So Long, Egon! Harold Ramis Dies at 69

We know him best as Egon from Ghostbusters, but Harold Ramis’ films where he wrote and/or directed are considered some of the funniest of all time. Caddyshack, Vacation, Animal House, Stripes, Meatballs, and Analyze This are all Ramis. At the height of his fame, he moved his family from Los Angeles back to the Chicago area in 1996. He wanted to return to the Second City where he started it all at the comedy club of the same name—and Chicagoland loved him for it. Sadly, he passed there last night due to complications of a nagging illness at the age of 69.

Learning His Place

Ramis reflected on his rise to stardom in a 1999 Chicago Tribune interview, “The moment I knew I wouldn’t be any huge comedy star was when I got on stage with John Belushi for the first time. When I saw how far he was willing to go to get a laugh or to make a point on stage, the language he would use, how physical he was, throwing himself literally off the stage, taking big falls, strangling other actors, I thought: ‘I’m never going to be this big. How could I ever get enough attention on a stage with guys like this?’ I stopped being the zany. I let John be the zany. I learned that my thing was lobbing in great lines here and there, which would score big and keep me there on the stage.”

A Lasting Legacy

Perhaps his greatest legacy, however, isn’t Second City or the bevy of classic comedies attributed to his namesake so much as the litany of comedies which followed by young directors inspired by Ramis and his brand of relevant humor. Directors Ivan Reitman, Judd Apatow, Adam Sandler, Jay Roach, Peter Farelly and Jake Kasdan all credit Ramis as their greatest inspiration. Consequently, such films as The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Meet the Parents, Austin Powers, There’s Something About Mary, Dumb and Dumber and Happy Gilmore were made due to his own comedic achievements and, in some cases, his direct involvement as a writer or actor.

So, break out the Netflix and On-Demand and binge watch all the titles we’ve mentioned above. Just be sure not to cross the streams. For the ladies, our favorite lesser-known Harold Ramis performance is his dramatic turn as Applebee in the nostalgic tearjerker, Stealing Home, with Mark Harmon.