---
name: "Rick Moranis"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/rick-moranis"
fi1m_id: "rick-moranis"
imdb_id: "nm0001548"
tmdb_id: 8872
wikidata_id: "Q336282"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "18 April 1953"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 6
average_fi1m_score: 71
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 6
updated: "2026-10-18T04:23:09.034760+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Rick Moranis

## Identity

Rick Moranis

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/rick-moranis
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** rick-moranis
- **IMDb ID:** nm0001548
- **TMDB ID:** 8872
- **Wikidata ID:** Q336282
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Moranis, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q336282, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001548/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8872

Actor. Born 18 April 1953 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 18 April 1953, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- **Active:** 1984–2003
- **Also known as:** 릭 모라니스, ریک مورانیس, Frederick Allan Moranis 
- **Frequently works with:** [Bill Murray](https://film.one/person/bill-murray.md), [Dan Aykroyd](https://film.one/person/dan-aykroyd.md), [Harold Ramis](https://film.one/person/harold-ramis.md), [Ivan Reitman](https://film.one/person/ivan-reitman.md), [Sigourney Weaver](https://film.one/person/sigourney-weaver.md), [Steve Martin](https://film.one/person/steve-martin.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 71, as actor, over 6 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 74 (5), 2000s 56 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 71 to 66 across 6 titles
- **Score spread:** 1 at 80+, 4 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 2 of 6 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Comedy 5, Adventure 2, Family 2, Fantasy 2, Animation 1, Drama 1
- **Screen time:** 10 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,165m across 6 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Moranis, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q336282, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001548/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8872

## Coming up

- *Spaceballs: The New One* (2027-04-22), as Dark Helmet

## Streaming the US now

- **Netflix:** [*Ghostbusters*](https://film.one/film/ghostbusters.md) (80), [*Parenthood*](https://film.one/film/parenthood.md) (78)
- **Disney+:** [*Honey, I Shrunk the Kids*](https://film.one/film/honey-i-shrunk-the-kids.md) (76), [*Brother Bear*](https://film.one/film/brother-bear.md) (56)
- **Tubi:** [*Ghostbusters II*](https://film.one/film/ghostbusters-ii.md) (60)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Rick Moranis

> Rick Moranis plays small men who are sure they are about to be noticed, and he makes them funnier than the script has any right to expect. In *Ghostbusters* (1984) that covers for a thin plot; elsewhere it is often the best reason to stay.

Louis Tully throws a party in *Ghostbusters* (1984) and does all the talking. Rick Moranis improvised his way through the scene, and you can hear it: the sentences carry on past the point where a writer would have cut them, because Louis has no idea that nobody is listening. We laughed harder at that party than at anything the ghosts got up to, and the reason is that Moranis never lets Louis suspect he is the joke. He is having the evening of his life.

That is the man he kept being asked to play. He came to films from SCTV, where he and Dave Thomas made Bob and Doug McKenzie, and he took the pair into *Strange Brew* (1983), which he co-wrote, co-directed and starred in. Hollywood then found him a run of accountants, inventors and sidekicks: Seymour in *Little Shop of Horrors* (1986), where he sang and carried the film; Wayne Szalinski in *Honey, I Shrunk the Kids* (1989); Nathan Huffner in the ensemble of *Parenthood* (1989). The odd one out is Dark Helmet in Mel Brooks's *Spaceballs* (1987), a villain, and the one time the menace was his to play. He improvised there too, in the scene with the action figures.

What he does well is the small part. Ivan Reitman used him twice, and both times Moranis made more of Louis than the script supplied. In *Ghostbusters* the plotting is thin and the people around the central trio are there because the next scene needs them; whenever Louis is on, that stops mattering, though a supporting performance cannot do all the writing. *Ghostbusters II* (1989) is the first film run again with the volume down, and Louis's speech in court defending the team is the best written thing in it. He and Harris Yulin's judge are the only two performers who have understood what kind of film they are in.

