Phil Rubenstein

Acting

Phil Rubenstein

Born — Died

1940-08-03 — 1992-06-26

Place of birth

Bronx, New York, USA

Known for

Acting

Credits

51 titles

Philip Martin Rubenstein (August 3, 1940 – June 26, 1992) was an American film and television actor. He was known for playing the role of Frank Falzone in the American sitcom television series Working Stiffs. Born in The Bronx, New York City. Rubenstein guest-starred in numerous television programs including Barney Miller, Taxi, Remington Steele, The Jeffersons, Archie Bunker's Place, ALF, Who's the Boss?, Hill Street Blues and Silver Spoons. He also appeared in films such as Mannequin, My Mom's a Werewolf, Tango & Cash, They Call Me Bruce?, RoboCop 2, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and Back to School. Rubenstein died in June 1992 of heart failure in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 5…

Known for

Murder, She Wrote poster
7.5

An unassuming mystery writer turned sleuth uses her professional insight to help solve real-life homicide cases.

Murder, She Wrote

1984

Knight Rider poster
7.5

Michael Long, an undercover police officer, is shot while investigating a case and left for dead by his assailants. He is rescued by Wilton Knight, a wealthy, dying millionaire and inventor who arranges life-saving surgery, including a new face and a new identity--that of Michael Knight. Michael is then given a special computerized and indestructible car called the Knight Industries Two Thousand (nicknamed KITT), and a mission: apprehend criminals who are beyond the reach of the law. The series depicts Michael's exploits as he and KITT battle the forces of evil on behalf of the Foundation for Law and Government.

Knight Rider

1982

Night Court poster
7.3

An eccentric fun-loving judge presides over an urban night court and all the silliness going on there.

Night Court

1984

Highway to Heaven poster
7.4

A probationary angel is sent back to Earth to team up with an ex-cop and help people.

Highway to Heaven

1984

Taxi poster
7.3

Louie De Palma is a cantankerous, acerbic taxi dispatcher in New York City. He tries to maintain order over a collection of varied and strange characters who drive for him. As he bullies and insults them from the safety of his “cage,” they form a special bond among themselves, becoming friends and supporting each other through the inevitable trials and tribulations of life.

Taxi

1978

Barney Miller poster
7.4

Barney Miller is the kind of cop we'd all like to run into. Always sensible, he maintains order over a band of detectives who gamble, hit on anything in skirts, go to renaissance philosophy conventions for fun, and would really prefer to be writing. Nearly all of the action takes place in the squad room where citizens and criminals are brought in to complicate the mix.

Barney Miller

1975

Film credits

1990s · 4 titles

1980s · 22 titles

Mannequin poster
6.9

Jonathan Switcher, an unemployed artist, finds a job as an assistant window dresser for a department store. When Jonathan happens upon a beautiful mannequin he previously designed, she springs to life and introduces herself as Emmy, an Egyptian under an ancient spell. Despite interference from the store's devious manager, Jonathan and his mannequin fall in love while creating eye-catching window displays to keep the struggling store in business.

Mannequin

1987

Back to School poster
6.3

Self-made millionaire Thornton Melon decides to get a better education and enrolls at his son Jason's college. While Jason tries to fit in with his fellow students, Thornton struggles to gain his son's respect, giving way to hilarious antics.

Back to School

1986

Tango & Cash poster
6.5

Ray Tango and Gabriel Cash are two successful narcotics detectives who can't stand each other. Crime lord Yves Perret, furious at the loss of income they have caused him, plots an elaborate revenge against them.

Tango & Cash

1989

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home poster
7.2

When a huge alien probe enters the galaxy and begins to vaporize Earth's oceans, Kirk and his crew must travel back in time in order to bring back whales and save the planet.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

1986

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark poster
6.7

Arriving in the small town of Fallwell, Massachusetts to claim her inheritance, horror hostess Elvira receives a less than enthusiastic reception from the conservative locals, including her sinister uncle Vincent.

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark

1988

The Boys Next Door poster
6.2

Roy and Bo leave their small town the weekend after graduation for a short road trip to LA. Soon, they find themselves lashing out and leaving a trail of bodies behind them. The violence escalates throughout.

