| Harold Ramis | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 21, 1944 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Erica Mann |
| Official website | |
Harold Allen Ramis (born November 21, 1944) is an American actor, director, and writer, specializing in comedy. Events 164 BC - Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family restores the Temple in Jerusalem. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 164 BC - Judas Maccabaeus, son of Mattathias of the Hasmonean family restores the Temple in Jerusalem. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the His best known film acting roles are as "Egon Spengler" in Ghostbusters (1984) and "Russell Ziskey" in Stripes (1981); Ramis also co-wrote both films. Egon Spengler, PhD is a fictional Scientist appearing in the films Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, and Zuul redirects here For the videogame see Zool. Ghostbusters (titled on-screen as Ghost Busters) is Stripes is a 1981 American comedy Film starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, and As a writer/director, his films include the highly popular comedies Caddyshack (1980), Groundhog Day (1993), and Analyze This (1999). Caddyshack is a 1980 American Comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and written by Brian Doyle-Murray, Ramis and Groundhog Day is a 1993 Comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. Analyze This is a 1999 movie produced by Warner Brothers Studios. Ramis is also noted as the original head writer of the TV series SCTV (in which he played Moe Green), and as one of three writers to pen the screenplay for the film National Lampoon's Animal House (1978). Most recently, he had small roles in the films The Last Kiss (2006), Knocked Up (2007) and Walk Hard (2007), and has directed episodes of the US version of the TV series "The Office"
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Early life
Ramis was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Ruth (née Cokee) and Nathan Ramis. For the Wayne Cochran song later covered by Pearl Jam, see Last Kiss. Knocked Up is a 2007 American Comedy film, written co-produced and directed by Judd Apatow. Walk Hard The Dewey Cox Story is a 2007 American Comedy film, directed by Jake Kasdan and starring John C Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States. The State of Illinois ( roughly ill-i-NOY is a state of the United States of America, the 21st to be admitted to the Union. [1] He had a Jewish upbringing, although he currently does not practice any single religion. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ [2] After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri his first job was as a mental-ward orderly. Ramis was a member of the Alpha Xi chapter of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity at Washington University. Zeta Beta Tau ( ZBT, brothers of which are nicknamed Zebes) is a historically Jewish, presently Nonsectarian international fraternity
Career
Ramis worked as joke editor for Playboy magazine. Playboy is an American Men's magazine, founded in Chicago Illinois, by Hugh Hefner and his associates which has grown into Playboy He later was associated with the "guerrilla video" commune TVTV, headed by Michael Shamberg. TVTV (short for Top Value Television) was a San Francisco -based pioneering video collective founded in 1972 by Allen Rucker, Michael Shamberg Michael Shamberg (born 1945 is an American former Time-Life correspondent and current Film producer. He performed with Chicago's Second City improvisational comedy troupe starting in 1969. Improvisational theatre (also known as improv or impro) is a form of Theatre in which the Actors use Improvisational acting techniques [3] He also performed with the Broadway revue National Lampoon's Lemmings. Ramis was also a writer and performer on the SCTV television series during its first three years (1976-1979). Second City Television (SCTV was a Canadian television Sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between Memorable characterizations by Ramis on SCTV include corrupt Dialing for Dollars host Moe Green, amiable cop Officer Friendly, exercise guru Swami Banananda, board chairman Allan "Crazy Legs" Hirschman and home dentist Mort Finkel. Celebrities impersonated by Ramis on SCTV include Kenneth Clark and Leonard Nimoy. Kenneth McKenzie Clark Baron Clark, OM, CH, KCB, FBA ( July 13, 1903 &ndash May 21, 1983) was an Leonard Simon Nimoy (born March 26, 1931) is an American Actor, Film director, Poet, Musician and
