Rick Moranis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rick Moranis
Moranis and his wife Ann in 1990
Born	Frederick Allan Moranis (1953-04-18) April 18, 1953 (age 72) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Occupation	Actor comedian musician producer songwriter writer
Years active	1976–present
Spouse(s)	Ann Belsky ​ ​ (m. 1986; died 1991)​
Children	2

Rick Moranis (born April 18, 1953) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and musician. He became famous in the 1980s for his roles in many popular movies.

You might know him from films like Ghostbusters (where he played Louis Tully), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (as the inventor Wayne Szalinski), and Spaceballs (as Dark Helmet). He also appeared in the TV comedy show Second City Television (SCTV).

In 1997, Rick Moranis decided to take a long break from acting. He wanted to spend more time raising his two children after his wife passed away. He has mostly done voice-over work since then, like in the Disney movie Brother Bear. In 2020, he announced he would return to live-action movies for a new Honey, I Shrunk the Kids sequel called Shrunk.

Early life and beginnings

Rick Moranis was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on April 18, 1953. He grew up in a Jewish family. Interestingly, he went to elementary school with Geddy Lee, who later became the lead singer of the famous rock band Rush.

Rick started his career in the mid-1970s as a radio disc jockey in Toronto. He used the name "Rick Allan" on the radio.

He also performed comedy with his partner Rob Cowan on CBC-TV. They were known for a funny spoof of a show called Hockey Night in Canada.

Comedy on SCTV

In 1980, Rick Moranis joined the cast of Second City Television (SCTV). This was a very popular Canadian sketch comedy show. He was the only cast member who hadn't come from a Second City stage group.

Rick became well-known for his great impressions of famous people. These included pop culture figures like Woody Allen and Merv Griffin.

When SCTV started airing in the United States, Rick and his friend Dave Thomas created two funny Canadian characters. They were called Bob and Doug McKenzie. These characters became very popular. They even led to a best-selling album called Great White North. This success also led to Rick's first major movie role in Strange Brew in 1983.

Another one of Rick's memorable characters on SCTV was Gerry Todd. Gerry was a disc jockey who showed music videos on TV. This sketch was created before MTV even existed in the United States! Many people say Rick Moranis helped invent the idea of a "video jockey."

Big screen roles

The handprints of Rick Moranis in front of the Chinese Theatre at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World

After his time on SCTV and his first movies, Rick Moranis had a very busy career in Hollywood films. This lasted for more than ten years.

Some of his most famous movies include:

• Ghostbusters (1984) and its sequel Ghostbusters II (1989), where he played the nerdy accountant Louis Tully.
• Little Shop of Horrors (1986), a musical where he played Seymour Krelborn.
• Spaceballs (1987), a funny space parody where he played Dark Helmet.
• Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), where he played the inventor Wayne Szalinski. He also appeared in the sequels Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992) and Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves (1997).
• Parenthood (1989).
• My Blue Heaven (1990).
• Playing Barney Rubble in The Flintstones (1994).

Rick was also supposed to be in the 1985 film The Breakfast Club. However, his idea for the character didn't fit the serious tone of the movie. So, he left the project. He was also cast in the 1991 film City Slickers but had to drop out because his wife was ill.

His last live-action film roles for a while were Little Giants (1994) and Big Bully (1996). He also did voice work for the animated film Brother Bear in 2003 and its sequel in 2006.

Rick once said that he preferred movies where he could help create his own lines and jokes. He felt he was more of a comedian who liked to make things funnier, rather than just an actor saying lines written by others.

Taking a break from acting

In 1997, Rick Moranis decided to take a break from working in the film industry. He later explained that he was a single parent at the time. It was too hard to raise his kids and travel for making movies. So, he took a break, and it turned into a longer one. He found that he didn't really miss acting in films.

He has said that he didn't actually retire from acting. He just became very careful about which roles he would take. He turned down a small part in the 2016 Ghostbusters movie because it didn't interest him.

Recent work

In 2001, Rick Moranis did voice work for the animated film Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys.

In 2005, Rick released a comedy album called The Agoraphobic Cowboy. It featured country songs with funny lyrics. This album was even nominated for a Grammy Award in 2006 for Best Comedy Album. In 2013, he released another comedy album called My Mother's Brisket & Other Love Songs.

In 2007, Rick reunited with his friend Dave Thomas for a special about their Bob and Doug McKenzie characters. Dave Thomas later created an animated Bob and Doug McKenzie TV series. Rick didn't voice Bob in the series, but he helped produce it.

In 2018, Rick Moranis returned to voice his character Dark Helmet from Spaceballs in an episode of The Goldbergs. He also appeared in a documentary about Second City TV called An Afternoon with SCTV.

In 2020, Rick signed on to play Wayne Szalinski again in Shrunk. This new movie is a sequel in the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids series. This will be his return to live-action films after more than two decades. He also appeared in a commercial with actor Ryan Reynolds in 2020.

Personal life

Rick Moranis married make-up designer Ann Belsky in 1986. They had two children together, a son and a daughter. Sadly, Ann passed away from cancer in February 1991. After this, Rick decided to step away from public life to focus on being a full-time single father to his children.

In October 2020, Rick Moranis was attacked in New York City. He had minor injuries. The person who attacked him was later arrested.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Discography

Albums

• 1989: You, Me, the Music and Me
• 2005: The Agoraphobic Cowboy
• 2013: My Mother's Brisket & Other Love Songs

Bob and Doug McKenzie

• 1981: The Great White North
• 1983: Strange Brew soundtrack

Other soundtrack appearances

Audio/video

• 1973: "Rock Radio Scrapbook" (as Rick Allan)

Awards and nominations

See also

In Spanish: Rick Moranis para niños