Harold Allen Ramis, born in Chicago, Illinois, is known for starring in the most successful comedies of all time, including the films Golf Boy, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, and A Little Pregnant. He died on February 24, 2014 at the age of 69.
Popularity
So, when was Harold Ramis born? The date of birth of the famous actor, writer, director and producer is November 21, 1944. He is best known for his starring roles in some comedy films of both the 1970s and 1980s, including The Menagerie (1978), The Golf Boy (1980), and Ghostbusters (1984 )
The actor himself admired comedians such as the Marx brothers, Sid Caesar, Ernie Kovacs and Steve Allen, who also grew up in Chicago.
Biography
Harold Ramis graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri in 1967, and received a degree in English literature. After a number of works, including as a deputy teacher, he received a position in Playboy magazine as an editor of jokes. In the end, he became an assistant editor in the publication, but left in 1969 to join the famous troupe of the improvisational comedy “The Second City”.
It was here that Harold Ramis (photo can be seen above) became famous for his sharp mind and pleasant communication. Other prominent artists in the troupe at this time were John Belushi, Bill Murray and Brian Doyle Murray. By the mid-1970s, Ramis joined the TV show "Second City", SCTV as a writer and performer. He worked with several other comedians, including John Candy and Eugene Levy.
Making movies
One of the biggest changes in the life of Harold Ramis as a writer occurred in the late 1970s. Working with Chris Miller and Doug Kenny, he co-wrote the script for the popular student comedy The Menagerie (1978) with starring John Belushi and director John Landis. He then co-authored one of the most popular comedies in the summer of 1979, Meatballs, starring Bill Murray.
Harold Ramis made his directorial debut in 1980 in the movie The Golf Boy, starring Rodney Dangerfield. Comedy ridicules the chic country club and its members. In addition, Ramis wrote the script for the film with Doug Kenny and Brian Doyle-Murray. The following year, he was the screenwriter of the film “Volunteer to Involvement” (1981) with Bill Murray; he played in the film his best friend.
Both of these actors began to work together, fighting the supernatural with Dan Aykroyd in Ghostbusters (1984). In one of his most famous roles, he played the superintelligent doctor Egon Spengler Murray and Aykroyd played two other scientists with whom Spengler creates a company to remove ghosts from houses. In addition, Ramis worked with Aykroyd on the script of the film. In 1989, the continuation of the picture was shot.
Comedy career
Harold Ramis continued to write comedic scripts himself or with other authors, including:
- Back to School (1986) starring Rodney Dangerfield;
- "Paradise Club" (1986) with Robin Williams in the title role;
- “Armed and Dangerous” (1986), where John Candy and Eugene Levy played.
In addition to the film “Back to School,” which had some commercial success, the rest of the tapes were actually a disappointment in terms of box office cathedrals.
Growing up as a writer and director, Ramis created the more sophisticated comedy Groundhog Day, released in 1993. Bill Murray starred in the film as a reporter sent to Panksatoni, PA, to cover a city holiday. The main character is forced to survive this day again and again with the producer (performed by Andy MacDowell) and the cameraman (Chris Elliott). Although the film is very funny, it also presents an intriguing dramatic transformation of the character of Murray.
As a director, Harold Ramis in the late 1990s was engaged in a large number of comedies with varying degrees of success. Both “Stuart Saves His Family” (1995) and “The Many” (1996) were commercial failures, but he continued to work and co-wrote the script for “Analyze It” (1999), a comedy about a gangster (Robert De Niro) and his Psychiatrist (Billy Crystal). He later directed and co-wrote the script for the 2002 film Continue to Analyze.
Late Years and Heritage
In subsequent years, Harold Ramis continued to work, write and develop various projects. In 2007, he appeared as the father of the character Seth Rogen in the comedy film “Slightly Pregnant” and played a small role in the musical biographical film “Ups and Downs: The Dewey Cox Story” starring John C. Reilly. He then directed and co-authored the comedy Year One (2009) with Jack Black and Michael Cera. He also played a small role in the film.
He was married twice: first to Anna Plotkin (they have a daughter, Violet), then to Eric Mann, with whom they have two sons, Julian and Daniel.