Ramis left SCTV to pursue a film career. He wrote his first film, National Lampoon's Animal House, with National Lampoon alumni Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. Douglas C Kenney ( December 10, 1947 – August 27, 1980) was an American Writer who co-founded ''National Lampoon'' John Christian "Chris" Miller (born 1942 is an American author and screenwriter most notable for his work on National Lampoon magazine The film followed the struggle between a rowdy fraternity house and the college's dean. Its humor was raunchy for its time. Animal House "broke all box-office records for comedies" and earned "a hundred and forty-one million dollars”. [4] His next film was Meatballs starring Bill Murray, which Ramis wrote. Meatballs is a 1979 Canadian Comedy film. It was the first film appearance of Bill Murray in a starring role and though not For the British actor see Billy Murray (actor. William James "Bill" Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an The film was a financial success and it was notable for being the first of six film collaborations between Murray and Ramis. [4] His third film and his directorial debut was Caddyshack, which he wrote with Kenny and Brian Doyle-Murray. Caddyshack is a 1980 American Comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and written by Brian Doyle-Murray, Ramis and Brian Doyle-Murray (born October 31, 1945) is an American Comedian, Screenwriter and Character actor. The film starred Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, and Bill Murray. Cornelius Crane “Chevy” Chase (born October 8 1943 is an American Emmy Award-winning Comedian, Writer, and television and film Rodney Dangerfield ( November 22, 1921 – October 5, 2004) born Jacob Cohen, was an American Comedian Ted Knight ( December 7, 1923 &ndash August 26, 1986) was an American Actor best known for playing the comedic role of Like Ramis's previous two films, Caddyshack was also a large commercial success. In 1982, Ramis was attached to direct the film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. The Pulitzer Prize, ˈpʊlɨtsɚ PULL-it-sər is an American award regarded as the highest national honor in Newspaper journalism, A Confederacy of Dunces is a Novel written by John Kennedy Toole, published in 1980, 11 years after the author's Suicide. John Kennedy Toole ( December 17, 1937 &ndash March 26, 1969) was an American Novelist from New Orleans Louisiana The film was to star John Belushi and Richard Pryor, but the project was aborted when Belushi died that year. John Adam Belushi ( January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American Comedian, Actor and Musician Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III ( December 1, 1940 &ndash December 10, 2005) was an American Comedian, Actor [5] In 1984, Ramis collaborated with Dan Aykroyd on the screenplay for Ghostbusters, which became one of the biggest hits of the summer, in which he also starred as Dr. Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM (born July 1, 1952) is an Academy Award -nominated and Emmy Award -winning Canadian-American Zuul redirects here For the videogame see Zool. Ghostbusters (titled on-screen as Ghost Busters) is Egon Spengler, a role he reprised for the 1989 sequel (which he also co-wrote with Aykroyd). [6] His later film, Groundhog Day, has been called "Ramis's masterpiece”. [4]
His films were noted for attacking "the smugness of institutional life . . . with an impish good [will] that is unmistakably American". [4] They are also noted for "Ramis's signature tongue-in-cheek pep talks”. [4] Sloppiness and improv are also important aspects of his work. [4] Ramis frequently depicts the qualities of "anger, curiosity, laziness, and woolly idealism" in "a hyper-articulate voice". [4] Sex, drugs, and alcohol play an important role in much of his work.
In 2004, Ramis was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame. The St Louis Walk of Fame honors well-known people from St Louis Missouri who made contributions to Culture of the United States. In 2004, he turned down the opportunity to direct the Bernie Mac-Ashton Kutcher film Guess Who because he considered it to be poorly written. Bernard Jeffrey McCullough (October 5 1957 &ndash August 9 2008 better known by the stage name Bernie Mac, was an American Actor and Comedian Christopher Ashton Kutcher ( commonly known as Ashton Kutcher (born February 7 1978 is an American actor and former fashion model best known for playing Michael Guess Who is a 2005 Comedy film, directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. [4] Also in 2004, Ramis began filming the low budget The Ice Harvest, "his first attempt to make a comic film noir”. The Ice Harvest is a 2005 Neo-noir / Comedy-drama Film directed by Harold Ramis and written by Richard Russo Ramis spent six weeks trying to get the film greenlit because he had difficulty reaching an agreement between stars John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton's salaries. John Paul Cusack (born June 28, 1966) is an American Film actor and Screenwriter. William Robert Thornton (born August 4 1955 [4] The film received a mixed reaction. His typical directing fee, as of 2004, is $5 million. [4]
