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111-624: Harold Allen Ramis ( / ˈ r eɪ m ɪ s / ; November 21, 1944 – February 24, 2014) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His film acting roles include Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters (1984) and Ghostbusters II (1989), and as Russell Ziskey in Stripes (1981); he also co-wrote those films. As a director, his films include the comedies Caddyshack (1980), National Lampoon's Vacation (1983), Groundhog Day (1993), Analyze This (1999) and Analyze That (2002). Ramis

222-423: A mentorship role; in one episode where the original Ghostbusters guest starred on an episode the audience clearly sees middle adulthood has affected the speed and weakened the stamina of the original Ghostbusters. Although Egon Spengler does not appear in the 1990 The Earth Day Special , his character and status as a Ghostbuster is mentioned, and Harold Ramis portrays his twin brother, named Elon Spengler, who

333-432: A 7.7% rating and a 14% share. This represented a 28% rating increase and a 27% share increase over KTLA's regularly scheduled Happy Days / Laverne and Shirley . Ramis left SCTV to pursue a film career and wrote a script with National Lampoon magazine's Douglas Kenney , which eventually became National Lampoon's Animal House . They were later joined by a third collaborator, Chris Miller . The 1978 film followed

444-414: A Ghostbuster, the children thinks Egon was a ne'er-do-well. Though unseen by his family as a poltergeist (Class 2 or 3, noncorporeal and telekinetic), Egon's presence guides Phoebe into continuing with his plan to defeat Gozer, and she eventually stages an ambush after forming her own Ghostbusters team. In the process, Egon establishes a familial bond with Phoebe which he was unable to do with Callie when he

555-482: A child, the only toy he ever had was "part of a Slinky ", which he straightened out. As implied in the second movie, Egon apparently is a junk food junkie, due to his affection for sweets and snack crackers. In the second film it is revealed that he and Ray like takeout foods like pizza, Asian, Greek, and Mexican cuisine; in the first film, there is also a scene where Egon dines on Chinese takeout with Peter and Ray, during which he eats egg rolls while he finishes building

666-526: A collaboration with the Lyric Opera of Chicago that had been initiated by soprano and Lyric creative consultant Renée Fleming , with Best Director: Revue going to Billy Bungeroth. Toronto's Second City mainstage troupe has won ten Canadian Comedy Awards : Best Improv Troupe (2001), Best Sketch Troupe (2001, 2006 and 2009), and Best Comedic Play winners Family Circus Maximus (2002), Psychedelicatessen (2003), Facebook of Revelations , Barack to

777-655: A daughter, Violet Ramis Stiel. Actor and Ghostbusters co-star Bill Murray is Violet's godfather. Ramis and Plotkin separated in 1984 and later divorced. Ramis' daughter Mollie Israel (known professionally as Mollie Heckerling) was born in 1985 to him and director Amy Heckerling , while Heckerling was married to actor-director Neal Israel . In 1989, Ramis married Erica Mann, daughter of director Daniel Mann and actress Mary Kathleen Williams. Together they had two sons, Julian Arthur and Daniel Hayes in 1990 and 1994. Although Ramis maintained humanist beliefs, Erica's Buddhist upbringing greatly influenced his philosophies for

888-525: A demon, have his molecular structure destabilized to the point that it stranded him in the Netherworld (requiring him to be rescued by the others), regress into a baby, turn into a were-chicken, and have his intellect switched with Slimer 's. He has however, ceased his sugar junkie ways, only to briefly be tempted by a candy store when in Slimer's body (a likely fact that Slimer was an overt glutton). It

999-538: A dozen advanced degrees including parapsychology and nuclear engineering from New York University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology , respectively, as demonstrated by his stiff interactions with the Ghostbusters' secretary Janine Melnitz , and his reliance on Peter Venkman as a spokesperson for the group. Egon is the most serious and rigid member of the team. Of his hobbies, Egon states that he collects " spores , molds , and fungus ", and claims that, as

1110-434: A family history of witchcraft (three ancestors, Zedekiah, Eli and Ezekiel, were wizards), of which he is not so much ashamed as "strongly" considers irrelevant, mainly because he sees science as relevant. Egon's faith in science was also tested in one episode where the Ghostbusters get abducted to the ghost world by the ghost of Al Capone . Egon's scientific equipment fails until he is told by former capos of Capone (who aid

1221-420: A full-service restaurant and bar. The Second City New York opened to the public on November 16, 2023, marking a significant expansion of the institution into a new geographic region. On June 15, 2023, The Second City announced to teachers through email that it would no longer pursue reopening a Los Angeles location. In recent years, educators at The Second City initiated efforts to unionize in order to create

