Rick Moranis

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Rick Moranis

Frederick Alan "Rick" Moranis (born April 18, 1953) is a Canadian comedian

Comedian

A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain members of an audience, primarily by making them laughter. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy....
, actor

Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
and musician

Musician

A musician is a person who plays or writes music. Musicians can be classified by their roles in creating or performing music:* An instrumentalist plays a musical instrument....
, known for his work on Second City Television
Second City Television

Second City Television was a Canada television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984....
, as well as his appearances in several Hollywood films including Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters is a 1984 in film comedy film about three eccentric New York City parapsychology-turned-ghost exterminators. The film was released in the United States on June 8, 1984....
, Little Shop of Horrors
Little Shop of Horrors (1986 film)

Little Shop of Horrors is the musical film film adaptation of the off-Broadway Musical theatre Little Shop of Horrors by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a nerdy florist shop worker who raises an obnoxious and vicious plant that feeds on human blood....
, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids is a 1989 comedy film released through The Walt Disney Company. It stars Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, and Marcia Strassman....
, Spaceballs
Spaceballs

Spaceballs is a 1987 science fiction parody film co-written, directed by, and starring Mel Brooks. It was released on June 24, 1987, and earned only modest returns, but has gone on to become a seminal cult film on video....
, Parenthood
Parenthood

Parenthood is a 1989 in film comedy-drama film with an ensemble cast that includes Steve Martin, Dianne Wiest, Mary Steenburgen, Jason Robards, Rick Moranis, Tom Hulce, Martha Plimpton, Keanu Reeves, Harley Jane Kozak, Eileen Ryan, Helen Shaw, Jasen Fisher, Alisan Porter, Zachary LaVoy, Ivyann Schwan, Joaquin Phoenix , and Dennis Dugan....
and My Blue Heaven.

nis was born in Toronto, Ontario, and went to high school at the Sir Sandford Fleming Academy.

ollowed that with his work at SCTV, enjoying particular success portraying "Bob" of Bob and Doug McKenzie

Bob and Doug McKenzie

Bob and Doug McKenzie are a pair of fictional Canada brothers who hosted "The Great White North", a Sketch comedy which was introduced on Second City Television for the show's third season when it moved to CBC Television in 1980 in television....
.

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Encyclopedia

Frederick Alan "Rick" Moranis (born April 18, 1953) is a Canadian comedian

Comedian

Actor

An actor or actress is a person who acting in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio programming in that capacity....
and musician

Musician

Biography

Early life

Moranis was born in Toronto, Ontario, and went to high school at the Sir Sandford Fleming Academy.

SCTV

He followed that with his work at SCTV, enjoying particular success portraying "Bob" of Bob and Doug McKenzie

Bob and Doug McKenzie

Dave Thomas (actor)

David "Dave" Thomas is a Canadian comedian and actor. He was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, but moved to Durham, North Carolina where his father, John E....
.

His other memorable SCTV characterizations include motor-mouthed film producer Larry Siegel, terminally-ill rock star Clay Collins, smooth-voiced video deejay Gerry Todd, cool Leutonian pop star

Pop Star

"Pop Star" is a 2005 single from Japanese singer Ken Hirai. The single went on to top the 2005 Oricon Charts and is known for its remarkable music video, featuring Ken in seven different personas, including a raccoon and his own manager....
Linsk Minyk, kid-brother amateur comic

Comedian

Head cheese

Head cheese or brawn is a cold cut originating from Europe. Head cheese is in fact not a cheese, but meat pieces from the head of a calf or pig , in aspic, with onion, black pepper, allspice, bayleaf, salt and or vinegar....
butcher

Butcher

A butcher is someone who prepares various meats and other related goods for sale. Many butchers sell their goods in specialized stores, although in the Western world today most meat is sold through supermarkets....
Carl Scutz, and morning homily

Homily

A homily is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture. In the Catholic Churches, the Anglican Communion, and in the Eastern Orthodox Church, a homily is usually given during Mass at the end of the Liturgy of the Word....
intellect Rabbi

Rabbi

Rabbi , in Judaism, means a religious ?teacher?, or more literally, ?my great one?, when addressing any master. The word rabbi derives from the Hebrew root word , rav, which in biblical Hebrew means ?great?, used in many senses, including the sense of a ?master? and apprentice, whence someone who is a distinguished ?teacher?....
Karlov.