Legacy
Ramis's films have had an important impact on subsequent generations of comedians and comedy writers. [4] Filmmakers Jay Roach, Jake Kasdan, Adam Sandler, and Peter and Bobby Farrelly have cited his films as amongst their favorites. Jay Roach (born 1957 in Albuquerque New Mexico) is an Emmy Award winning American Jewish Film director and producer, best Jake Kasdan (born Jacob Kasdan 1974 is a Golden Globe nominated American television and film director Adam Richard Sandler (born September 9 1966 is an American Comedian, The Farrelly brothers, Peter (b December 17 1956 and Bobby (b [4]
Personal life
Ramis has three children. His daughter Violet was born in 1977 with his first wife, Anne, and sons Julian (born 1990) and Daniel (born 1994), with his present wife, Erica Mann. Also 1977 (album by Ash. Year 1977 ( MCMLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Year 1994 ( MCMXCIV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full 1994 Gregorian calendar) Erica Mann is the wife of director Harold Ramis. They were married May 7, 1989, and have two sons together Julian (b
Filmography
Acting
| Year(s) | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-1977 | Second City TV | Various Characters | Television series, series regular |
| 1981 | Stripes | Russell Ziskey | |
| Heavy Metal | Zeke | Voice only, animated | |
| 1982 | SCTV Network 90 | Various Characters | Television series, guest star |
| 1983 | National Lampoon's Vacation | Cop at Wally World | Voice only, uncredited |
| 1984 | Ghostbusters | Dr. Egon Spengler | |
| 1987 | Baby Boom | Steven Bochner | |
| 1988 | Stealing Home | Alan Appleby | |
| 1989 | Ghostbusters II | Dr. Second City Television (SCTV was a Canadian television Sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between Stripes is a 1981 American comedy Film starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, and Heavy Metal is a 1981 Canadian Animated film from executive producer Leonard Mogel who was also the publisher of Heavy Metal Second City Television (SCTV was a Canadian television Sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between National Lampoon's Vacation is a 1983 Comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Zuul redirects here For the videogame see Zool. Ghostbusters (titled on-screen as Ghost Busters) is Ghostbusters is a comedy film franchise created in 1984 The two films center around a group of eccentric New York City parapsychologists who investigate and capture ghosts Baby Boom is a 1987 comedy film starring Diane Keaton. The film also launched a subsequent television show starring Kate Jackson, running Stealing Home is a 1988 movie, starring Mark Harmon, Jodie Foster, Jonathan Silverman, and Harold Ramis. Ghostbusters II is the 1989 Sequel to Ghostbusters (1984 produced and directed by Ivan Reitman. Egon Spengler | |
| 1993 | Groundhog Day | Neurologist | |
| 1994 | Airheads | Chris Moore | |
| Love Affair | Sheldon Blumenthal | ||
| 1997 | As Good as It Gets | Dr. Groundhog Day is a 1993 Comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. Airheads is a Comedy Film released on August 5, 1994. It was written by Rich Wilkes and directed by Michael Lehmann. Love Affair is a 1994 Romantic drama film made by Mulholland Productions and distributed by Warner Bros As Good as It Gets is a 1997 film from TriStar Pictures that tells the story of an obsessive-compulsive, misanthropic, and bigoted Martin Bettes | |
| 2000 | High Fidelity | Rob's Dad | Scenes deleted |
| 2002 | Orange County | Don Durkett | |
| 2006 | The Last Kiss | Professor Bowler | |
| 2007 | Knocked Up | Ben's Dad | |
| Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | L’Chai’m |
Directing, writing and production
| Year(s) | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1976-1978 | Second City TV | (Television series) Head writer |
| 1978 | National Lampoon's Animal House | Writer |
| 1979 | Meatballs | Writer |
| 1980 | Caddyshack | Writer, director |
| 1981 | Stripes | Writer |
| 1982 | The Rodney Dangerfield Show: It's Not Easy Bein' Me | (Television series) Head writer, producer |
| 1983 | National Lampoon's Vacation | Director |
| 1984 | Ghostbusters | Writer |
| 1986 | Back to School | Screenplay |
| Club Paradise | Screenplay, Director | |
| Armed and Dangerous | Story, screenplay, uncredited as executive producer | |
| 1988 | Caddyshack II | Writer |
| 1989 | Ghostbusters II | Writer |
| 1991 | Rover Dangerfield | Story |
| 1993 | Groundhog Day | Screenplay, director, producer |
| 1995 | Stuart Saves His Family | Director |
| 1996 | Multiplicity | Director, producer |
| 1999 | Analyze This | Writer, director |
