Rick Moranis

Actors

Frederick Allan Moranis (born April 18, 1953) is a Canadian actor, comedian, musician, songwriter, writer and producer. He was a cast member of the sketch comedy series SCTV (1976-1984), with John Candy, Robin Duke, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Tony Rosato, Martin Short, and Dave Thomas; many of whom he would continue to appear in several movies and other TV shows and specials with. He made his film acting debut with Strange Brew (1983), co-directing it with Thomas; it featured Max von Sydow, Paul Dooley, Lynne Griffin and Angus MacInnes.

Other films from the 1980s include Walter Hill’s Streets of Fire (1984), with Michael Paré, Diane Lane, and Amy Madigan, and Willem Dafoe; Ivan Reitman‘s Ghostbusters (1984) its sequel (1989), all with Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, and Annie Potts; The Wild Life (1984), with Chris Penn, Lea Thompson, Ilan Mitchell-Smith, Jenny Wright, Eric Stoltz, Hart Bochner, and Randy Quaid; Brewster’s Millions (1985), with Richard Pryor, Candy, Lonette McKee, Stephen Collins, and Hume Cronyn; and Head Office (1985), with Judge Reinhold, Lori-Nan Engler, Eddie Albert, Richard Masur, Don Novello, Jane Seymour, Wallace Shawn, and Danny DeVito.

Films in the late 1980s include Club Paradise (1986), with Robin Williams, Peter O’Toole, Jimmy Cliff, Twiggy, Adolph Caesar, Levy, Joanna Cassidy, Martin, and Brian Doyle-Murray; Frank Oz‘s Little Shop of Horrors (1986), with Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia, Steve Martin, and the voice of Levi Stubbs; Spaceballs (1987), with Mel Brooks (who also directed), Bill Pullman, Candy, Daphne Zuniga, Dick Van Patten, George Wyner, and the voice of Joan Rivers; Joe Johnston‘s Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), with Marcia Strassman, Amy O’Neill, Robert Oliver, Matt Frewer, Kristine Sutherland, Thomas Wilson Brown, and Jared Rushton; and Ron Howard‘s Parenthood (1989), with Martin, Tom Hulce, Martha Plimpton, Joaquin Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, Jason Robards, Mary Steenburgen, and Dianne Wiest.

Films in the 1990s include Herbert Ross‘s My Blue Heaven (1990), with Martin and Joan Cusack; Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992), with Oliver, Strassman, Keri Russell, John Shea, and Lloyd Bridges; Splitting Heirs (1993), with Eric Idle, Barbara Hershey, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Cleese, and Sadie Frost; The Flintstones (1994), with John Goodman, Elizabeth Perkins, Rosie O’Donnell, Kyle MacLachlan, Halle Berry, and Elizabeth Taylor; Little Giants (1994), with Ed O’Neil; Big Bully (1996), with Tom Arnold, Julianne Phillips, Carol Kane, Jeffrey Tambor, Don Knotts, and Curtis Armstrong; and Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997), with Eve Gordon Bug Hall, Robin Bartlett, Stuart Pankin, Allison Mack, and Jake Richardson.

In 1997, Moranis began a long break from acting to dedicate his time to his two children as a widower. He did not appear in a live-action film for decades thereafter, although he provided voice-over work for a few animated films, including Disney’s Brother Bear (2003), with Phoenix, Jeremy Suarez, Thomas, Jason Raize, D.B. Sweeney, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Harold Gould. He also released comedy albums and made appearances at fan conventions. After a nearly 23-year hiatus from live-action films, Moranis signed to appear in a new sequel to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, called Shrunk, with Josh Gad.

Each review will be linked to the title below.

(*seen originally in theaters)

(**seen rereleased in theaters)

  • Strange Brew (1983) – co-directed with Dave Thomas – also co-writer
  • Streets of Fire (1984) – directed by Walter Hill
  • Ghostbusters (1994)** – directed by Ivan Reitman – also uncredited co-writer
  • The Wild Life (1984) – directed by Art Linson
  • Hockey Night (1984) – directed by Paul Shapiro – TV movie
  • The Last Polka (1985) – directed by John Blanchard – TV movie
  • Brewster’s Millions (1985) – directed by Walter Hill
  • Head Office (1985) – directed by Ken Finkleman
  • Club Paradise (1986) – directed by Harold Ramis
  • Little Shop of Horrors (1986)** – directed by Frank Oz
  • Spaceballs (1987)** – directed by Mel Brooks
  • Ghostbusters II (1989) – directed by Ivan Reitman
  • Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) – directed by Joe Johnston
  • Parenthood (1989) – directed by Ron Howard
  • The Rocket Boy (1989) – directed by John Blanchard & Peter Hudecki – TV movie
  • My Blue Heaven (1990) – directed by Herbert Ross
  • L.A. Story (1991) – directed by Mick Jackson – uncredited cameo
  • Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992)* – directed by Randal Kleiser
  • Splitting Heirs (1993) – directed by Robert Young
  • The Flintstones (1994)* – directed by Brian Levant
  • Little Giants (1994)* – directed by Duwayne Dunham
  • Big Bully (1996) – directed by Steve Miner
  • Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997) – directed by Dean Cundey – straight to video
  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys (2001) – directed by Bill Kowalchuk – straight to video
  • Brother Bear (2003) – directed by Aaron Blaise & Robert Walker
  • Brother Bear 2 (2006) – directed by Ben Gluck – straight to video
  • Bob & Doug McKenzie’s Two-Four Anniversary (2007) – directed by Henry Sarwer-Foner – TV movie
  • Shrunk (202-) – directed Joe Johnston
  • An Afternoon with SCTV (202-) – directed by Martin Scorsese – TV special