The limit is the part itself. He was cast as the nerd so often that critics stopped expecting anything else, and *Parenthood* is a fair example of a good comic turn that goes exactly where you think. He was also choosy, and stepped away from live-action features around 1997; the voice work that followed tends to echo the McKenzie brothers, as in *Brother Bear*, and he turned down more than one invitation back to *Ghostbusters*. 'I took a break, which turned into a longer break,' he said, which is about as much drama as he will allow the subject. He has since filmed a *Spaceballs* sequel, in 2025. After all those accountants, it is Dark Helmet he came back for, and we do not blame him.

## Biography

Rick Moranis is a Canadian actor and comedian. Born Frederick Allan Moranis on 18 April 1953 in Toronto, Ontario, he began his career as a radio disc jockey before moving into television and sketch comedy.

He rose to prominence as a cast member on the Canadian series *Second City Television* (SCTV) in the 1980s. Moranis is known for his roles as Louis Tully in *Ghostbusters* (1984) and *Ghostbusters II* (1989), Wayne Szalinski in the *Honey, I Shrunk the Kids* trilogy (1989–1997), Dark Helmet in *Spaceballs* (1987), and Seymour Krelborn in *Little Shop of Horrors* (1986). He has also provided voice work, including as Rutt in *Brother Bear* (2003).

Moranis married make-up designer Ann Belsky in 1986; she died in 1991. He took an extended break from live-action film roles from the late 1990s to focus on raising their two children.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, snopes.com, ghostbusters.fandom.com, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (6)

- *Brother Bear* (2003), Fi1m 56, as Rutt (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/brother-bear.md)
- *Ghostbusters II* (1989), Fi1m 60, as Louis Tully — [page](https://film.one/film/ghostbusters-ii.md)
- *Honey, I Shrunk the Kids* (1989), Fi1m 76, as Wayne Szalinski — [page](https://film.one/film/honey-i-shrunk-the-kids.md)
- *Parenthood* (1989), Fi1m 78, as Nathan Huffner — [page](https://film.one/film/parenthood.md)
- *Little Shop of Horrors* (1986), Fi1m 76, as Seymour Krelborn — [page](https://film.one/film/little-shop-of-horrors.md)
- *Ghostbusters* (1984), Fi1m 80, as Louis Tully — [page](https://film.one/film/ghostbusters.md)

## Complete filmography (48)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Spaceballs: The New One* (2027), as Dark Helmet
- *The Movies That Made Us* (2019), series, as Louis Tully (archive footage)
- *Howard* (2018), as Seymour Krelborn (archive footage)
- *The Goldbergs* (2013), series, as Dark Helmet (voice)
- *Bob & Doug* (2009), series, as Bob McKenzie
- *Bob & Doug McKenzie's Two-Four Anniversary* (2007), as Bob McKenzie
- *Brother Bear 2* (2006), as Rutt (voice)
- *Christmas with SCTV* (2006), Actor
- *Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends* (2004), series, as Holley Spider
- *Sing Along Songs: Brother Bear - On My Way* (2003), as Rutt (voice)
- *Brother Bear* (2003), as Rutt (voice) — Fi1m 56, [page](https://film.one/film/brother-bear.md)
- *Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Kids* (2003), as Holley (voice)
- *Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & the Island of Misfit Toys* (2001), as Toy Taker / Mr. Cuddles the Teddy Bear (voice)
- *Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves* (1997), as Wayne Szalinski
- *Big Bully* (1996), as David Leary
- *Little Giants* (1994), as Danny O'Shea
- *The Flintstones* (1994), as Barney Rubble
- *Splitting Heirs* (1993), as Henry Bullock
- *Honey, I Blew Up the Kid* (1992), as Wayne Szalinski
- *Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories* (1992), series, as Narrator (voice)
- *L.A. Story* (1991), as Gravedigger (uncredited)
- *Gravedale High* (1990), series, as Max Schneider (voice)
- *My Blue Heaven* (1990), as Barney Coopersmith
- *The Earth Day Special* (1990), as Vic's Buddy
- *Stay Tooned!* (1990), series, as (voice)
- *Parenthood* (1989), as Nathan Huffner — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/parenthood.md)
- *Honey, I Shrunk the Kids* (1989), as Wayne Szalinski — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/honey-i-shrunk-the-kids.md)
- *Ghostbusters II* (1989), as Louis Tully — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/ghostbusters-ii.md)
- *The Rocket Boy* (1989), as Automatic Safety System
- *The Best of SCTV* (1988), Writer
- *Going Live!* (1987), series, Actor
- *Spaceballs* (1987), as Dark Helmet
- *Little Shop of Horrors* (1986), as Seymour Krelborn — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/little-shop-of-horrors.md)
- *Club Paradise* (1986), as Barry Nye
- *Head Office* (1985), as Howard Gross
- *Brewster's Millions* (1985), as Morty King
- *The Last Polka* (1985), as Linsk Minyk
- *Hockey Night* (1984), as Coach
- *On the Scene with the Ghostbusters* (1984), Actor
- *The Wild Life* (1984), as Harry
- *Ghostbusters* (1984), as Louis Tully — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/ghostbusters.md)
- *Streets of Fire* (1984), as Billy Fish
- *Strange Brew* (1983), as Bob McKenzie · Writer, Director
- *Twilight Theatre* (1982), Actor
- *SCTV Network 90* (1981), series, as Various · Writer
- *1980* (1979), as Various Roles
- *Custard Pie* (1977), series, as Disc Jockey
- *Sesame Street* (1969), series, as Minnesota Shorts