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1332-495: A fully formed Class 4 Full Torso Apparition (much like the Library Ghost when in human form in the first film) beside Phoebe to help them one last time. He embraces his family and acknowledges his colleagues before fading away to the afterlife. Outside of archived audio clips, Egon has no speaking lines throughout the film and his face was obscured in present-day shots until his return as a ghost. The likeness of Harold Ramis

1443-787: A life-threatening cardiovascular disease . In June 2021, Egon captured one of Gozer's minions, which Gozer needed to successfully manifest on Earth, and used the creature in an attempt to lure Gozer into the trap field. When the ambush failed because the traps' capacitors malfunctioned, Gozer sent the other minion to attack Egon, who suffered a fatal cardiac arrest and died before Gozer could learn its trapped minion's whereabouts. Egon's death results in Callie and her two children, Trevor and Phoebe, moving from Chicago to Summerville to take possession of his house and belongings. Because of knowing that their grandfather left their mother and them never had acquainted with him as well as not knowing his past as

1554-687: A lifetime achievement award from the Chicago Improv Festival. In 2015, the Writers Guild of America posthumously honored him with their lifetime achievement award, the Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement . In 2016, two years after his death, The Second City founded the Harold Ramis Film School, the first film school to focus solely on film comedy, in his honor. The 2016 film Ghostbusters ,

1665-526: A little bit, letting his sense of humor show and even giving Dana a smile and Peter (who was carried away with photographing Vigo's portrait), a knowing smile. It is implied by Peter that two years prior to the film's events, the team had used their proton packs. Not limited to John H. Tobin's books, Egon and Ray rely on the latter's resources at Ray's Occult Books, and through Leon Zundinger's article in Magicians, Martyrs and Madmen found information about Vigo

1776-521: A lot of time focusing on the stability of the storage facility and was concerned about the possibilities of a P.K.E. surge of dangerous proportions. Egon was particularly critical of Walter Peck's actions, and his attitude that the Ghostbusters were responsible for the explosion of the containment unit that occurred when Peck ordered a utility worker to shut the unit down. After their encounter with Stay Puft, Egon suggested an atypical solution when he recommended blasting Gozer's dimensional portal while crossing

1887-490: A more inclusive, equitable, and fair workplace. The process began with the filing of an application for unionization by the teachers, facilitators, and musical directors at The Second City. The Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) announced that the National Labor Relations Board had ratified the election to form a union for educators at the training center of Second City. Following this, a vote

1998-629: A payphone to inform his termination of his employment at Columbia University, while Peter and Ray discussing plans for the Ghostbusters business, explaining his absence on this scene. Egon was usually the first to interview case subjects, adding to their mantra, "we're ready to believe you." Examples were Dana Barrett from her Zuul encounter and her carriage phenomenon with Oscar. Even people Peter called "schizo" always went to either Egon or Ray to describe their paranormal experiences, no matter how far-fetched their stories were. For his part, Venkman once took back everything negative he said about Egon, rewarding

2109-470: A puppy. He was the first person Dana Barrett contacted when her baby carriage took off by itself. Egon recommended bringing in Ray, and they both performed a physical exam on Dana's son Oscar. Egon, along with Peter and Ray were later arrested after digging a large hole under First Avenue as part of their paranormal investigations to help Dana. At trial they were found guilty by judge Stephen Wexler (whom Egon said

2220-556: A reboot of the series Ramis co-created and starred in, was posthumously dedicated to him. A bust of Ramis appears in the film. In the 2021 movie Ghostbusters: Afterlife , the age-progressed image of Ramis appears as the ghost of Egon Spengler; a dedication before the end credits also reads "for Harold." On February 2, 2024, Chicago declared every February 2nd going forward to be "Harold Ramis Day". Ramis frequently collaborated with director Ivan Reitman . He co-wrote National Lampoon's Animal House , which Reitman produced, then co-wrote

2331-578: A regular (with Maurice LaMarche reprising his role), acting as a mentor to the new Ghostbusters (the others appeared for a two-part episode, "Back in the Saddle"), monitoring and sustaining the Containment Unit and taking care of Slimer while working as a paranormal studies professor at a university. He is the de facto leader of the new, younger team of Ghostbusters; although the old team had gone into retirement after they apparently dealt with all

