Ivan Reitman (1946-2022)
It's with great sadness that comedy producer/director Ivan Reitman peacefully died at his home in California on February 12th, 2022. He was 75 years old. Ivan was responsible for helming such decade-defining comedies as "Animal House" and "Ghostbusters". Born on October 27th, 1946, in Kornarno, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia), to a Hungarian Jewish family, Ivan was only four when he and his parents escaped from communists after World War II and emigrated to Canada shortly after. Early in his life, he earned a Bachelor of Music from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, where he has done many short films.
Then, in 1978 came his big break when he produced the college fraternity send-up "National Lampoon's Animal House", which was an instant success. In 1979, he directed Bill Murray in his first starring role in "Meatballs". A long and fruitful partnership between the actor and the filmmaker was born. Ivan would later direct Murray again in the 1981 war comedy "Stripes". But his crowning moment of glory came in 1984 when he made the supernatural comedy "Ghostbusters" with Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis (who also co-wrote the film), Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver and Rick Moranis. The film was a tremendous success. It grossed nearly $300 million worldwide, earned two Oscar nominations and spawned a franchise, including two sequels (one of which he directed), two television shows and a reboot.
Reitman also collaborated with action star Arnold Schwarzenegger in comedies like "Twins" with Danny DeVito, "Kindergarten Cop", and "Junior". Other notable movies of his calibre include "Dave" and "Six Days, Seven Nights". Ivan also produced "Beethoven", "Space Jam", "Old School", "Private Parts", "EuroTrip", and his son's Oscar-nominated feature "Up in the Air". After helming "Six Days, Seven Nights", Reitman slowed down as director with four films "Evolution", "My Super Ex-Girlfriend", "No Strings Attached", and "Draft Day". He continued producing, with "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" as his final movie and handed the directorial reins of the film to his son Jason, who is continuing his father's legacy.
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