The Boys Next Door

1986

The Last American Virgin poster
6.6

The friendship of a group of young friends struggling with teen sex, drugs, and work is jeopardized by a romantic interest which may turn pals into bitter rivals.

The Last American Virgin

1982

Smorgasbord poster
5.7

Warren Nefron is a hopeless klutz who has some of the worst luck in the world: when he tries to end it all with a foolproof suicide plan, he still manages to mess it up. In desperation, he goes to a psychiatrist to see if there is some way for him to end his troubles.

Smorgasbord

1983

Ghost Warrior poster
5.3

When skiers in Japan come across the frozen body of centuries-old samurai warrior Yoshimita, scientists secretly whisk the corpse to a high-tech laboratory in California, where they bring him back to life. But when Yoshimita escapes onto the mean streets of 1980s Los Angeles, his ancient and strict code of honor gets him both into and out of trouble. J. Larry Carroll directs this low-budget action fantasy.

Ghost Warrior

1984

My Mom's a Werewolf poster
4.7

The frustrated housewife Leslie visits an animal shop to purchase a flea-collar. Unknowing that the owner is a werewolf, she accepts his invitation to lunch and later in his apartment. Through a bite in her toe he starts her slow transformation in a werewolf. Home again, she desperately tries to hide the often disgusting process from her family, but her daughter Jennifer and her - from horror magazines well educated - friend recognize what's going on, and help to kill the non-human.

My Mom's a Werewolf

1989

Rhinestone poster
4.9

After a big-time country singer brags that she can turn anybody in to a country-singin' star, she's out to prove she can live up to her talk when she recruits a cab-driver as a country singer. He's scheduled to sing at a big-time NYC country night club and she puts her ample powers to work in preparing her protege.

Rhinestone

1984

They Call Me Bruce? poster
4.9

While working as a cook for the Cosa Nostra, an Asian immigrant who everyone calls Bruce because of his resemblance to Bruce Lee, is duped into making deliveries of "Chinese Flour"- cocaine - all across the U.S.

They Call Me Bruce?

1982

The Runnin' Kind poster
4.5

As next in line to take over his father's law firm, Ohio rich kid Joey's life is all planned out. But a chance encounter with a gorgeous, free-spirited female rock drummer inspires Joey to chuck his plans and move to Los Angeles, where he hooks up with an all-girl rock band and learns the ins and outs of the L.A. music underground.

The Runnin' Kind

1989

Getting Physical poster
4.3

The world of female bodybuilding provides the backdrop for this tale of an aspiring young actress who initially becomes interested in the sport as a means of self-defense following a physical attack by two men, but then finds that while concentrating on building up her body her relationship with her parents, with whom she is living, and her new-found boyfriend, a young cop, is breaking down. Several noted bodybuilders and iron-pumpers, male and female, put in appearances to give this production an added authenticity.

Getting Physical

1984

Frank Nitti: The Enforcer poster
5.8

Al Capone may be the most famous Chicago mobster, but his successor, Frank "The Enforcer" Nitti (Anthony LaPaglia), was just as ruthless. This biopic goes to great lengths to accurately trace Nitti's rise to the top of the Windy City's underworld, amid corruption, betrayal and violence. The result is an engrossing glimpse into mob life in the early 20th century.

Frank Nitti: The Enforcer

1988

Hollywood Vice Squad poster
3.8

A mother goes to Hollywood to find her runaway daughter. She discovers that the girl has become involved in the pornography industry, and goes to the police to get help in finding her.

Hollywood Vice Squad

1986

Kidco poster
6.6

A boy who lives at a country club where his father works decides to make some extra money by selling composted horse manure as fertilizer, and has his three sisters (two of which are older) join him in the enterprise. As their sales increase, they draw increased scrutiny from the IRS and state tax board, as well as the large scale competitor who seeks to put them out of business at any cost.

Kidco

1984

Can You Feel Me Dancing? poster
6.6

Based on a true story. Karin is a young blind girl who's been encouraged by her overprotective parents to encounter life boldly. Karin meets a handsome young man named Richie, who falls in love with her. Seeking greater independence from her family, Karin becomes romantically involved with him. But Richie's love, too, smothers Karin, who realizes that she is trading one dependency for another. After entering and winning a dance contest, Karin feels strong and determined to find her own way. She accepts the fact that she must face the unknown in order to grow.