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2442-503: A scientist for his abandoning her. Despite the Ghostbusters successfully closing the "Manhattan Crossrip of '84", at some point after the "Vigo Incident of '89", Egon had discovered prophecies written by the Cult of Gozer's prophets saying Gozer would return in 2021, but his insistence that the Ghostbusters prepare for this strained their relationship (a nod to the real-life estrangement between Ramis and Bill Murray after their collaboration in

2553-773: A stack of jokes that readers had sent in and asked me to rewrite them. I had been in Second City in the workshops already and Michael Shamberg and I had written comedy shows in college." Ramis was eventually promoted to associate editor. After leaving Second City for a time and returning in 1972, having been replaced in the main cast by John Belushi , Ramis worked his way back as Belushi's deadpan foil. In 1974, Belushi brought Ramis and other Second City performers, including Ramis's frequent future collaborator Bill Murray , to New York City to work on The National Lampoon Radio Hour . During this time, Ramis, Belushi, Murray, Joe Flaherty , Christopher Guest , and Gilda Radner starred in

2664-580: A tribute to Ramis at the 86th Academy Awards . Stephen Colbert paid tribute to Ramis on an episode of his show The Colbert Report . Colbert said that "as a young, bookish man with glasses looking for a role model, I might have picked Harold Ramis." He ended the show by thanking him. In 2004, Ramis was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame . In 2005, he received the Austin Film Festival 's Distinguished Screenwriter Award. In 2010, he received

2775-591: A weapon against the upper classes, and of Harpo's antic charm and the fact that he was oddly sexy—he grabs women, pulls their skirts off, and gets away with it." He avoided the Vietnam War military draft by taking methamphetamine to fail his draft physical. Following his work in St. Louis, Ramis returned to Chicago, where by 1968, he was a substitute teacher at schools serving the inner-city Robert Taylor Homes public housing development. He also became associated with

2886-462: Is revealed in "The Boogieman Cometh" that, as a child, Egon was stalked by the boogieman , a supernatural monster that fed on the fear of children and hid in their closets, and was particularly fond of Egon's fear; it was these encounters with the creature that inspired Egon to study the paranormal, and as an adult, he would battle the Boogieman twice and defeat him. It is implied in one episode of

2997-484: Is so important to our company mission". Additionally, in the film itself, a bronze bust of Harold Ramis as the film's version of Spengler is seen just as Erin Gilbert leaves her office. During the credits of Ghostbusters , the words "For Harold Ramis " are seen. Ghostbusters: Afterlife , which serves as a direct sequel to the original Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II , opens with a portrayal of Spengler's death. In

3108-757: Is the President of the Wastebusters. A likeness of Ramis circa 1991 (the year in which the game takes place) appears in the Ghostbusters: The Video Game that was released on June 16, 2009. Ramis also reprised his role for the game by voicing him. In the game, Egon becomes significantly more 'hands-on' during the course of the video game. He and Ray instruct the Rookie in the use of the Proton Pack and its eventual PCS upgrades. Over

3219-785: The BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay for Groundhog Day . Ramis was born on November 21, 1944, in Chicago , Illinois , the son of Ruth (née Cokee) (1919–2001) and Nathan Ramis (1915–2009), who owned the Ace Food & Liquor Mart on the city's West Side. Ramis had a Jewish upbringing. In his adult life, he did not practice any religion. He graduated from Stephen K. Hayt Elementary School in June 1958 and Nicholas Senn High School in 1962, both Chicago public schools, and in 1966 from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri , where he

3330-533: The guerrilla television collective TVTV , headed by his college friend Michael Shamberg , and wrote freelance for the Chicago Daily News . "Michael Shamberg, right out of college, had started freelancing for newspapers and got on as a stringer for a local paper, and I thought, 'Well, if Michael can do that, I can do that.' I wrote a spec piece and submitted it to the Chicago Daily News,

3441-405: The musical revue , From the Second City , directed by Sills and earning Tony Award nominations for ensemble members Severn Darden and Barbara Harris. The company moved a few blocks south, to 1616 North Wells, in 1967. Eventually, the theater expanded to include three touring companies and a second resident company, and now fosters a company devoted to outreach and diversity. In 2020, during

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3552-428: The protests following the murder of George Floyd , The Second City faced several criticisms regarding racism. The CEO, Andrew Alexander, resigned after accusations of institutional racism from former performers and an alumnus were made. Accusations and allegations were also made on social media, triggering further leadership resignations. A notable criticism came from Second City alumnus Dewayne Perkins, who alleged that

