How much was Harold Ramis worth?
| Net Worth: | $50 Million |
|---|---|
| Profession: | Professional Actor |
| Date of Birth: | November 21, 1944 |
| Country: | United States of America |
| Height: | 1.88 m |
About Harold Ramis
An American actor, comedian, director, and writer, Harold Allen Ramis (November 21, 1944 – February 24, 2014) had a $50 million estimated net worth. One of the most prominent and influential figures in contemporary comedy history, Harold Ramis quietly established a successful career. His resume of accomplishments as a sketch performer, writer, and director is essentially unmatched. Almost all of the top comedies from the 1970s to the 1990s featured Ramis in some capacity. His tragic demise at the age of 69 marked the end of a distinguished career and a lovely life.
From Groundhog Day to the pages of National Lampoon, Harold Ramis’ acting prowess was apparent from an early age.
Harold Ramis was raised in Chicago, Illinois, and was born into a Jewish family. He is the son of Ruth and Nathan Ramis, who ran the far North Side of the city’s Ace Food & Liquor Mart.
Playboy
In college, Ramis started producing comedic plays. He also started working with TVTV, which was founded by Michael Shamberg, a friend from college, and contributed freelance articles to the Chicago Daily News. Ramis became the humor editor at Playboy magazine as a result of his newspaper work.
Ramis began attending classes at the renowned Second City in Chicago after graduating from college, where he worked as a freelance reporter and substitute teacher.
After a brief absence from Second City, he returned in 1972 after John Belushi had taken his place in the lead cast.
John Belushi encouraged Ramis to go to New York City in 1974 so that he could work on the National Lampoon Radio Hour.
Breaking Record
Ramis sold his first screenplay in 1978 for National Lampoon’s Animal House, the all-time top-grossing comedy, and it went on to break records.
Ramis worked as a performer and lead writer for SCTV, Canada’s answer to Saturday Night Live, from 1976 to 1979.
Ramis began appearing on stage in The National Lampoon Show with Murray, Belushi, Joe Flaherty, Christopher Guest, and Gilda Radner after working on the National Lampoon Radio Hour with future comic superstars John Belushi and Bill Murray. He began performing on the SCTV sketch comedy series in 1976.
Ramis co-wrote Groundhog Day and National Lampoon’s Animal House in addition to serving as a performer and the initial head writer of the SCTV television series (1978).
The program helped establish the careers of John Candy, Martin Short, Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis, Andrea Martin, Martin Short, and Catherine O’Hara. SCTV was created as a late-night alternative to Saturday Night Live (which included several of Ramis’ Lampoon castmates).
Ramis subsequently had an offer to write for Saturday Night Live, but he decided to stick with SCTV.
His most well-liked recurrent characters on the show were Officer Friendly, dentist Mort Finkel, and station manager Moe Green. Ramis departed the program in 1978 to pursue a career in cinema, but his sketches were still broadcast throughout the 1979 season.
The Best
In 1984, Ramis served as executive producer of the music, comedy, and variety television program The Top. There was a combination of humor, live music, and videos. On the show, Cyndi Lauper was a performer. Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, and Rodney Dangerfield all appeared as special guests.
Even Bill Murray agreed to host, but he was unable to attend due to the late start of the Ghostbusters filming.
Ramis began working in Hollywood full-time after Animal House, his first screenplay to be produced, became a success.
In the films Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), he played Egon Spengler, and in Stripes (1981), he played Russell Ziskey. He also co-wrote both of those movies. His comedies Groundhog Day (1993), National Lampoon’s Vacation (1980), Caddyshack (1980), Analyze This (1999), and Analyze That (1999) are among his works as a director (2002).
Ramis contributed to several of the most popular comedies made throughout the remaining ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, either as a writer, director, or performer. The comedy that defined a generation and launched the acting careers of Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Rodney Dangerfield, and others may be attributed to Harold Ramis.
Groundhog Day
Along with Danny Rubin, Ramis shared the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay for Groundhog Day. His work has been hailed as an influence by numerous actors and filmmakers, including Jay Roach, Jake Kasdan, Adam Sandler, Peter, and Bobby Farrelly.
In 1980, he helmed Caddyshack, his debut film. Later, he wrote and directed a number of the 1980s’ biggest comedies.
In 2004, Ramis was given a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.
He appeared in a number of movies with minor supporting parts, such as Baby Boom, Knocked Up, As Good as it Gets, and Orange County.
He returned to play Dr. Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters: The Video Game in 2009.
Death
Ramis passed away in 2014 from vasculitis-related complications. He left a wife and three kids in his wake.
Later generations of comedians, comedy writers, and actors were impacted by Ramis’s films. In 2014, Harold Ramis passed away, leaving behind a $50 million fortune.