Feature films

After his SCTV work, Moranis had a busy film career that lasted over a decade. In an August 2004 interview with Sound & Vision

Sound and Vision (magazine)

Sound & Vision is an United States magazine, published by Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., covering home theater, Sound recording and reproduction, video and multimedia consumer products....
magazine, Moranis talked about the kinds of films he enjoyed the most:

Recent activities

, Moranis was on the Advisory Committee for the comedy program

Humber College Comedy: Writing and Performance

The Humber School of Comedy was founded in 1999, at Humber College in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the only post-secondary degree program in comedy in the English-speaking world....
at Humber College

Humber College

Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning is a college in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Humber provides over 350 programs including: bachelor?s degree, diploma, certificate, apprenticeship and postgraduate programs....
, the only such diploma

Diploma

A diploma is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study, or confers an academic degree....
program in the world.

In an October 2005 interview in USA Today
USA Today

'USA TODAY' is a national United States daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Allen Neuharth. The paper has the widest newspaper circulation of any newspaper in the United States , and among English-language broadsheets, it comes second worldwide, behind only the 2.6 million daily paid copies of The Times of...
, Moranis talked about getting away from the movie business:

Moranis reportedly retired because he made so much money from the Honey I Shrunk the Kids movies that he did not need to work anymore.

In 2005, Moranis released an album

Album

An album or record album is a collection of related Sound recording and reproduction or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites....
entitled The Agoraphobic Cowboy, featuring country songs with lyrics

Lyrics

Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song, either by speaking or singing. The word 'lyric' comes from the Greek word ,lyricos, meaning "singing to the lyre"....
which Moranis says follow in the comic tradition

Tradition

The word tradition comes from the Latin traditionem, acc. of traditio which means "handing over, passing on", and is used in a number of ways in the English language:...
of songwriters/singers such as Roger Miller

Roger Miller

Roger Dean Miller was an United States singer, songwriter and musician, best known for his mid-1960s country/pop hits such as King of the Road , Dang Me and England Swings....
and Jim Stafford

Jim Stafford

James Wayne "Jim" Stafford is an United States comedian, musician, and singer-songwriter, prominent in the 1970s. Stafford is self-taught on guitar, fiddle, piano, banjo, organ and harmonica....
. The album was produced by Tony Scherr

Tony Scherr

Tony Scherr is an American jazz and folk rock bassist, guitarist, singer-songwriter and record producer....
, and is distributed through ArtistShare

ArtistShare

ArtistShare is a business model for musicians which allows them to fund their projects outside of the traditional recording industry model. It utilizes a "fan-funding" model to allow the general public to directly finance, watch the creative process of the recording, and in most cases gain access to extra material from an artist....
, as well as Moranis' official Web site. In the Sound & Vision interview done before he decided to release the album, he commented on the origins of some of the songs:

On December 8, 2005, The Agoraphobic Cowboy was announced as a nominee for the 2006 Grammy for Best Comedy Album. (A previous album by Moranis was entitled You, Me, The Music, and Me (1989). On February 3, 2006, Moranis performed Press Pound on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
Late Night with Conan O'Brien

Late Night with Conan O'Brien was an United States late night television talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien that aired 2,725 episodes on NBC from 1993 to 2009....
and discussed the development of his music career.

On June 24, 2008, Moranis declined to come out of retirement to join the other cast members of Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters is a 1984 in film comedy film about three eccentric New York City parapsychology-turned-ghost exterminators. The film was released in the United States on June 8, 1984....
in the production of a new video game based on the films.