3663-463: The 2016 Proton Pack™ in collaboration with nuclear engineer and munitions expert Dr. Jillian Holtzmann. Sony President and CEO Kazuo Hirai commented "The perfection of the Proton Pack™, long a dream of the world’s greatest engineers since first pioneered by Dr. Egon Spengler of Columbia University , is an example of Sony’s relentless pursuit of innovation. It absolutely delivers the wow factor that

3774-495: The 21st century components, include reverse-engineering his ecto-containment unit into a machine that can extract spiritual energy. Like Egon's granddaughter Phoebe, Pinfield's appearance and behaviors are eerily similar to Egon's despite not being related to him. Egon is mentioned occasionally, and old photographs and footages of Harold Ramis as Egon appeared briefly, and Phoebe keeps her grandfather's original proton pack as hers since Summerville and later plates it with brass to fight

3885-561: The Arts & Leisure section, and they started giving me assignments [for] entertainment features." Additionally, Ramis had begun studying and performing with Chicago's Second City improvisational comedy troupe. Ramis's newspaper writing led to him becoming joke editor at Playboy magazine . "I called…just cold and said I had written several pieces freelance and did they have any openings. And they happened to have their entry-level job, party jokes editor, open. He liked my stuff and he gave me

3996-772: The Association of International Comedy Educators (AICE). The Second City Detroit was a comedy theater and training center in Novi, Michigan . It was the Second City's third mainstage location in North America following the Second City Chicago and Toronto . Originally established in September 1993 in downtown Detroit , it relocated to a strip mall in Novi in 2005. The original downtown Detroit theater in

4107-493: The Carpathian. Although the 2016 Ghostbusters film is a reboot, the film's marketing confirms that a version of Egon Spengler does exist in the film's fictional universe . According to a tie-in video to the film, Kate McKinnon 's character Dr. Jillian Holtzmann and Harold Ramis' character Dr. Egon Spengler created the film's proton packs. The paragraph accompanying the video read: Engineers at Sony Corporation developed

4218-615: The Comedy Studies program was created, as a collaboration with Chicago's Columbia College , which provides students with an immersion in "all aspects of the study of comedy and improvisation". In 2016, the Training Center expanded to include the Harold Ramis Film School, now called The Second City Film School, dedicated to comedy in filmmaking. In 2021, The Second City's educators voted to unionize as

4329-874: The Ecto-1 with Ray and added a taser configuration on the team's PKE meters for defense against the spectral entities they hunt; he uses the taser against Gozer's minions after he settled in Summerville, an innovation which even frighted Zuul. He is revealed to be a collector of strange artifacts, like a death whistle from the Aztec culture similar to the ones first discovered by archaeologist Francisco Rivas Castro in 1999, some witch bottles , and Sentinel figurines from Shandor's Gozerian Temple, and still eating junk food. He remained in contact with Janine and had called Ray once, again trying to warn him about Gozer. Due to his advancing age, Egon's health had declined and he struggled with

4440-646: The Executive Producer position will be a member of the BIPOC community". Interim executive producer Anthony LeBlanc was appointed to replace him. On November 25, 2020, The Second City announced that former Dad's Garage Theatre Company artistic director Jon Carr had been hired as executive producer. He stepped down in early 2022, and a successor has yet to be named. As of 2014 , the Second City has been awarded thirty-seven Equity Joseph Jefferson Awards , which have recognized them for Best Revue five times,

4551-553: The Future (2009), 0% Down, 100% Screwed (2010) and Something Wicked Awesome This Way Comes (2011). Created in 1967 as a way to increase the talent pool, the initial Touring Company, featuring Ramis, Doyle-Murray and Flaherty, was tested on the road for two years before taking the stage as The Next Generation after the mainstage ensemble was sent to perform in New York. The Touring Company continued to perform greatest hit shows on

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4662-440: The Ghostbusters in revenge for Capone double-crossing them) that only magic can harm ghosts in the ghost world as opposed to science harming ghosts in the human world, thus forcing Egon to accept the wizardry methods of his ancestors to defeat Capone. He is the love interest of Janine Melnitz , the Ghostbusters' secretary, in the first film and both animated series ( Ghostbusters II excluded their romance due to Ramis' dislike of

4773-489: The Ghostbusters is real scientific work and therefore a waste of Egon's genius, tries to make him come back to Ohio (where Egon grew up) to work at his uncle's lab, but fortunately, after his uncle accidentally releases the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man from the containment unit, he realizes that ghosts are real and accepts Egon's work. Throughout the series, Egon would have his soul switched with that of

