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Kariim Ratcliff (born June 29, 1963, Brooklyn, New York)1 is an American actor and martial artist whose background in competitive tae kwon do opened the door to a career in front of and behind the camera. He is best known in the film community for his appearances in the 1985 cult classic The Last Dragon and both sequels to The Toxic Avenger,2 and for an uncredited role as a Crowd Member in Ghostbusters II (1989).3
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Ratcliff grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, the middle child in a family of ten. His parents are Levester and Ida Ratcliff. While seven of his brothers channeled their athletic energy into basketball, Kariim found a different path after watching a martial arts demonstration at a local Salvation Army boys' club. That encounter drew him toward tae kwon do, and by the time he reached 11th grade at Wingate High School in Brooklyn he had earned his first-degree black belt.1
After high school, Ratcliff attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City.1 He continued training in multiple martial arts disciplines throughout his life and eventually created his own system alongside his longtime training partner and friend Baasim Chapman. As of public record, he holds a 7th Dan.
Ratcliff's acting career began almost by accident. While attending John Jay College, friends who had heard about open auditions for a martial arts-themed film encouraged him to try out. He went in, landed a bit part as a Karate Fighter in The Last Dragon (1985),2 and the experience convinced him to pursue acting more seriously alongside his martial arts work.
Over the late 1980s and 1990s he accumulated a range of credits in independent and low-budget productions. In 1989 he played a character named Eightball in the action film Escape from Safehaven2 and also appeared in both The Toxic Avenger Part II and its companion film The Toxic Avenger Part III: The Last Temptation of Toxie, where he contributed both on-screen performance and fight-coordinating work for director Lloyd Kaufman's Troma Entertainment productions.4 In 1997 he appeared as a West Indian Gang Member in the action-drama Lord of the City.2 His television work includes a guest appearance in the episode "It's About Love" of the A&E legal drama 100 Centre Street (2002).5
Ratcliff appeared in an uncredited role as a Crowd Member in Ghostbusters II (1989),3 directed by Ivan Reitman.6 His part fell among the many New York City background performers who populate the film's street and ensemble sequences, particularly during the supernatural chaos surrounding the New Year's Eve climax at the Museum of Art. His screen time is brief and uncredited, but the role placed him on set during one of the busier location shoots of the production.
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
IMDb, "Kariim Ratcliff: Biography," https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0711602/bio/, accessed 2026-06-13. ↩ ↩2 ↩3
IMDb, "Kariim Ratcliff," https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0711602/, accessed 2026-06-13. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
"Ghostbusters II: Cast," GBFans.com, https://www.gbfans.com/wiki/Ghostbusters_II:_Cast, accessed 2026-06-13. Ratcliff is listed as Crowd Member (uncredited) in the Supporting Actors section. ↩ ↩2
IMDb, The Toxic Avenger Part II (1989) full credits, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098503/fullcredits/, accessed 2026-06-13. Ratcliff is credited as an Apocalypse Inc. Executive (on-screen) and as wrestling coordinator. ↩
IMDb, "It's About Love," 100 Centre Street Season 2 Episode 18 (aired March 5, 2002), https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0500985/, accessed 2026-06-13. ↩
"Ghostbusters II," Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters_II, accessed 2026-06-13. ↩