Discography

Albums

The Great White North
The Great White North

The Great White North is a Canadian comedy album by Bob and Doug McKenzie released in 1981 by Anthem Records and distributed in the United States by Mercury Records ....
(1981)
You, Me, the Music and Me (1989)
The Agoraphobic Cowboy (2005)

Filmography

SCTV impressions

David Brinkley
David Brinkley

David McClure Brinkley was an American newscaster for NBC News, and later American Broadcasting Company in a career spanning from 1951–1997....
Dick Cavett
Dick Cavett

Richard Alva "Dick" Cavett is an United States former television talk show host known for his conversational style and in-depth discussion of issues....
Merv Griffin
Merv Griffin

Mervyn Edward "Merv" Griffin, Jr. was an United States television host and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer who went on to appear in movies and on Broadway theatre....
Woody Allen
Woody Allen

Woody Allen is an Cinema of the United States film director, writer, actor, comedian, musician and playwright.Allen's distinctive films, which run the gamut from dramas to Screwball comedy film, have made him one of the most respected living American directors....
Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Dreyfuss

'Richard Dreyfuss' is an United States actor, known for starring in a number of films, television and theater roles since the late 1960s. He is probably best known for his roles in Jaws , The Goodbye Girl, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Mr....
Al Waxman
Al Waxman

Albert Samuel Waxman, Order of Canada, Order of Ontario was a Canada actor and film director of over 1000 productions on radio, television, film, and stage....
George Carlin
George Carlin

George Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedy. He was also an actor and author, and he won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
Neil Young
Neil Young

Neil Percival Young Order of Manitoba is a Canada singer-songwriter, musician and film director.Young's work is characterized by deeply personal lyrics, distinctive guitar work, and signature falsetto tenor singing voice....
Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr

Richard Starkey Order of the British Empire , better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an England musician, singer-songwriter and actor, best known as the drummer for The Beatles....

Anson Williams
Anson Williams

Anson Williams is an actor and television director....
Al Pacino
Al Pacino

Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an United States film and theatre actor and Film director, widely considered to be one of the most notable and influential actors of his time....
as Michael Corleone
Michael Corleone

Don Michael Corleone is a fictional character in Mario Puzo's novels, The Godfather and The Sicilian. He is also the main character of the film trilogy that was directed by Francis Ford Coppola, in which he was portrayed by Al Pacino....
Jim Bakker
Jim Bakker

James Orsen Bakker is an United States Televangelism, a former Assemblies of God minister, and a former host of The PTL Club, a popular evangelical Christian television program....
Brent Musburger
Brent Musburger

Brent Woody Musburger is an United States sportscaster for the ESPN on ABC and ESPN television networks....
Elton John
Elton John

Sir Elton Hercules John Order of the British Empire is an England singer-songwriter, composer and pianist.In his four-decade career, John has been one of the dominant forces in rock and popular music, especially during the 1970s....
Henry Moore
Henry Moore

Henry Spencer Moore Order of Merit Companion of Honour Federation of British Artists was an English artist and Sculpture. He is best known for his abstract art monumental bronze sculptures which are located around the world as Public art....
Phil Silvers
Phil Silvers

Phil Silvers was an American entertainer and comedy actor. He is best known for starring in The Phil Silvers Show, a 1950s sitcom set on a United States Army post in which he played Sergeant Bilko....
John Denver
John Denver

John Denver , born Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr., was an United States Country Music/folk music singer-songwriter and folk rock musician. He was one of the most popular acoustic artists of the 1970s in terms of record sales, recording and releasing around 300 songs, of which about half were composed by him....
Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Lightfoot

Gordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr., Order of Canada, Order of Ontario is a Canada singer and songwriter who achieved international success in folk, country, and popular music....
's voice