4884-434: The Ghostbusters were sued by nearly every county and city agency in New York. Additionally a judicial restraining order was enacted which barred the Ghostbusters from performing services as paranormal investigators and eliminators, effectively putting them out of business. Five years after the events of the first film Egon returned to teaching at Manhattan College , working at its Institute for Advanced Theoretical Research and

4995-780: The Hockeytown Cafe complex was renamed the City Theater and has since reopened as the Detroit House of Comedy; the Novi location has become the Andiamo Novi Theater. In the early years of the Second City and Game Theater, several parents and Lincoln Park community members—including Carol and Paul Sills and activists Mona and Dennis Cunningham —started a progressive school for their children, based on Viola Spolin 's Theater Games techniques and philosophy with her son Paul Sills ' refinements. Early on it

5106-552: The Reitman comedy Meatballs ; he co-wrote and appeared in the Reitman films Stripes , Ghostbusters , and Ghostbusters II . Executive producer Egon Spengler The character's name, Egon Spengler, is an amalgamation of the name Egon Donsbach, who was a Hungarian refugee classmate of Ramis' at Senn High School , and the name of German polymath Oswald Spengler . Christopher Walken , John Lithgow , Christopher Lloyd , and Jeff Goldblum were all considered for

5217-406: The Second City and ran from 1976 to 1984. Broadcaster and surgeon Charles A. "Chuck" Allard formed a partnership in 1981 that acquired the fledgling series. Allard then moved the series from Toronto to Edmonton , where he owned television station CITV-TV . The basic premise of SCTV was based on a television station (later a network) in the fictional city of Melonville. Rather than broadcast

5328-597: The Sillses and Cunninghams, Viola Spolin, Joyce and Byrne Piven, John Schultz, Mel Spiegel, Carol Dougal, and Beverly Gold. The highly progressive curriculum included daily theater games, and some students went on to careers in entertainment. Briefly at the Game Theater site at 1935 N. Sedgwick, the school moved to several locations in Lincoln Park before it closed in the mid-1970s. In 1971, The Players Workshop

5439-561: The United States. On June 6, 2020, during the Black Lives Matter protests, various Second City comedians signed an open letter stating that "erasure, racial discrimination, manipulation, pay inequity, tokenism, monetization of Black culture, and trauma-inducing experiences of Black artists at The Second City will no longer be tolerated". prompting Alexander to apologize and resign, pledging that "The next person to fill

5550-436: The ability to walk. After relearning to walk he suffered a relapse of the disease in late 2011. He died of complications of the disease on February 24, 2014, at his home on Chicago's North Shore , at age 69. A private funeral was held for him two days later with family, friends, and several collaborators in attendance, including Dan Aykroyd , Chevy Chase , Eugene Levy , Dave Thomas , David Pasquesi , Andrew Alexander , and

5661-504: The animated series that Egon accidentally burned down his family's garage. In both this series and its follow-up, Egon is voiced by Maurice LaMarche . LaMarche has said in interviews that he was instructed by the producers not to impersonate Ramis when he auditioned for the role. However, he did so anyway and ultimately got the part. Egon is the only original Ghostbuster to return for the Extreme Ghostbusters series as

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5772-486: The character other than to follow Ramis' example. He got the part anyway and said in an interview that he did two different takes: one in which he impersonated Ramis, the other in which he tried a more " Woody Allen "–like approach that did not suit the character's physicality. Egon Spengler is a tall, lanky, laconic , bespectacled , handsome, awkward member of the team responsible for the main theoretical framework for their paranormal / quantum studies, having earned over

5883-592: The company was celebrating its 50th year, the Second City was awarded an honorary Jeff for the milestone, as well as three awards for the e.t.c.' s 33rd revue Studs Terkel's Not Working, recognizing director Matt Hovde and actress Amanda Blake Davis and naming it Best Revue. In 2011, the e.t.c.'s 35th revue Sky's the Limit (Weather Permitting) won the Jeff for Best New Work (Musical or Revue), as well Best Revue and Best Actor, for ensemble member Tim Baltz. The following year,

5994-410: The components of the proton packs and PKE meter to barricade the portal with crossed streams, as well as setting a ghost trap field with an array of 198 traps for Gozer on his property. He earned the nickname "Dirt Farmer" from Summerville's residents for not growing anything on his land, and for his eccentricity. At some point before the Ghostbusters disbanded, he added a scissor seat on the right side of

