Harold Ramis

Harold Allen Ramis was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker recognised for his roles in movies such as Ghostbusters, Stripes and Year One. The film acting roles include Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), and Russell Ziskey in Stripes (1981); he also co-wrote these films. As a director, his remarkable films include the popular comedies Caddyshack, National Lampoon's Vacation, Groundhog Day, Analyze This and Analyze That. Ramis was the original head writer of the television series SCTV, and was also a co-writer for Groundhog Day and National Lampoon's Animal House. Ramis had a profound influence on subsequent generations of comedians, comedy writers and actors. Filmmakers and actors such as Jay Roach, Jake Kasdan, Adam Sandler, Judd Apatow and Peter and Bobby Farrelly have listed his films as their favorites. Ramis was born on November 21, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois. He started his successful journey as a parodic writer in college and continued with improvisational comedy with Chicago's Second City comedy troupe. His writing contribution to Playboy magazine led to him becoming an associate editor. Ramis began his journey with combining television and comedy with the Canadian sketch-comedy television series SCTV, for which he became a head writer and performer. His work also spanned music and variety television shows. Ramis's films were noted for attacking institutional smugness with an impish good will and are known for their tongue-in-cheek pep talks.