Rick Moranis Biography

(Actor & Comedian)

Birthday: April 18, 1953 (Aries)

Born In: Toronto, Canada

Frederick Allan ‘Rick’ Moranis, popularly known as Rick Moranis, is a Canadian television and film actor, as well as a Grammy nominated musician. After struggling as a radio disc jockey, he tasted success for the first time in his entertainment career in 1980s with his appearance in one of the lead roles in the Canadian sketch comedy series, ‘Second City Television’. He was one of the ‘McKenzie Brothers’ along with Thomas Dave and their satirical depiction of stereotypical Canadian men made them very famous not only with the audience in Canada but also in America. After this, Moranis started getting more and more opportunities to play lead roles in Hollywood comedy movies and he made best use of the chance he got - he made a name for himself as a comedian by working in movies like, ‘Ghostbusters’, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids’, ‘Flintstones’, ‘Parenthood’, etc. He is also a voice over artist and has given his voice to many memorable ‘Disney’ characters. Moranis pulled out of movies during the late 1990s, owing to the untimely demise of his wife and returned back after a few years, only to work sporadically.

30
Quick Facts

Canadian Celebrities Born In April

Also Known As: Frederick Allan Moranis

Age: 71 Years, 71 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Anne Moranis (m. 1986–1991)

Born Country: Canada

Jewish Actors Actors

Height: 5'6" (168 cm), 5'6" Males

Notable Alumni: Elementary School

Ancestry: Canadian American, Hungarian Canadian

City: Toronto, Canada

More Facts

education: Elementary School

  • 1

    What happened to Rick Moranis?

    Rick Moranis took a hiatus from acting in the late 1990s to focus on raising his children after his wife passed away.
  • 2

    Is Rick Moranis coming out of retirement?

    Yes, Rick Moranis is returning to acting with a new sequel to the movie "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" titled "Shrunk."
  • 3

    What is Rick Moranis known for?

    Rick Moranis is known for his roles in popular movies such as "Ghostbusters," "Spaceballs," and "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids."
  • 4

    Did Rick Moranis retire?

    Yes, Rick Moranis took a break from acting for several years but is now making a comeback to the entertainment industry.
  • 5

    What is Rick Moranis doing now?

    Rick Moranis is currently working on the new movie "Shrunk" and is set to reprise his role as Wayne Szalinski in the film.
Childhood & Early Life
Rick Moranis was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in a middle-class Jewish family. He attended the Sir Sandford Fleming Secondary School. He attended his primary school with ‘Rush’s’ frontman, Geddy Lee.
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Career
Moranis’ entertainment career began as a radio disk jockey with three different Toronto radio stations in the 1970s. His air-name used to be ‘Rick Allan’ at that time.
His made his television debut in 1976; he was a regular CBC-TV’s comedy series called ’90 Minutes Live’ but it was only four years later that he became famous with ‘Second City Television (SCTV)’.
He was convinced into joining the third season of the series by the writer and performer of the series itself, and his friend, Dave Thomas. He started getting fame for his impressions of Woody Allen, David Brinkley, etc.
In 1983, after gaining success as ‘McKenzie’ brothers, with their endearing catchphrases and portrayal of stereotypical Canadian men, Moranis and Thomas came out with a movie named, ‘Strange Brew’.
In the following year, opportunities to act in motion movies overwhelmed Moranis and he acted in ‘The Streets of Fire’ along with Diane Lane and Michael Pare, in which he played a slightly serious role than ‘SCTV’.
He did not enjoy working in a serious movie and therefore returned back to comedy with ‘Ghostbusters’ in the same year, which turned out to be a massive box office hit and earned over $200 million dollars in the U. S. alone.
Over the years, Moranis gave many box office hit comedies like, ‘Little Shop of Horrors (1986)’, ‘Spaceballs (1987)’, ‘Ghostbusters II (1987)’, ‘Honey I shrunk the Kids (1989)’, ‘Parenthood (1989)’, ‘Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (1992)’, etc.
After the establishment of his perfect comic timings and realistic portrayal of the characters, Moranis came out with his last known big role—‘The Flintstones’ in 1994. His enactment of ‘Barney Rubble’ was very well appreciated by the audiences.
In 1996, another of Moranis’ big banner movie ‘Big Bully’ was released. It starred Tom Arnold along with him and was directed by Steve Miner. In spite of its promising story line, the movie failed to gain success at box office.
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In the following year, Moranis decided to end his film career, as after the sad death of his wife he found it really difficult to cope up with the responsibilities of a single dad while working in the movies.
After his big break, he came back in 2001 with ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys’. It was an animation movie by Disney for which he gave his voice.
In 2005, he harnessed his singing ability and released an album titled, ‘The Agoraphobic Cowboy’. It was an album featuring country music styled songs and the lyrics of the songs were written by Moranis himself.
Towards the late 2000s, he did more entertainment work like, ‘Brother Beer 2 (2006)’, 24th anniversary special of Bob and Doug McKenzie—‘Bob and Doug McKenzie's 2-4 Anniversary (2007)’, a comedy album titled ‘My Mother's Brisket & Other Love Songs (2007)’.
Major Works
Moranis gained success with his ‘Second City Television (SCTV)’ in 1980. His portrayal of one of the ‘McKenzie’ brother’s along with Dave Thomas helped him in getting recognized not only in Canada but the States as well.
Awards & Achievements
Moranis won a Primetime Emmy Award (1981) for his role in the series, ‘Second City Television’, American Comedy Award (1990) for ‘Parenthood’ and Earle Grey Award (1995) for Best Cast for ‘Flintstones’.
Personal Life & Legacy
In 1986, Moranis got married to Ann Belsky Moranis but lost her to breast cancer, which had spread to her liver, in 1991. He has two children with his late wife.
Facts About Rick Moranis
Rick Moranis is known for his distinctive voice acting and has lent his voice to popular animated characters like Rutt in "Brother Bear" and Dark Helmet in "Spaceballs."
Despite his success in Hollywood, Rick Moranis took a step back from acting to focus on raising his children after the passing of his wife in the 1990s.
Moranis is a talented musician and released a comedy album in the early 1980s titled "The Great White North" with fellow comedian Dave Thomas.
Rick Moranis is a skilled artist and has contributed illustrations to children's books, showcasing his creativity beyond the screen.
In addition to his acting career, Moranis is passionate about environmental causes and has supported initiatives to promote sustainability and conservation efforts.

Rick Moranis Movies

1. Ghostbusters (1984)

  (Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy)

2. The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew (1983)

  (Comedy)

3. Spaceballs (1987)

  (Adventure, Sci-Fi, Comedy)

4. Streets of Fire (1984)

  (Romance, Drama, Thriller, Music, Crime, Action)

5. Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

  (Comedy, Sci-Fi, Musical, Family, Romance)

6. Honey, I Shrunk the Audience (1994)

  (Short, Comedy, Sci-Fi)

7. Parenthood (1989)

  (Drama, Comedy)

8. L.A. Story (1991)

  (Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance)

9. Brewster's Millions (1985)

  (Comedy)

10. The Wild Life (1984)

  (Drama, Comedy)

Awards

Primetime Emmy Awards
1982 Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program SCTV Network 90 (1981)
Recommended Lists:

See the events in life of Rick Moranis in Chronological Order

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Article Title
- Rick Moranis Biography
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- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
Website
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URL
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