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Revision as of 01:54, 12 February 2008

Harold Ramis
SpouseErica Mann
Websitewww.haroldramis.com

Harold Allen Ramis (born November 21, 1944) is an American actor, director, and writer, specializing in comedy. 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. As a writer/director, his films include Caddyshack (1980), Groundhog Day (1993), and Analyze This (1999). 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 Knocked Up (2007) and Walk Hard (2007), and has directed episodes of the US TV series "The Office"

Early life

Ramis was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Ruth (née Cokee) and Nathan Ramis.[1] He had a Jewish upbringing, although he currently does not practice any single religion.[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.

Career

Ramis worked as joke editor for Playboy magazine. He later was associated with the "guerrilla video" commune TVTV, headed by Michael Shamberg. He performed with Chicago's Second City improvisational comedy troupe and 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). 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.

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. 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”.[3] His next film was Meatballs starring Bill Murray, which Ramis wrote. The film was a financial success and it was notable for being the first of six film collaborations between Murray and Ramis.[3] His third film and his directorial debut was Caddyshack, which he wrote with Kenny and Brian Doyle-Murray. The film starred Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Ted Knight, and Bill Murray. 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 film was to star John Belushi and Richard Pryor, but the project was aborted when Belushi died that year.[4] 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. Egon Spengler, a role he reprised for the 1989 sequel (which he also co-wrote with Aykroyd).[5] His later film, Groundhog Day, has been called "Ramis's masterpiece”.[3]

His films were noted for attacking "the smugness of institutional life ... with an impish good [will] that is unmistakably American".[3] They are also noted for "Ramis's signature tongue-in-cheek pep talks”.[3] Sloppiness and improv are also important aspects of his work.[3] Ramis frequently depicts the qualities of "anger, curiosity, laziness, and woolly idealism" in "a hyper-articulate voice".[3] 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. In 2004, he turned down the oppportunity to direct the Bernie Mac-Ashton Kutcher film Guess Who because he considered it to be poorly written.[3] Also in 2004, Ramis began filming the low budget The Ice Harvest, "his first attempt to make a comic film noir”. 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.[3] The film received a mixed reaction. His typical directing fee, as of 2004, is $5 million.[3]

Legacy

Ramis's films have had an important impact on subsequent generations of comedians and comedy writers.[3] Filmmakers Jay Roach, Jake Kasdan, Adam Sandler, and Peter and Bobby Farrelly have cited his films as amongst their favorites.[3]

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.

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. Egon Spengler
1993 Groundhog Day Neurologist
1994 Airheads Chris Moore
Love Affair Sheldon Blumenthal
1997 As Good as It Gets Dr. 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 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
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
Pure Imagination Director

References

  1. ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/53/Harold-Ramis.html
  2. ^ http://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Misc/GroundhogDay.htm
  3. ^ 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. Retrieved on August 28, 2007.
  4. ^ Saito, Stephen.
  5. ^ "20 Movies Not Coming Soon to a Theater Near You", Premiere, 2006.
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