Can You Feel Me Dancing?

1986

Inside Out poster
5.6

An agoraphobic must give up his sheltered life and venture outside after a series of personal and financial problems.

Inside Out

1987

The Three Kings poster
4.0

The made-for-TV film stars Jack Warden, Lou Diamond Phillips and Stan Shaw as three patients in a Los Angeles-area mental institution. Dressed as the Three Wise Men for a Christmas pageant, the trio is suddenly struck with the delusion that they are really their Biblical counterparts on a quest to find the Baby Jesus. As TV cameras grind away, the three ersatz Kings surreptitiously ride out of the gates of the asylum—on camels—and into the mean streets of LA. As the story draws to its conclusion, the three escapees find themselves providing a Christmas miracle (but not in the form of rap) for a group of homeless people on the outskirts of the city.

The Three Kings

1987

No artwork available
NR

A psychopath second grader starts knocking off his schoolmates one by one in order to maintain control of the lunchline. Cafeteria hysteria!

Home Free

1988

A Small Killing poster
8.5

A college professor is recruited by an undercover cop to pose as a bag lady to track down a drug connection following the brutal killing of a skid row crone.

A Small Killing

1981

1970s · 3 titles

Series credits

Murder, She Wrote poster
7.5

An unassuming mystery writer turned sleuth uses her professional insight to help solve real-life homicide cases.

Murder, She Wrote

1984

Knight Rider poster
7.5

Michael Long, an undercover police officer, is shot while investigating a case and left for dead by his assailants. He is rescued by Wilton Knight, a wealthy, dying millionaire and inventor who arranges life-saving surgery, including a new face and a new identity--that of Michael Knight. Michael is then given a special computerized and indestructible car called the Knight Industries Two Thousand (nicknamed KITT), and a mission: apprehend criminals who are beyond the reach of the law. The series depicts Michael's exploits as he and KITT battle the forces of evil on behalf of the Foundation for Law and Government.

Knight Rider

1982

Night Court poster
7.3

An eccentric fun-loving judge presides over an urban night court and all the silliness going on there.

Night Court

1984

Night Court poster
7.3

An eccentric fun-loving judge presides over an urban night court and all the silliness going on there.

Night Court

1984

Highway to Heaven poster
7.4

A probationary angel is sent back to Earth to team up with an ex-cop and help people.

Highway to Heaven

1984

Taxi poster
7.3

Louie De Palma is a cantankerous, acerbic taxi dispatcher in New York City. He tries to maintain order over a collection of varied and strange characters who drive for him. As he bullies and insults them from the safety of his “cage,” they form a special bond among themselves, becoming friends and supporting each other through the inevitable trials and tribulations of life.

Taxi

1978

Barney Miller poster
7.4

Barney Miller is the kind of cop we'd all like to run into. Always sensible, he maintains order over a band of detectives who gamble, hit on anything in skirts, go to renaissance philosophy conventions for fun, and would really prefer to be writing. Nearly all of the action takes place in the squad room where citizens and criminals are brought in to complicate the mix.

Barney Miller

1975

The Golden Girls poster
7.6

Four Southern Florida seniors share a house, their dreams, and a whole lot of cheesecake. Bright, promiscuous, clueless and hilarious, these lovely, mismatched ladies form the perfect circle of friends.

The Golden Girls

1985

Airwolf poster
7.6

As part of a deal with an intelligence agency to look for his missing brother, a renegade pilot goes on missions with an advanced battle helicopter.

Airwolf

1984

Newhart poster
7.2

Dick Loudon and his wife Joanna decide to leave life in New York City and buy a little inn in Vermont. Dick is a how-to book writer, who eventually becomes a local TV celebrity as host of "Vermont Today." George Utley is the handyman at the inn and Leslie Vanderkellen is the maid, with ambitions of being an Olympic Ski champion; she is later replaced by her cousin Stephanie, an heiress who hates her job. Her boyfriend is Dick's yuppie TV producer, Michael Harris. There are many other quirky characters in this fictional little town, including Dick's neighbors Larry, Darryl, and Darryl...three brothers who buy the Minuteman Cafe from Kirk Devane. Besides sharing a name, Darryl and Darryl never speak.

