4 min read
Born November 21, 1944 - Died February 24, 2014
Harold Allen Ramis (November 21, 1944 -- February 24, 2014) was an American actor, writer, and director best known to Ghostbusters fans as the co-writer and star of the original two films, in which he played Dr. Egon Spengler. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Ramis built one of the most influential careers in American comedy film over four decades.
Join the community
Free accounts post in the forum, upload to the gallery, edit the wiki, and follow your favorite franchises. No credit card. No catch.
Harold graduated from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, then returned to Chicago where he joined the Second City comedy troupe. He toured with the Second City Road Company from 1976 to 1978 and worked as a writer and performer on the SCTV comedy series. In 1975 he appeared in "The National Lampoon Show," an Ivan Reitman-produced satirical revue that also featured newcomers Bill Murray, John Belushi, Brian Doyle-Murray, and Gilda Radner.
Ramis was one of three writers on National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), a film that broke box office records for comedies at the time. He co-wrote Meatballs (1979) and Stripes (1981), both directed by Ivan Reitman, and his first screen acting role came opposite Bill Murray in Stripes. His directorial debut was the hit Caddyshack (1980), which he also co-wrote. He followed that with National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), starring Chevy Chase, in which his daughter Violet Ramis had a minor role. Groundhog Day (1993), which Ramis wrote and directed, is widely considered his masterpiece.
Ramis co-wrote the Ghostbusters screenplay with Dan Aykroyd and took on the role of Dr. Egon Spengler, the team's leading scientist. Ghostbusters marked his fourth film collaboration with both Bill Murray and Ivan Reitman, and his first time working alongside Dan Aykroyd. The original press kit noted that the film "reunites him with old friends and colleagues."
In developing Egon, Ramis made a deliberate character choice: the script described Egon as a "New Age Mr. Spock," and Ramis decided that Egon would essentially never smile. He returned to the role for Ghostbusters II (1989).
A small but notable connection to Ghostbusters II: the Scoleri Brothers, the electrocuted ghost criminals who terrorize the courtroom, are very loosely based on real-life individuals who once robbed the store owned by Ramis's father, Nate Ramis.
In 2009, Ramis reprised his role as the voice of Dr. Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters: The Video Game. Producer John Melchior flew to Chicago specifically to convince Ramis to participate. Ramis was initially somewhat reluctant, but once he was satisfied the project was not going to be a cheaply made game, Melchior proceeded to secure Dan Aykroyd. Melchior and the team later visited Ramis on the set of The Office (where Ramis was directing an episode) to show him a demo of the game.
Ramis received a writing credit on the game; in practice, he and Aykroyd did rewrites and polishing of the original script by John Zuur Platten and Flint Dille, primarily sharpening the tone and the vernacular of the dialogue. During development, Melchior also called Ramis directly for advice during a debate about the Museum of (Super)Natural History level.
After Ramis passed away in 2014, the Ghostbusters franchise honored him in subsequent productions. A bust of Harold Ramis appears outside Erin Gilbert's office at Columbia University in Ghostbusters (2016). Following production, the bust was given to his wife Erica Ramis, who donated it to the Harold Ramis Film School at The Second City in Chicago, where it now resides in the bar. Ramis's son Daniel Ramis also has a cameo in the 2016 film, appearing as the Metal Head character who gives Rowan North a high five.
In Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), an archival version of Ramis appeared as Egon Spengler's ghost, created from existing footage. He is also credited with an archival appearance in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024).
In 2004, Harold received a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame at 6338 Delmar Street in St. Louis, Missouri. He also accepted small acting parts in films such as Orange County and Knocked Up in his later career.
On February 24, 2014, Ramis passed away from complications of autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, a condition he had battled for four years. He died at his Chicago-area home at the age of 69. He is survived by his wife Erica Mann Ramis, three children, and two grandchildren.
His influence on American comedy writing and directing remains enormous, extending to generations of writers, directors, and actors. In The Real Ghostbusters episode "Take Two," Winston mentions Ramis's last name while reading off the cast of the in-universe movie being made about the Ghostbusters, a fitting acknowledgment of his real-world role in building the franchise.
: (about living in Chicago) "In Los Angeles, Steven Spielberg walks in and you're nothing. Here, there's nobody better than me. There's a few Bulls around, and the Cusacks, but, basically, I'm it!"
