[1] He is known for his role as Buzz McCallister in the Home Alone franchise, as well as the films Nebraska, Blue Ruin and Kimi.

He was a regular improv actor on MTV's Damage Control, notably as a director of an erotic film called Crazy Motor Hos, in which he was dressed as a naval captain.

Ratray appeared in the September 29, 2006 episode of Law & Order, "Avatar", as the mentally ill murderer Richard Elam.

Variety said "Ratray gets good mileage out of his role as a computer whiz too proud of his corpulent geekiness to consider a more glamorous substitute."

In late 2007, a documentary film crew followed Ratray's attempts to win the heart of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

He used 'love disks' – love letters set to music and images – to serenade her, and traveled from New York, to Alabama, Denver, Palo Alto and Washington, DC to court her.