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Ron Cummins (May 15, 19421 - July 1, 20162) was an American character actor born in Brooklyn, New York. He is best remembered for a decades-long career in film and television that began on Broadway as a child performer. His screen credits include Ghostbusters II (1989), where he played the Police Lieutenant who arrests the Ghostbusters following their underground excavation on First Avenue.3
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Cummins was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. His performance career began unusually early: as a child he appeared in the original 1951 Broadway production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The King and I at the St. James Theatre, playing Louis, the young son of Anna.2 He went on to perform in several other Broadway productions, including Damn Yankees, The Music Man, and Plaza Suite.2
His formal training was extensive. He studied acting under Sanford Meisner and Betty Cashman, and trained in jazz dance with Eugene Louis Facciuto (known professionally as Luigi), tap dance with Ernest Carlos, and ballet with instructors affiliated with the New York City Ballet.2
Cummins built a steady character-actor career in film and television across three decades, specializing in the kind of authority-figure and working-professional roles that give a scene institutional weight without demanding star billing.
On the film side, his most prominent work came through a long association with director Peter Hyams.2 He appeared in nearly every Hyams feature of the 1970s through 1990s: Busting (1974), Capricorn One (1977), The Star Chamber (1983), Running Scared (1986), The Presidio (1988), Narrow Margin (1990), and The Relic (1997). That collaboration spanned more than two decades and gave Cummins recurring access to major studio productions.
Beyond the Hyams partnership, Cummins appeared in a wide range of notable films.1 He had a small role in Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon (1975), appeared in American Gigolo (1980) alongside Richard Gere, played the arraignment court clerk in Barbra Streisand's Nuts (1987), and had parts in Tango & Cash (1989). He also appeared in Which Way Is Up? (1977, with Richard Pryor), Where the Buffalo Roam (1980, with Bill Murray and Peter Boyle), I Will... I Will... For Now (1976, with Elliott Gould and Diane Keaton), and the 1997 films Gridlock'd and Gang Related, both starring Tupac Shakur. A later credit is The Rundown (2003).
His television work included appearances on Arrest and Trial, Police Story, and Chicago Hope, as well as the telefilm Dempsey.4
Cummins appears in Ghostbusters II as the Police Lieutenant who, alongside the Police Sergeant (played by Ralph Monaco), takes the Ghostbusters into custody after their unauthorized excavation on First Avenue.3 The arrest sets up the courtroom sequence that follows, and both officers are credited by name in the film's end credits.3 Director Ivan Reitman cast a number of experienced New York character actors in the film's law enforcement and institutional roles, and Cummins's decade of TV procedural and film work made him a natural fit.
Ron Cummins died on July 1, 2016, at a hospice in Canoga Park, California. He was 74. The cause of death was reported as complications from relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and chronic myeloid leukemia.2 He was survived by his son Allan, daughter-in-law Debbie, niece Lauren, and grandson Justin.2 Per his wishes, his body was donated to Science Cares for medical research and education.2
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
"Ron Cummins," IMDb, accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0192037/ ↩ ↩2
The Hollywood Reporter, "Ron Cummins, Veteran Character Actor, Dies at 74" (July 2016), https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/ron-cummins-dead-character-actor-910443/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8
"Ghostbusters II Cast and Crew Credits," Ghostbusters Wiki, Fandom, accessed 2026-06-13, https://ghostbusters.fandom.com/wiki/Ghostbusters_II_Cast_and_Crew_Credits ↩ ↩2 ↩3
Television Academy, "Ron Cummins," accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/ron-cummins ↩