Films

Year	Title	Role	Other notes
1983 1983 in film EventsFebruary 11 - The Rolling Stones concert film Let's Spend the Night Together* opens in New York...	Strange Brew Strange Brew *The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew* is a 1983 in film film starring the popular Second City Television characters Bob & Doug McKenzie, played by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis, who also served as co-directors....	Bob McKenzie Bob and Doug McKenzie Bob and Doug McKenzie are a pair of fictional Canada brothers who hosted "The Great White North", a Sketch comedy which was introduced on Second City Television for the show's third season when it moved to CBC Television in 1980 in television....
1984 1984 in film Events* The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name.*TriStar Entertainment, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film....	Hockey Night	Coach
	The Wild Life The Wild Life (film) *The Wild Life* is a 1984 comedy-drama film, written by Fast Times at Ridgemont High writer Cameron Crowe, and directed by Art Linson. The film is only available on VHS and Laserdisc in pan and scan with stereo analog tracks....	Harry
	Ghostbusters Ghostbusters *Ghostbusters* is a 1984 in film comedy film about three eccentric New York City parapsychology-turned-ghost exterminators. The film was released in the United States on June 8, 1984....	Louis Tully
	Streets of Fire Streets of Fire *Streets of Fire* is a 1984 in film directed by Walter Hill and co-written by Hill and Larry Gross. It was described in previews, trailers, and posters as "A Rock & Roll Fable." It is an unusual mix of musical film, action film, drama film, and comedy film with elements both of retro-1950s and 1980s....	Billy Fish
1985 1985 in film Events* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton....	Brewster's Millions Brewster's Millions (1985 film) *Brewster's Millions* is a 1985 in film starring Richard Pryor and John Candy based on the 1902 Brewster's Millions by George Barr McCutcheon....	Morty King
1986 1986 in film EventsApril 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda CarlisleActor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver....	Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors (1986 film) *Little Shop of Horrors* is the musical film film adaptation of the off-Broadway Musical theatre Little Shop of Horrors by composer Alan Menken and writer Howard Ashman, about a nerdy florist shop worker who raises an obnoxious and vicious plant that feeds on human blood....	Seymour Krelborn
	Head Office Head Office *Head Office* is a 1985 comedy film. It stars Judge Reinhold, Eddie Albert, Lori-Nan Engler, Jane Seymour , Richard Masur, Michael O'Donoghue, Ron Frazier, Merritt Butrick and was film director and screenwriter by Ken Finkleman....	Howard Gross
	Club Paradise Club Paradise *Club Paradise* is a 1986 in film comedy film directed by Harold Ramis starring Robin Williams, Peter O'Toole, and Jimmy Cliff. The film reunites director/cowriter Ramis with most of his Second City Television co-stars -- SCTV cast members Andrea Martin, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, Joe Flaherty, and Robin Duke play supporting roles in th...	Barry Nye
1987 1987 in film EventsJanuary 31 - The Cure for Insomnia* premieres at The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Illinois, to officially become the world's longest film according to Guinness World Records....	Spaceballs Spaceballs *Spaceballs* is a 1987 science fiction parody film co-written, directed by, and starring Mel Brooks. It was released on June 24, 1987, and earned only modest returns, but has gone on to become a seminal cult film on video....	Lord Dark Helmet
1989 1989 in film Events* "Batman " is released on June 23rd, and went on to become the biggest blockbuster of the year; Grossing over $250 million at the box office....	The Rocket Boy	Automatic Safety System
	Ghostbusters II Ghostbusters II *Ghostbusters II* is the 1989 in film sequel to Ghostbusters produced and directed by Ivan Reitman. The science fiction film comedy film is about the further adventures of a group of parapsychology and their organization which combats paranormal activities ....	Louis Tully
	Parenthood Parenthood *Parenthood* is a 1989 in film comedy-drama film with an ensemble cast that includes Steve Martin, Dianne Wiest, Mary Steenburgen, Jason Robards, Rick Moranis, Tom Hulce, Martha Plimpton, Keanu Reeves, Harley Jane Kozak, Eileen Ryan, Helen Shaw, Jasen Fisher, Alisan Porter, Zachary LaVoy, Ivyann Schwan, Joaquin Phoenix , and Dennis Dugan....	Nathan Huffner
	Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Honey, I Shrunk the Kids *Honey, I Shrunk the Kids* is a 1989 comedy film released through The Walt Disney Company. It stars Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, and Marcia Strassman....	Wayne Szalinski
1990 1990 in film The year 1990 in film involved some significant events....	My Blue Heaven	Barney Coopersmith
1991 1991 in film The year 1991 in film involved some significant events....	L.A. Story L.A. Story *L.A. Story* is a 1991 in film Cinema of the United States romantic comedy film film director by Mick Jackson and screenwriter by Steve Martin, who also stars in the film....	Gravedigger	uncredited
