bob Doomie; Ep. "The Butler Did It"
• Get a Life (TV series) (1991) as Henry Gardner; Ep. "Chris Becomes a Male Escort"
• Who's the Boss? (1991) as Francis; Ep. "The Road to Washington Pt. 1"
• Mission of Justice (1992) as Mr. Lazar
• Sisters (TV series) (1992) as Saul; Ep. "The Bottom Line"
• Dave (1993) as White House Barber^[14]
• Seinfeld (1993) as Gepetto; Ep. "The Cigar Store Indian"
• The John Larroquette Show (1994) as Rudy; Ep. "Grit"
• Lookin' Italian (1994) as Manza
• The Nanny (1994) as Saul Kanasal; Ep. "Everybody Needs a Bubby"
• Silk Stalkings (1994) as Gussie DiBarto; Ep. "Reluctant Witness" (Uncredited)
• Get Shorty (1995) as Fred the Barber^[15]
• Home Improvement (1995) as Sam; Ep. "A House Divided"
• Madman of the People (1995) as Street Person; Ep. "Truths My Father Told"
• Northern Exposure (1995) as Cesare Trapani; Ep. "Little Italy"
• Mad About You (1995–96) as Saul Campanella; 3 Episodes
• Sister, Sister (1995–96) as Floyd and Frail Man; 2 Episodes
• Dave's World (1996) as Mervyn; Ep. "L.A. Times"
• Her Last Chance (1996) as Pawnbroker
• Hollywood Boulevard (1996) as Janitor
• The Home Court (1996) as Thin Man; Ep. "Love, Death, & Soda"
• Tracey Takes On... (1996) as Old Juror; Ep. "Law"
• Alright Already (1997) as Superfly; Ep. "Again with the Jessica's Boyfriend"
• Grace Under Fire (1997) as Condo Resident; Ep. "Vega$"
• Living Single (1997) as Old Man #1; Ep. "He's The One"
• Charmed (1998) as Elderly Man; Ep. "I've Got You Under My Skin"
• Godzilla (1998) as Joe
• Viper (1998) as Anton Pollard; Ep. "Family Matters"
• Friends (1999) as The Old Man; Ep. "The One With Rachel's Inadvertent Kiss"
• Boy Meets World (2000) as Uncle Morrie; Ep. "I'm Gonna Be Like You, Dad"
• Can't Be Heaven (2000) as Anzio
• The Tangerine Bear (2000) as Voice of Factory Worker Rico
• What's Cooking (2000) as Uncle David

References