---
name: "Ron Karabatsos"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/ron-karabatsos"
fi1m_id: "ron-karabatsos"
imdb_id: "nm0438682"
tmdb_id: 1367324
wikidata_id: "Q15731713"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "22 April 1933"
died: "17 April 2012"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 68
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-10-04T18:12:56.165514+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Ron Karabatsos

## Identity

Ron Karabatsos

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/ron-karabatsos
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** ron-karabatsos
- **IMDb ID:** nm0438682
- **TMDB ID:** 1367324
- **Wikidata ID:** Q15731713
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Karabatsos, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15731713, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0438682/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1367324

Actor. Born 22 April 1933 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA. Died 17 April 2012.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 22 April 1933, Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA
- **Died:** 17 April 2012
- **Active:** 1983–1995
- **Average Fi1m score:** 68, as actor, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 54 (1), 1990s 82 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Karabatsos, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15731713, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0438682/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1367324

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Flashdance*](https://film.one/film/flashdance.md) (54)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Ron Karabatsos (1933–2012) was an American character actor. He was born on 22 April 1933 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and died on 17 April 2012 in Beaumont, California.

Before entering acting, Karabatsos worked as a foreman at a General Motors plant and for twenty-four years as a police officer with the Union City Police Department in New Jersey. His screen career began in the early 1980s and continued until 2004. He appeared in supporting roles in films including *Prince of the City* (1981) as Dave DeBennedeto, *Flashdance* (1983) as Jake Mawby, *The Cotton Club* (1984) as Mike Best, *Get Shorty* (1995) as Momo, and *Surviving Christmas* (2004) as Deli Man, as well as numerous television series such as *Cheers*, *Family Ties*, *Murder, She Wrote*, and *Mad About You*.

*Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Get Shorty* (1995), Fi1m 82, as Momo — [page](https://film.one/film/get-shorty.md)
- *Flashdance* (1983), Fi1m 54, as Jake Mawby — [page](https://film.one/film/flashdance.md)

## Complete filmography (36)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Surviving Christmas* (2004), as Deli Man
- *The Crew* (2000), as Fat Pauly
- *The Jamie Foxx Show* (1996), series, as Cabbie #2, Limo Driver
- *Get Shorty* (1995), as Momo — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/film/get-shorty.md)
- *The Home Court* (1995), series, as Uncle Frank
- *Chicago Hope* (1994), series, as Anthony Pellicanto
- *Jailbait* (1993), as Kelso
- *Mad About You* (1992), series, as Barney Kraft
- *Rachel Gunn, R.N.* (1992), series, as Plumber
- *Dead in the Water* (1991), as Mike Welch
- *Where Sleeping Dogs Lie* (1991), as Stan Reeb
- *29th Street* (1991), as Philly the Nap
- *Rich Girl* (1991), as Rocco
- *Hammer, Slammer, & Slade* (1990), Actor
- *My Blue Heaven* (1990), as Ritchie
- *Wedding Band* (1990), as Bruno Kavoles
- *Grand* (1990), series, as Stavros
- *Trenchcoat in Paradise* (1989), as Arky
- *Coach* (1989), series, as Club Manager
- *Hollywood Heartbreak* (1988), as L.R. Sharkey
- *Cold Steel* (1987), as Fishman
- *Blood Vows: The Story of a Mafia Wife* (1987), as Aldo
- *Matlock* (1986), series, as Vern Trudell, Dominic Vincent, Dave Christopher
- *Brotherly Love* (1985), as Anthony Scarnato
- *The Cotton Club* (1984), as Mike Best
- *Dreams* (1984), series, as Frank Franconi
- *Murder, She Wrote* (1984), series, as Pete Gerakaris
- *Hunter* (1984), series, as Mr. Monks, Brian Carmichael, Lucky Lacy
- *Missing Pieces* (1983), as Claude Papazian
- *Legs* (1983), as Mr. Rizzo
- *Flashdance* (1983), as Jake Mawby — Fi1m 54, [page](https://film.one/film/flashdance.md)
- *Hear No Evil* (1982), as Lt. Lew Healy
- *Cheers* (1982), series, as Ed — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/cheers.md)
- *Family Ties* (1982), series, as Bud Carlson
- *Cagney & Lacey* (1982), series, as Warden Baxter — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/tv/cagney-and-lacey.md)
- *Prince of the City* (1981), as Dave DeBennedeto

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/ron-karabatsos