Newhart

1982

Moonlighting poster
7.6

After being duped and going bankrupt, model Maddie is convinced by David to become a partner in a detective agency. Together they solve various cases, while getting comfortable with each other.

Moonlighting

1985

T. J. Hooker poster
6.5

Sergeant Thomas Jefferson Hooker is a tough-as-nails veteran police officer with the LCPD who turns his back on a gold badge and goes back to patrolling the streets and training recruits. Along with his young partners in blue, Hooker take on Lake City's toughest criminals.

T. J. Hooker

1982

ALF poster
7.6

A furry alien wiseguy comes to live with a terran family after crashing into their garage.

ALF

1986

Hunter poster
7.1

Hunter is an American police drama television series created by Frank Lupo, and starring Fred Dryer as Sgt. Rick Hunter and Stepfanie Kramer as Sgt. Dee Dee McCall, which ran on NBC from 1984 to 1991. However, Kramer left after the sixth season to pursue other acting and musical opportunities. In the seventh season, Hunter partnered with two different women officers. The titular character, Sgt. Rick Hunter, was a wily, physically imposing, and often rule-breaking homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. The show's main characters, Hunter and McCall, resolve many of their cases by shooting dead the perpetrators. The show's executive producer during the first season was Stephen J. Cannell, whose company produced the series.

Hunter

1984

Kojak poster
7.3

A bald, lollipop sucking police detective with a fiery righteous attitude battles crime in New York City.

Kojak

1973

Silver Spoons poster
6.3

Wealthy, young-at-heart business owner Edward Stratton III is stunned to discover his brief marriage several years ago produced a son, Richard Bluedhorn-Stratton, now 12 and standing in Edward's living room, wanting to live with the father he never knew. Although Edward's first impulse is to send Ricky to boarding school, he soon relents and let his son move in with him and Kate, his love-struck secretary.

Silver Spoons

1982

Mama's Family poster
7.5

Thelma Harper and her spinster sister Fran open their home to Thelma's recently divorced son Vinton and his teenage son and daughter. It's quite an adjustment for everyone, especially the cranky, argumentative Thelma.

Mama's Family

1983

Crazy like a Fox poster
7.2

Crazy Like a Fox is an American television series set in San Francisco, California, that aired on CBS from December 30, 1984 to May 3, 1986.

Crazy like a Fox

1984

Street Hawk poster
7.0

Street Hawk is an American television series that aired for 13 episodes on ABC in 1985. The series is a Limekiln and Templar Production in association with Universal Television. Its central characters were created by Paul M. Belous and Robert "Bob" Wolterstorff, and its core format was developed by Bruce Lansbury, who had initially commissioned the program's creation. This series was originally planned for the fall of 1984, Mondays at 8:00PM Eastern/7:00PM Central. However, ABC executives changed their minds when the summer series Call to Glory did well, and Street Hawk was pushed to mid-season. Street Hawk made its debut on January 4, 1985 on ABC at 9:00PM Eastern/8:00PM Central and ran until May 16, 1985. Reruns aired on the USA Network on Saturdays at 10:00AM from 1990-91.

Street Hawk

1985

The Comedy Factory poster
NR

The Comedy Factory (no known affiliation with the comedy club of the same name) was a live-action, scripted comedy series that ran during the summers of 1985 and 1986 on ABC in the United States and CTV in Canada (who also oversaw production). The show revolved around comedians and actors acting out scenes from television pilots that had been passed on previously by ABC. Further information on the show is scarce and nearly every episode of the show is presumed lost; only the premiere episode, "Honey, It's the Mayor," is known to survive in its entirety (uploaded to YouTube).

The Comedy Factory

1985

Cassie & Co. poster
5.3

Cassie & Co. is an American drama series broadcast on NBC as a mid-season replacement. 13 episodes were produced, but it was pulled after four episodes in February 1982, with the rest airing in the summer. Angie Dickinson stars as Cassie Holland, a tough, divorced ex-cop who becomes a private detective, taking over a detective agency with her ex-con secretary Meryl (Dori Brenner) and gym instructor Benny (A. Martinez).

Cassie & Co.

1982

Gavilan poster
6.0

Gavilan is an American 1982 TV series directed by Corey Allen that aired on NBC.

Gavilan

1982