Harold Ramis

Harold Ramis starred in several well known comedies in the 1970s and '80s. He created several more comedies in his lifetime as well include Knocked Up, Caddyshack, Groundhog Day, and Ghostbusters.

In the Beginning

Harold Ramis was born on November 21, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois. He held a strong admiration for comedians like Steve Allen, the Marx Brothers, Ernie Kovacs, and Sid Caesar. He was a good student and was even selected for the National Merit Scholar while he was still attending high school. He graduated from the Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri in 1967. He earned a degree in English literature. He held a few jobs before and was even a substitute teacher at one point. He finally landed a job as the jokes editor for Playboy magazine. He worked his way to an associate editor position for the publication. Harold left the position to join a comedy troupe in 1969 residing in Second City. It was in Second City Harold Ramis began to show his true calling for his career. He became well known for his quick ad-libs and his rapier intellect. By the time the 1970s had hit, he was already on Second City's television show, SCTV. He worked as a performer and writer for them. He even worked with several other talented comics during the course of the show. Including Eugene Levy and even John Candy.

Career Accomplishments

Harold got his big break as a writer towards the end of the 1970s when he worked with Dough Kenney and Chris Miller. Together, they co-wrote a screenplay for a college comedy called Animal House in 1978 that became a big hit. He co-wrote another comedy that became popular called Meatballs in 1979 which starred Bill Murray. He didn't make his debut as a director though until 1980 when he directed the film Caddyshack.

Most Known For

There are still a few comedies that are still popular even to this day, and in many cases still referenced. Ghostbusters is a widely popular fun film that many people all ages enjoy. Along with Groundhog Day that is still mentioned from time to time over different forms of media.

Where Are They Now

Ramis continued to direct, write, and act on several projects throughout his career. Even in his later years he continued to write. He appeared as the father of Seth Rogen's character in the film Knocked Up in 2007. Even snagging a small role on the musical spoof called Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. One of the last works he ever did was being the co-writer and director for another comedy called Year One in 2009. He even had a small role to play in the film too. Harold Ramis passed away to soon. Yet, over the course of his career he left many wonderful comedies for people to enjoy. Even to this day his film Ghostbusters is still widely enjoyed by people of all ages. Not to mention the other popular comedies he came out with in his later years. If anything, Harold Ramis has proved he is dedicated to his craft. He did what he loved and continued to produce good work not matter what. He left behind an impressive legacy of comedy that many people today still cannot match.