6105-452: The course of the game, it becomes evident that he was somewhat traumatized by their exhausting trek up the stairs of 55 Central Park West. While in the alternate dimension of the library, Egon is heard to groan, "Oh no," and when Ray asks if he saw something scary, Egon replies, "Stairs, lots of stairs". Before the "Return to Sedgewick Hotel" mission, Stantz comments that Egon was once a coroner , to which he replied that he maintains interest in

6216-573: The e.t.c.'s 36th revue We're All In This Room Together won for Best Revue and Best Director of a Revue - Ryan Bernier , while ensemble member Edgar Blackman took home the Jeff for Best Actor/Actress in a Revue for his work in Who Do We Think We Are? on the Second City mainstage. In 2013, the Jeff Awards awarded Best Production: Revue to a Second City show not housed at the venue on Wells Street, The Second City Guide to Opera ,

6327-465: The educators in Toronto. In a collective move, arts educators and facilitators from Chicago, Hollywood, and Toronto, affirmed their intent to form a union under the Association of International Comedy Educators (AICE) by filing cards with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Second City Television, or SCTV, was a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from the Toronto troupe of

6438-459: The fellow scientist with his favorite candy bar (a Crunch bar). Egon's only weakness is evidently junk food (or at least snacks), as he is seen, on occasion, snacking on candies, crackers (like Cheez-It ), and egg rolls. When house-hunting for their headquarters, Egon was against Peter leasing the firehouse at North Moore Street due to its conditions and location (dilapidated wirings, neighborhood being plagued by criminal elements, etc.), but Ray

6549-787: The film Groundhog Day ), and preparing for the events of the prophecies is the reason for his distance with his daughter, who he intended to protect. Ten years after the Manhattan Crossrip, Egon stole equipment and the Ecto-1 and moved to Summerville, Oklahoma, where Ivo Shandor had mined the selenium used to build the Shandor Apartments building in New York City. Shandor had built another gateway for Gozer in his mine, and Egon spent years preparing to stop Gozer's eventual return, building automated energy cannons with

6660-462: The film adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize -winning book A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole . The film was to star John Belushi and Richard Pryor , but the project was aborted. In 1984, Ramis collaborated with Dan Aykroyd on the screenplay for Ghostbusters , which became one of the biggest comedy hits of all time, in which he also starred as Dr. Egon Spengler. He reprised

6771-474: The film, it is retroactively established by Jason Reitman and Gil Kenan (with acknowledgements from two of the franchise's creators Dan Aykroyd and Ivan Reitman and Harold Ramis's family as canon), that Egon fathered his daughter Callie in 1982 with someone before the events of the first film. Even Peter and Ray are unaware of her, though Janine does know. However, he became estranged from his family, and Callie grew resentful of her father and blames his life as

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6882-429: The firehouse doing research while the team handle the actual 'Ghostbusting', though when the situation calls for it he will help. Janine is still carrying a torch for him, which leaves him a little flustered. He celebrates his 40th birthday during this series, which would put him in his late twenties when The Real Ghostbusters began. Age is the largest factor causing Egon to having transition from active ghost hunting to

6993-805: The first being Paradigm Lost (1997). The revue's director, Mick Napier , is one of several directors recognized by the Jeffs, a list that includes founder Bernard Sahlins (for 1983's Exit, Pursued by a Bear ) and improv guru Del Close (1981's Miro, Miro on the Wall ). Sixteen alumni have received Jeff Awards for their performances in Second City revues, including David Pasquesi ( The Gods Must Be Lazy , 1989), Scott Adsit ( Paradigm Lost , 1997), Jackie Hoffman ( Disgruntled Employee Picnic , 1993), Shelley Long ( Wellsapoppin , 1977), and Nia Vardalos ( Whitewater for Chocolate , 1994), with Rachel Dratch and Keegan-Michael Key each being honored twice. In 2009, as

7104-498: The franchise, also called Ghostbusters , was eventually made and released in 2016, directed and co-written by Paul Feig . In this film, a bronze bust of Ramis can be seen when Erin Gilbert leaves her office at Columbia University . Later, the second sequel to the original film, Ghostbusters: Afterlife , was released in 2021 and posthumously dedicated to him. Ramis was married twice and had four children. On July 2, 1967, he married San Francisco artist Anne Plotkin, with whom he had

7215-478: The ghost, Janine angrily told Egon he would have to pay for the damages to her home) and when he rushed to her rescue in "Janine, You've Changed"; he also embraces her in "Ghost Busted" after she was kidnapped and held for ransom by a gangster, and became jealous when she was briefly involved with a slimy businessman named Paul Smart. In the episode "Cry Uncle", Egon's well-meaning but skeptical uncle Cyrus, visits him and, since he does not believe that Egon's work with

