Rick Moranis was one of the biggest movie stars of the 1980s and early ’90s. Instantly recognizable from his roles in a string of blockbusters, he suddenly disappeared from the big screen in 1996. After nearly a decade, Moranis turned up again in a series of smaller projects, but as of 2022, it has now been more than 26 years since he last appeared in a theatrical film. Here is the story of why Rick Moranis gave up acting for so long.
Early Life
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Frederick Allan Moranis was born on April 18, 1953, to a Jewish family in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Before even graduating from high school, he began working at a radio station, eventually becoming a DJ. After several comedy projects with the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), Moranis became part of the cast of Second City Television for their third season, joining his friend Dave Thomas, as well as future stars Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, and John Candy. Moranis and Thomas created characters Bob and Doug McKenzie just in time for SCTV to be syndicated to the United States. The Great White North became a regular segment, spawned a Grammy-nominated album, and was the basis for the 1983 movie Strange Brew, Moranis’ first film role.
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Movie Fame
Moranis was offered the pivotal supporting role of accountant Louis Tully in 1984’s Ghostbusters, skyrocketing him to even greater international fame. Then he proved he could sing as Seymour Krelborn in the 1986 film adaptation of the musical Little Shop of Horrors. Choosing projects that offered him more control, he became known for improvising what became some of his best scenes. Moranis was on a roll, even finding love off-screen, marrying costume designer, and painter Ann Belsky.
The following year, Mel Brooks tapped Moranis to play the villain Dark Helmet in the sci-fi spoof Spaceballs. Not particularly well-reviewed at the time, it has since become a comedy classic. The year 1989 was arguably the biggest for Moranis. He starred in 3 of the top 10 grossing movies that year: Ghostbusters II, Parenthood, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Not only that, he also released his first solo album, You, Me, the Music and Me. Moranis even hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live! In 1990, he appeared in My Blue Heaven opposite Steve Martin, and lent his voice to the animated television series Gravedale High. Moranis was a star.
Loss and Retreat
Universal Pictures
On February 4, 1991, one day shy of her 35th birthday, Ann Belsky Moranis died of cancer. The inscription on her headstone reads “Brought joy to life and special love to her husband and children.” It was a devastating loss for Rick and left him a single parent to their two young children. Though he later claimed it wasn’t a conscious decision, Moranis began a slow retreat from Hollywood.
He did reprise his role as inventor Wayne Szalinski in the sequel Honey, I Blew Up the Kid (and later the direct-to-video Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves). He also appeared in his most commercially successful movie, 1994’s live-action adaptation of The Flintstones, as Barney Rubble. The film grossed more than 300 million dollars worldwide. After playing football coach Danny O’Shea in 1994’s Little Giants, Moranis made his final film appearance in Big Bully with Tom Arnold in 1996. It proved to be the worst reviewed movie of his career, and currently has a 0% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. With that, Rick Moranis left Hollywood to concentrate on the important work of being a dad.
A Quiet Life
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Moranis never actually retired. He returned to New York City and lived a quiet life out of the spotlight, raising his son and daughter. Despite receiving movie offers, he only took jobs that allowed him to stay close to his family, mainly writing and voiceover work. Between 1994 and 1999, a series of Honey, I Shrunk the Audience attractions opened in four Disney theme parks around the world, featuring Moranis. They were popular and continued to operate until 2010. He also worked with Disney on Brother Bear and its sequel, voicing the moose Rutt in an on-screen reunion with Dave Thomas (who voiced another moose, Tuke). Clearly focused on family-friendly material, Moranis did voice work on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & the Island of Misfit Toys, as well as appearing on Sesame Street and Muppets Tonight.
Re-emergence
Mint Mobile
It wasn’t until his two children were college-aged that Rick Moranis finally re-emerged into the public eye, and even then, it was in an unexpected way. Inspired by the music his children were listening to, Moranis wrote a series of country songs. Not exactly parodies, the songs were humorous and witty, sung earnestly by Moranis himself and backed by other talented musicians. Released in 2005, The Agoraphobic Cowboy was nominated for the Grammy for Best Comedy Album. Moranis even went on Late Night with Conan O’Brien to perform a song and discuss the music. He followed it up with My Mother’s Brisket & Other Love Songs in 2013. Moranis also reunited again with Dave Thomas for the 24th anniversary of Bob and Doug McKenzie, and helped create and executive produce an animated Bob & Doug series. Still receiving acting offers, Moranis declined roles in the two most recent Ghostbusters movies, seemingly uninterested in cameos.
Legacy and Future
Despite, in his words, being “picky” about his appearances, Moranis obviously cares about the characters that he helped create. He reportedly appeared at the 2018 filming of Martin Scorsese’s reunion documentary An Afternoon with SCTV, though it has yet to be released. He reprised his role as Dark Helmet, this time only as a voice, in a 2018 episode of The Goldbergs. And Moranis appeared in a 2020 episode of Disney’s Prop Culture, discussing Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. It is this franchise that appears to have finally lured Moranis back to the big screen. In February 2020, Deadline reported that Moranis had closed a deal to appear in a new sequel with Josh Gad, titled Shrunk, though the COVID-19 pandemic delayed production and filming apparently has yet to begin.
Fans got a surprise peak at Moranis in a commercial for Mint Mobile with owner Ryan Reynolds that began airing in September 2020. Sadly, the latest news about Rick Moranis came just a month later, when he was the victim of a seemingly random assault in Manhattan. Luckily, he suffered only minor injuries and the attacker was arrested and recently sentenced to 2 years in prison. The massive outpouring of public support following the incident undoubtedly proved the strong ongoing interest in the life and career of the beloved star.