| 2000 | Bedazzled | Screenplay, director, producer |
| 2002 | Analyze That | Writer, director |
| The First $20 Million is Always the Hardest | Producer | |
| 2005 | The Ice Harvest | Director |
| 2006-2007 | The Office | (Television series) Director, episodes: "A Benihana Christmas", “Safety Training", "Beach Games" |
| 2007 | I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With | Producer |
| Buster's Class Project | Producer | |
| Atlanta | (Television pilot) Director | |
| 2009 | The Year One | Story, screenplay, director, producer |
References
- ^ Harold Ramis Biography (1944-)
- ^ Groundhog Day
- ^ The Second City: Backstage at the World's Greatest Comedy Theater by Sheldon Patinkin. High Fidelity is a 2000 film directed by Stephen Frears and starring John Cusack. Orange County is an American movie that was released on Valentine's day of 2002. For the Wayne Cochran song later covered by Pearl Jam, see Last Kiss. Knocked Up is a 2007 American Comedy film, written co-produced and directed by Judd Apatow. Walk Hard The Dewey Cox Story is a 2007 American Comedy film, directed by Jake Kasdan and starring John C Second City Television (SCTV was a Canadian television Sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between Meatballs is a 1979 Canadian Comedy film. It was the first film appearance of Bill Murray in a starring role and though not Caddyshack is a 1980 American Comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and written by Brian Doyle-Murray, Ramis and Stripes is a 1981 American comedy Film starring Bill Murray, Harold Ramis, Warren Oates, and National Lampoon's Vacation is a 1983 Comedy film directed by Harold Ramis and starring Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Zuul redirects here For the videogame see Zool. Ghostbusters (titled on-screen as Ghost Busters) is For the movie see Back to School. Back to school, in Clothing Retail, is a product season and is characterized by a display of items appropriate Club Paradise is a 1986 Comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, and starring Robin Williams, Peter O'Toole, and Jimmy Armed and Dangerous ( 1986) is a movie starring John Candy as Frank Dooley Eugene Levy as Norman Kane Robert Loggia Caddyshack II is a 1988 sequel to the 1980 cult classic Golf Comedy film Caddyshack. Ghostbusters II is the 1989 Sequel to Ghostbusters (1984 produced and directed by Ivan Reitman. Rover Dangerfield is an Animated feature film produced by Hyperion Pictures and released by Warner Bros Groundhog Day is a 1993 Comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, starring Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. Stuart Saves His Family is a 1995 comedy film directed by Harold Ramis, and based on a series of popular Saturday Night Live sketches from the Multiplicity is a 1996 Comedy film starring Michael Keaton and Andie MacDowell. Analyze This is a 1999 movie produced by Warner Brothers Studios. Bedazzled is a 2000 motion picture remake of the ( 1967) film Bedazzled, originally written by Peter Cook Analyze That is a 2002 movie produced by Warner Brothers Studios. The Ice Harvest is a 2005 Neo-noir / Comedy-drama Film directed by Harold Ramis and written by Richard Russo "A Benihana Christmas" is the tenth episode of the third season of the American Comedy television series The Office "Safety Training" is the nineteenth episode of the third season of the American Comedy television series The Office. "Beach Games" is the twenty-second episode of the third season of the US version of ''The Office'', and is the 50th episode aired of the show I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With is an Indie film from 2006, released in September 2007 by IFC Films and The Weinstein The Year One is an upcoming Harold Ramis -directed Comedy film from Columbia Pictures and produced by Judd Apatow. Sheldon Patinkin is an author teacher and director He is one of the founding fathers of The Second City and currently
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Friend, Tad. "Comedy First: How Harold Ramis’s movies have stayed funny for twenty-five years.", The New Yorker, 2004-04-19. The New Yorker is an American Magazine that publishes reportage commentary criticism essays fiction satire cartoons and poetry Retrieved on August 28, 2007. Events 475 - The Roman General Orestes forces western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos to flee his Capital Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
- ^ Saito, Stephen.
- ^ "20 Movies Not Coming Soon to a Theater Near You", Premiere, 2006. Premiere was an American and New York City -based film Magazine published by Hachette Filipacchi Media U
External links
- Harold Ramis at the Internet Movie Database
- DVD Review - Harold Ramis
- St. Louis Walk of Fame
- Profile of Ramis in The New Yorker