Harold Allen Ramis (November 21, 1944 – February 24, 2014) was an American actor, comedian, director and writer. He was was the original head writer of the television series SCTV, on which he also performed with John Candy, Robin Duke, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Short, and Dave Thomas. His early screenwriting credits include co-writing and National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978), directed by John Landis, with John Belushi; and Ivan Reitman‘s summer camp comedy Meatballs (1979), with Bill Murray in his first starring role.
His best-known acting roles were as Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), with Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver, Annie Potts, and Rick Moranis; and as Russell Ziskey in Stripes (1981), with Murray, Warren Oates, Candy, Sean Young, and P.J. Soles; he also co-wrote those films and they were also directed by Reitman. He’s also acted in the films Baby Boom (1987), with Diane Keaton, As Good as It Gets (1997), with Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, and Greg Kinear; and Knocked Up (2007), with Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, and Leslie Mann.
As a director, his films include the comedies Caddyshack (1980), with Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, Michael O’Keefe, and Murray; National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983), written by John Hughes, with Chase, Beverly D’Angelo, Imogene Coca, Randy Quaid, Anthony Michael Hall, Dana Barron, and Christie Brinkley; Club Paradise (1986), with Robin Williams and Peter O’Toole; Groundhog Day (1993), with Murray and Andie McDowell; and Analyze This (1999) and sequel Analyze That (2003), both starring Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal, and The Ice Harvest (2005), with John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Connie Nielsen, Quaid and Oliver Platt. The final film that he wrote, produced, directed, and acted in was Year One (2009), with Jack Black and Michael Cera.
Each review will be linked to the title below.
(*seen originally in theaters)
(**seen rereleased in theaters)
- National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978) – directed by John Landis – co-writer
- Meatballs (1979) – directed by Ivan Reitman – co-writer
- Caddyshack (1980) – director, co-writer
- Stripes (1981) – directed by Ivan Reitman – actor, co-writer
- Heavy Metal (1981) – directed by Gerald Potterton – voice
- Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983) – directed by Lamont Johnson – uncredited voice
- National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983) – director, uncredited voice
- Ghostbusters (1984)** – directed by Ivan Reitman – actor, co-writer
- Back to School (1986) – directed by Alan Metter – co-writer, executive producer
- Club Paradise (1986) – director, co-writer
- Armed and Dangerous (1986) – directed by Mark L. Lester – co-writer
- Baby Boom (1987) – directed by Charles Shyer – actor
- Caddyshack II (1988) – directed by Allan Arkush – co-writer (first draft only, several uncredited rewrites occurred)
- Stealing Home (1988) – directed by Steven Kampmann & William Porter (as Will Aldis) – actor
- Ghostbusters II (1989) – directed by Ivan Reitman – co-writer, actor
- Rover Dangerfield (1991) – directed by James L. George & Bob Seeley – co-story
- Groundhog Day (1993)** – director, co-writer, producer, actor
- Airheads (1994) – directed by Michael Lehmann – actor
- Love Affair (1994) – directed by Glenn Gordon Caron – actor
- Stuart Saves His Family (1995) – director
- Multiplicity (1996) – director, producer
- As Good as It Gets (1997) – directed by James L. Brooks – actor
- Analyze This (1999) – director, co-writer
- High Fidelity (2000) – directed by Stephen Frears – actor (scenes deleted)
- Bedazzled (2000)* – director, co-writer, producer
- Orange County (2002)* – directed by Jake Kasdan – actor
- The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest (2002) – directed by Mick Jackson – executive producer
- I’m with Lucy (2002) – directed by Jon Sherman – actor
- Analyze That (2002) – director, co-writer
- The Ice Harvest (2005) – director
- I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With (2006) – directed by Jeff Garlin – executive producer
- The Last Kiss (2006) – directed by Gabriele Muccino – actor
- Knocked Up (2007)* – directed by Judd Apatow – actor
- Archie’s Final Project (2009) – directed by David Lee Miller – aka My Suicide – executive producer
- Year One (2009)* – director, co-writer, producer, actor
- Cleanin’ Up the Town: Remembering Ghostbusters (2019) – directed by Anthony Bueno – documentary
- Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021)* – directed by Jason Reitman – archive footage
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