Photo: Justin Hoch photographing for Hudson Union Society / CC BY 2.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Harold Ramis is, to me, the rare comedy mind who succeeded at every link in the chain: performing, writing, and directing. Plenty of people remember Egon Spengler's deadpan in Ghostbusters, but I think his real genius was structural—he built jokes on ideas, and his BAFTA-winning screenplay work proved comedy could carry real philosophy without losing its laughs. What moves me is how generous his humor feels; it never punches down, it invites you in. When he died in 2014, the outpouring from filmmakers and fans confirmed what I had long suspected: modern American comedy quietly runs on blueprints he drafted in Chicago.
Overview
Harold Allen Ramis ( RAY-miss; November 21, 1944 – February 24, 2014) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His film acting roles include Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), and as Russell Ziskey in Stripes (1981); he also co-wrote those films.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Harold Ramis
- Name (Japanese)
- ハロルド・ライミス
- Reading
- はろるど・らいみす
- Born
- November 21, 1944 – February 24, 2014
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Scorpio / Monkey
- Origin
- Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- comedian / film director / writer / screenwriter / television actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Senn High School
- University
- Washington University in St. Louis
Awards & achievements
- 1994 BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay
- 1995 Earle Grey Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | Ghostbusters | — | |
| Notable work | Ghostbusters II | — |
6. Links
Comedian — see all → · Film director — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.