RIP Harold Ramis

Harold Ramis in
Ghostbusters

When the film Ghostbusters was first released in June of 1984 many people asked who is that guy who played the third parapsychologist?

The film was a huge critical and commercial success. It was so popular that it spun off a sequel, cartoon etc. It also despite its fanciful nature had an impact on how people viewed ghosts and ghost hunting.

Harold Ramis who played the third parapsycholologist, Dr. Egon Spengler was not as well known as his two counterparts, Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray--at least not in front of the camera.

Harold Ramis was born in Chicago, Illinois and was a National Merit Scholar in high school. He graduated from Washington University with a degree in English literature.

Early in his career he was a substitute teacher and then a “jokes editor” for Playboy magazine. In 1969 he joined the popular inprov troupe, Second City. He became known for his quick ad libs. He later both wrote for and performed in the Second City television show.

In 1978 he co-wrote the screenplay with two others for National Lampoon’s college comedy Animal House. The next year he co-wrote the script for Meatballs, which like Animal House became a hit.

Next, Ramis co-wrote and directed the popular film Caddyshack in 1980.

In 1983 he directed National Lampoon’s Vacation.

He then teamed up with Dan Akroyd and the two wrote the script for Ghostbusters in 1984. This film like mentioned above resulted in a sequel in 1989.

Ramis continued to write and direct films for the rest of his career. Including Groundhog Day which was released in 1993 and Analyze This in 1999 and its’ sequel Analyze That in 2002.

Sadly, Harold Ramis passed away last month at the age of 69. During the Academy Awards ceremony Bill Murray while presenting an award did a shout out for Ramis.