1992 1992 in film The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. ...	Honey, I Blew Up the Kid Honey, I Blew Up the Kid *Honey, I Blew Up the Kid* is the 1992 sequel to the 1989 film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Directed by Randal Kleiser and released by Walt Disney Pictures, the film stars Rick Moranis who reprises his role as Honey, I Shrunk the Kids Characters#Wayne Szalinski....	Wayne Szalinski
1993 1993 in film The year 1993 in film involved many significant films. ...	Splitting Heirs Splitting Heirs *Splitting Heirs* is a 1993 in film United Kingdom film starring Eric Idle, Rick Moranis, Barbara Hershey, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Cleese and Sadie Frost....	Henry Bullock
1994 1994 in film The year 1994 in film involved some significant events....	Little Giants Little Giants *Little Giants* is a 1994 in film family film comedy film, starring Rick Moranis and Ed O'Neill as brothers in a small Ohio town, coaching rival Pee-Wee Football teams....	Danny O'Shea
	The Flintstones The Flintstones (film) *The Flintstones* is a 1994 in film live action film directed by Brian Levant, and based on the prime time Hanna-Barbera animated television sitcom The Flintstones....	Barney Rubble Barney Rubble Bernard "Barney" Rubble, a fictional character in the popular television animated series The Flintstones, is the diminutive blonde-haired caveman husband of Betty Rubble and adoptive father of Bamm-Bamm Rubble....
	Honey, I Shrunk the Audience Honey, I Shrunk the Audience *Honey, I Shrunk The Audience* is a 3-D film at several Disney Parks and Resorts themed to the Honey, I Shrunk the Kids film series. It first opened at Epcot's Imagination Pavilion in 1994, Disneyland in 1998, and Disneyland Paris in 1999....	Wayne Szalinski
1996 1996 in film The year '1996 in film' involved some significant events. Major releases this year included Fargo , Trainspotting , The English Patient , Independence Day , Twister , Scream, Jerry Maguire and Madonna 's Evita ....	Big Bully Big Bully (film) *Big Bully* is a 1996 in film comedy film starring Rick Moranis and Tom Arnold. The film was directed by Steve Miner....	David Leary
1997 1997 in film The year 1997 in film involved some significant events....	Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves *Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves* is a 1997 direct-to-video sequel to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid. This film marked the directorial debut of Dean Cundey....	Wayne Szalinski
2001 2001 in film The year 2001 in film involved some significant events. ...	Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys *Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys* is a low-budget computer-generated imagery feature film directed by Bill Kowalchuk....	The Toy Taker / Mr. Cuddles the Teddy Bear	voice
2003 2003 in film The year '2003 in film' involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like 2 Fast 2 Furious, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King , Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Freddy vs Jason, X2: X-Men Uni...	Brother Bear Brother Bear *Brother Bear* is a 2003 in film traditional animation feature produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures on November 1, 2003, the 44th Animation in the List of Disney theatrical animated features....	Rutt	voice
2006 2006 in film The year '2006 in film' involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with Saw III, Superman Returns, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Ice Age: The Meltdown, Casino Royale , Clerks II, X-Men: The Last Stand, Mission: Impossible III, Final Destination 3 and Scary Movie 4....	Brother Bear 2 Brother Bear 2 *Brother Bear 2* is a direct-to-video sequel to the animated feature Brother Bear and was released on DVD on August 29, 2006.Melissa Etheridge contributed three songs to the film....	Rutt	voice

External links

at the Notable Names Database
, a December 2005 story from Weekend Edition
Weekend Edition

Weekend Edition is the name given to a set of American radio news magazines produced and distributed by National Public Radio . It is the weekend counterpart to Morning Edition....
, with a from June 1973
from the Country Music Television
Country Music Television

Country Music Television, or CMT as it is usually called, is an United States country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, Films, biography of country music stars, and reality television....
website
, an August 2004 interview with Sound & Vision
Sound and Vision (magazine)

Sound & Vision is an United States magazine, published by Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S., covering home theater, Sound recording and reproduction, video and multimedia consumer products....
magazine
from the USA Today
USA Today

'USA TODAY' is a national United States daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Allen Neuharth. The paper has the widest newspaper circulation of any newspaper in the United States , and among English-language broadsheets, it comes second worldwide, behind only the 2.6 million daily paid copies of The Times of...
website
from the NY Times website
with Chris Comer & Rob Ervin April 18, 2006
Proton Charging May 27, 2006
from The Film Fiend