Ralph Manza

Ralph Manza had the face of someone who has seen it all and doesn't expect too much from life. He was born in San Francisco in the fall of 1921. Before Hollywood knew his name, he served in the army during World War II. That experience hardened his look, perfect for playing tough guys, working-class men and street-smart rogues.

He was the perfect supporting actor.

In 1954, he landed his first credited role in the series The Public Defender. He never chased marquee glory, knowing his place was in the solid middle ranks of acting. But his work pace was relentless throughout the 1960s.

He appeared in The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Twilight Zone with astonishing ease. He didn't need big monologues for viewers to know who his character was. He built up more than 160 credits in television and film without breaking a sweat.

The steady paycheck of the seventies

His big break came with Banacek in 1972. He played Jay Drury for seventeen episodes. That role gave him a stability that few character actors manage to achieve in such a volatile industry. And that was his greatest strength.

Manza never needed the spotlight. He felt at home in the shadows of medium shots. In 1985, he appeared in Newhart and made it clear that the passing years only improved his comic range.

Audiences started to remember his face.

The final chapter with the Coen brothers

The nineties kept him busy in productions of all kinds. In 1996, he appeared in Seinfeld as an employee of the Ross family (the one who helped burn George Costanza's cabin). It was a brief moment, but fans of the show still remember his deadpan delivery.

His last major collaboration was with the Coen brothers in The Man Who Wasn’t There, shot in 2000. He played a cook in a scene that captured his craft as a working actor. He died on January 31, 2000 at a San Diego hospital from a heart attack.

He was 78 years old.