This sucks. Harold Ramis was a seriously talented actor and director. Much of my childhood can be found in his movies. May he rest in peace.
To say this man's work was a comic presence in my life at an early age would be an understatement. Two of my absolute favorite movies as a kid were Stripes and the original Ghostbusters, and I was also a devoted and regular viewer of SCTV after the show wrapped production and went into rerun syndication. Ramis wasn't the biggest nor best cast member on the show but he was brilliant and funny all the same. Rest in peace. You were the biggest Twinkie of them all.
^ In one of the later seasons there was a great "power struggle" at SCTV when Ramis as "Crazy Legs" was trying to fire Guy Caballero... I'm laughing aloud just thinking about it now.
His part in As Good As It Gets was also pretty great. The man could turn a brief role into gold and be little more than himself. He was amusing just sitting or standing.
Ugh, this hurts. I was raised on "Ghostbusters" - I've seen that movie more times than any human should ever see the same film. I still remember getting the VHS for my 4th birthday; it's one of my earliest memories! I really, really hope this is some horrible cruel internet hoax. I know it's not, it's confirmed by too many varied sources, but still... :'(
When The Ice Harvest came out, Ramis did and interview with Terry Gross on Fresh Air. Worth a listen.
Another fine talent gone. I think I first saw his name on articles in the pages of National Lampoon in the early 70s.
Wow, this one hurt. Not only did he play Egon, my favorite character in the Ghostbusters franchise, but he also directed my favorite comedy of all time, National Lampoon's Vacation. R.I.P.
I had no idea that he'd been sick. I wish that Ghostbusters 3 had come together. Thanks for all laughter Mr. Ramis. I'm going to watch Stripes tonight for the 59th time.
I'm saddened beyond the capacity for rational thought. So many of my favorite movies come from him. This one seriously hurts me. I think I'm going to go watch Ghostbusters, now.
I was raised on Ghostbusters and his other movies, he probably contributed more to my sense of humor and love of comedies than I can ever realize. This really sucks.
No, it wasn't a feud in the sense that they were actively warring with one another. They had a number of very public and very nasty blow-ups on the set of Groundhog Day, and when Murray's final day of shooting was complete, he walked up to Ramis and told him, "I have nothing more to say to you." So they never worked together again, and never had anything more than passing "hellos" at wakes, funerals, etc.
I didn't like many of his movies, but I've got to say that Animal House and Groundhog Day were great.