## Gallery

- ![This file is a derivate work of the above named images to illustrate the cast of the 1989 supernatural comedy film Ghostbusters II.](https://film.one/media/person/118081/gallery-7def5d5f3c72.png) This file is a derivate work of the above named images to illustrate the cast of the 1989 supernatural comedy film Ghostbusters II. — File:Rick Moranis at the 62nd Academy Awards.jpg by Alan Light :File:Bill Murray Cannes 2019.jpg by Georges Biard :File:Dan Aykroyd cropped.jpg by Rnunezart :File:Sigourney Weaver by Gage Skidmore.jpg by Gage Skidmore :File:HaroldRamisOct2009.jpg by Justin Hoch :File:10.17.09ErnieHudsonByLuigiNovi.jpg by Nightscream, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Ghostbusters_1989_Cast.png?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Rick Moranis & Daphne Zuniga at San Diego Comic Con 2026](https://film.one/media/person/118081/gallery-1d5f9f927c3f.jpg) Rick Moranis & Daphne Zuniga at San Diego Comic Con 2026 — Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/Rick_Moranis_%26_Daphne_Zuniga_at_San_Diego_Comic_Con_2026.jpg/1280px-Rick_Moranis_%26_Daphne_Zuniga_at_San_Diego_Comic_Con_2026.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![1990 Academy Awards NOTE: Permission granted to copy, publish, broadcast or post any of my photos, but please credit "photo by Alan Light" if you can. Thanks. S](https://film.one/media/person/118081/gallery-93acdce443ac.jpg) 1990 Academy Awards NOTE: Permission granted to copy, publish, broadcast or post any of my photos, but please credit "photo by Alan Light" if you can. Thanks. S — Alan Light, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/46/Rick_Moranis_%282106603470%29.jpg/1280px-Rick_Moranis_%282106603470%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Rick Moranis at San Diego Comic Con 2026](https://film.one/media/person/118081/gallery-5f58769496d5.jpg) Rick Moranis at San Diego Comic Con 2026 — Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Rick_Moranis_at_San_Diego_Comic_Con_2026-1.jpg/1280px-Rick_Moranis_at_San_Diego_Comic_Con_2026-1.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Rick Moranis](https://film.one/media/person/118081/gallery-8c32449dfa48.jpg) Rick Moranis — Image via TMDB
- ![Rick Moranis](https://film.one/media/person/118081/gallery-80ece0d2bb0d.jpg) Rick Moranis — Image via TMDB
- ![Rick Moranis](https://film.one/media/person/118081/gallery-ed45986088c9.jpg) Rick Moranis — Image via TMDB
- ![Rick Moranis](https://film.one/media/person/118081/gallery-5b012e0f7925.jpg) Rick Moranis — Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b4/Rick_Moranis_at_San_Diego_Comic_Con_2026-2.jpg/1280px-Rick_Moranis_at_San_Diego_Comic_Con_2026-2.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Other awards — 1 won

- Earle Grey Award 1995: Earle Grey Award (won)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/rick-moranis