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Ralph Monaco is an American character actor whose screen career spanned from the early 1980s to the mid-2000s. He is best known within the Ghostbusters franchise for his role as the Police Sergeant in Ghostbusters II (1989)1 and for inspiring the IDW comics character Officer Monaco, who is both visually modeled on and named in tribute to him.2
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Monaco worked steadily as a supporting and character actor in New York-based film and television productions throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His film debut came in Martin Scorsese's dark comedy The King of Comedy (1982), where he played Raymond Wirtz. That same year he appeared in the vigilante thriller Fighting Back (1982) as Senior Boss. He continued in gritty New York-set productions with Vigilante (1983), in which he played Jake, and the horror film Zombie Island Massacre (1984) as Jerry.
Monaco appeared in Death Wish 3 (1985) as a policeman, then Spike of Bensonhurst (1988) as a Mafia Man, and Susan Seidelman's Cookie (1989) as a judge. His most prominent feature-film credit came that year with Ghostbusters II. He subsequently voiced a truck driver in the animated film Rover Dangerfield (1991), and appeared as a Playtronic lobby guard in the thriller Sneakers (1992). Further credits include I Don't Buy Kisses Anymore (1992) as Albert Garabaldi, Brain Smasher... A Love Story (1993) as Molloy Dad, and Tim Burton's Ed Wood (1994) as a waiter. In 2002 he appeared as himself in A Shot at the Top: The Making of 'The King of Comedy', drawing on archive footage from his 1982 appearance in that film.34
On television, Monaco made guest appearances across two decades: Tales from the Darkside (1986, as Angelo), Christine Cromwell (1990, as Sal), Quantum Leap (1990, as Hal), Civil Wars (1992, as Judge Walter Prendergast), Murder One (1996, as Robert Strick), Brooklyn South (1997, as Nick), ER (1998, as Mr. Specchierla), Snoops (1999, as Mr. Devlin), The Division (2001, as Mr. Ford), and Everybody Loves Raymond (2003, as George Caputo).3
In Ghostbusters II (1989), directed by Ivan Reitman, Monaco plays the Police Sergeant, one of the law enforcement officers who deals with the aftermath of the Ghostbusters' activities on First Avenue. His scene falls in Chapter 21 of the film.
Monaco's likeness and name were honored in IDW Publishing's comics continuation of the franchise. In Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #10, the recurring character Officer Monaco, a New York Police Department officer, is both visually based on Ralph Monaco's appearance in the film and explicitly named after him.2 This kind of tribute from the IDW creative team reflects the affection for supporting cast members who helped define the texture of the original films.
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
Spook Central, "Ghostbusters II Screen Credits," transcribed from the film's official closing titles, https://www.spookcentral.tk/sclib/ghostbusters-ii-screen-credits (accessed 2026-06-13). "Police Sergeant | Ralph Monaco." ↩
Ghostbusters Volume 2 Issue #10 (IDW Publishing, November 27, 2013), p. 19. Written by Erik Burnham, art by Dan Schoening. The police officer depicted on page 19 is visually based on actor Ralph Monaco and wears a badge reading "Monaco." ↩ ↩2
"Ralph Monaco," The Movie Database (TMDB), https://www.themoviedb.org/person/156741-ralph-monaco (accessed 2026-06-13). ↩ ↩2
"Ralph Monaco," IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0597461/ (accessed 2026-06-13). ↩