7326-415: The ghosts in the city, after the digging of a new subway tunnel resulted in the release of an ancient ghost, Spengler was forced to recruit his only four current students to act as the new Ghostbusters. Although willing to do his share of the legwork, Egon overestimates his abilities and his aging becomes apparent when he is no longer able to work at the same level as in his younger days, generally working at

7437-452: The horned deity Garraka. Egon's hair was changed from brown in the films (Ramis' natural hair color) to a blond pompadour in the animated series (Egon wore his hair in a ponytail on Extreme Ghostbusters ). This was explained as they didn't want everyone to have dark hair, and wanted the characters to each have a distinguishing feature so the audience would be able to easily recognize each one. Despite his leanings toward science, Egon has

7548-828: The idea for The Top , and Ramis was instrumental in getting it on the air. The show was a mixture of live music, videos, and humor. Performers on the show included Cyndi Lauper , who performed " Girls Just Want to Have Fun " and " True Colors "; the Hollies , who performed " Stop in the Name of Love "; and the Romantics , who performed their two hits at the time, " Talking in Your Sleep " and " What I Like About You ". Guest stars included Rodney Dangerfield , Chevy Chase, and Dan Aykroyd . Ramis got Bill Murray to host but, because Ghostbusters filming ran late, he did not make it to

7659-489: The institution initially refused to host a benefit show for Black Lives Matter unless half of the proceeds also went to the Chicago Police Department. In response to these issues, The Second City instituted changes, including the formation of a steering committee comprising representatives from BIPOC, Latinx, and LGBTQIA+ communities to foster inclusivity and diversity. In October 2020, The Second City

7770-1095: The most influential and renowned in the English-speaking world. In February 2021, ZMC , a private equity investment firm based in Manhattan , purchased the Second City. The Second City has produced television programs in both Canada and the United States, including SCTV , Second City Presents , and Next Comedy Legend . It has been a starting point for many comedians, award-winning actors, directors, and others in show business , including Del Close , Alan Alda , Alan Arkin , Harold Ramis , Bill Murray , Gilda Radner , John Candy , John Belushi , Dan Aykroyd , Eugene Levy , Catherine O'Hara , Dave Thomas , Chris Farley , Tim Meadows , Colin Mochrie , Ryan Stiles , Mike Myers , Nia Vardalos , Steve Carell , Jordan Peele , Tina Fey , Amy Poehler , Stephen Colbert , Cecily Strong , Mae Martin , and Aidy Bryant . The Second City chose its self-mocking name from

7881-399: The proton packs. Despite being a stereotypical timid professor-like figure, Egon is prone to violent reactions when pushed too far temperamentally, as demonstrated by his attempt to assault Walter Peck. After Egon dies, the haunting in his farmhouse reveals that, like Ray, he was a skilled automotive mechanic, able to repair the Ecto-1's engine with his grandson Trevor as a poltergeist. Egon

7992-407: The proton streams to reverse the particle flow and send Gozer back to its dimension; he was also aware of the inherent risks involved in crossing the streams. Egon once tried to drill a hole in his own head (a process known as trepanning ), which he says "would have worked" if Peter had not stopped him. Due to the large amount of collateral damage New York City suffered from the battle with Gozer,

8103-515: The qualities of "anger, curiosity, laziness, and woolly idealism" in "a hyper-articulate voice". Ramis also occasionally acted in supporting roles in acclaimed films that he did not write or direct, such as James L. Brooks 's Academy Award -winning As Good as It Gets (1997) and Judd Apatow 's hit comedy Knocked Up (2007). In 2004, Ramis turned down the opportunity to direct the Bernie Mac - Ashton Kutcher film Guess Who , then under

8214-595: The reins of The Second City Toronto, which had opened in 1972, then formed a partnership with Len Stuart, in 1976, starting The Second City Entertainment Company. Its inaugural television production was SCTV that year. Alexander co-developed and executive produced over 185 half-hour shows for the series. In 1985, Alexander and Stuart acquired Chicago's Second City. He later founded SCTV, thereby expanding The Second City TV & Film Division. He has produced or executive-produced hundreds of Second City revues in Canada and

