Back in the 1980s, Rick Moranis was one of the most beloved and recognizable faces in comedy.
The beloved actor, 72, began his work in Hollywood in the 1970s, and by the end of the 1980s, he had become known and loved, for starring in classics like both Ghostbusters films, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Little Shop of Horrors, and The Flintstones.
However, life took a turn for the worse when in 1991, five years after marrying costume designer Ann Belsky, with whom he welcomed daughter Rachel and son Mitchell, he lost her to a battle with cancer. Catch up below on his retreat from Hollywood, life since then, and his return to acting.
Leaving Hollywood
Though in the few years after Ann's death, Rick did continue to work a bit, he eventually retreated from acting almost completely to focus on raising his kids, and has lived in an apartment in New York City's Upper West Side ever since. Speaking with USA Today in 2005, he explained: "I pulled out of making movies in about '96 or '97. I'm a single parent, and I just found that it was too difficult to manage raising my kids and doing the traveling involved in making movies. So I took a little bit of a break. And the little bit of a break turned into a longer break, and then I found that I really didn’t miss it."
"In the last few years, I've been offered a number of parts in movies, and I've just turned them down. I don't know whether I'll go back to it or not. I've been doing a lot of writing and a lot of parenting, and now I'm doing this," he added at the time.
Life since then
Rick's last major onscreen role was in the 1990s, and though he continued to do some occasional voice work, he did not work from 2008 to 2018, when he lent his voice for one episode of The Goldbergs, and has not done any other work since then, aside from a 2020 Mint Mobile commercial.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in 2015, he recalled: "I was working with really interesting people, wonderful people," but added: "I went from that to being at home with a couple of little kids, which is a very different lifestyle. But it was important to me."
Rick further maintained: "I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. My life is wonderful."
In October 2020, Rick was back in the news, but for an unfortunate reason, when he was the victim of a random punch to the head while walking in his neighborhood. He was treated at the hospital for pain on his head, back and hip, and reported to incident to the NYPD's 20th precinct; a suspect was arrested one month later.
Coming back
A lot of Rick's work after hits like Ghostbusters and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids have been sequels to them. However is 2013 he told Empire: "I'm not interested in doing anything I've already done, and I thought the second one was a disappointment," referring to possibly reprising his role as Louis Tully in another Ghostbusters, which he has not done.
However, he later appeared to change his mind when he voiced Dark Helmet in an episode of The Goldbergs, and later in 2020, he signed on to do another Honey, I Shrunk the Kids movie.
Though the film was ultimately put on hold because of the pandemic, earlier this year it was confirmed he would be returning as Dark Helmet in a sequel to the 1987 sci-fi parody comedy film Spaceballs, which is currently in production, ending his 30-year absence from the screen.
The film will see Daphne Zuniga, Mel Brooks (who insisted on Rick's return), Bill Pullman and George Wyner reprise their roles, with newcomers Lewis Pullman (Bill's son), Josh Gad, Keke Palmer, and Anthony Carrigan joining.