8325-612: The released ghosts and effectively putting the Ghostbusters back in business. Egon had a dry sense of humor which he would use to bewilder Peter, and smirked at his friend's cluelessness as to what the word " epididymis " meant. Egon primarily worked with Ray (both of whom still lived at the Firehouse), conducting research on the pink slime. Eventually they developed "slime blowers", consisting of large metal tanks and handheld nozzles that fire positively charged substance. Still very scientifically minded, Egon here seemed to have loosened up

8436-721: The rest of his life, and he became friends with the Dalai Lama . Ramis was a Chicago Cubs fan, and when he moved back from Los Angeles to Chicago in the late 1990s, he would attend games at Wrigley Field , sometimes taking part of the seventh-inning stretch of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game". His pastimes included fencing, ritual drumming, acoustic guitar, and making hats from felted fleece; additionally, he taught himself to ski by watching skiers on television. In May 2010, Ramis contracted an infection that resulted in complications from autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis and lost

8547-825: The revue The National Lampoon Show , the successor to National Lampoon's Lemmings . Later, Ramis became a performer on, and head writer of, the Canadian sketch-comedy television series SCTV during its first three years (1976–1979). At this juncture, SCTV was seen mainly in Canada, and also via syndication in scattered markets in the US. He was soon offered work as a writer at Saturday Night Live but chose to continue with SCTV . Characterizations by Ramis on SCTV include weaselly, corrupt and constantly sweating Dialing for Dollars host/SCTV station manager Maurice "Moe" Green, outwardly amiable (but thoroughly fascist) cop Officer Friendly, exercise guru Swami Bananananda (whose real name

8658-1181: The road, and in 1982, with the assistance of producer Joyce Sloane (and without Sahlins's knowledge) they staged an original revue in what would become the theater's second stage, the Second City e.t.c. In December 2009, the theater celebrated its fiftieth anniversary with a weekend of panels and performance which featured many prominent alumni, including an SCTV reunion show starring Joe Flaherty , Eugene Levy , Andrea Martin , Catherine O'Hara , Harold Ramis , Martin Short , and Dave Thomas . Other notable alumni returning to participate included Steve Carell , Stephen Colbert , Jeff Garlin , Jack McBrayer , James Belushi , Dan Castellaneta , Amy Sedaris , Ian Gomez , Richard Kind , Robert Klein , Fred Willard , David Rasche , Betty Thomas , and George Wendt , as well as original cast member Mina Kolb, Compass Player Shelley Berman , and co-founder Bernard Sahlins , along with Playwrights Theater Club co-founder Sheldon Patinkin ; he later served as assistant director to Paul Sills , then succeeded him as artistic director, spending over five decades as an artistic mentor of

8769-453: The role for the 1989 sequel, Ghostbusters II (which he also co-wrote with Aykroyd). His later film Groundhog Day has been called his "masterpiece". His films have been noted for attacking "the smugness of institutional life…with an impish good [will] that is unmistakably American." They are also noted for "Ramis's signature tongue-in-cheek pep talks." Sloppiness and improv were also important aspects of his work. Ramis frequently depicted

8880-496: The role of Egon Spengler, before Ramis, who had gotten close to the character while writing him, felt compelled to play it himself. Maurice LaMarche stated that when he auditioned for the part of Egon in The Real Ghostbusters , he was asked not to do an impression of Ramis, which he ignored because impressions were one of his strengths as a performer, and there was no other way he could imagine properly portraying

8991-405: The struggle between a rowdy college fraternity house and the college dean . The film's humor was raunchy for its time. Animal House "broke all box-office records for comedies" and earned $ 141 million. He also had a voice part as Zeke in the "So Beautiful & So Dangerous" segment of Heavy Metal in 1981. Ramis next co-wrote the comedy Meatballs , starring Bill Murray . The movie

9102-466: The subject as a hobby. Like other Ghostbusters, Egon remains carrying a grudge against Walter Peck and struggles to control his anger when Peck is around. According to a message left on the Ghostbusters' answering machine, Peck made calls that canceled Egon's orders for parts that he needed with pleasure. Egon appears in Beeline 's Ghostbusters game for iOS alongside his niece, Michelle Ying. The game

9213-465: The subplot, thus having Janine date Louis Tully instead). Egon sometimes appears to be unaware of Janine's romantic interest in him, but at times he displays having similar feelings for her, such as when he gave her a geranium as a gift when she expressed an interest in plants (which backfired horribly when it was revealed that the geranium was possessed by a ghost and nearly destroyed her apartment, along with much of Brooklyn; though Egon managed to thwart

9324-487: The taping. Chase came out dressed as a "punk" of the time and somehow got into a physical altercation with an audience member (also a punk) during the opening monologue. He immediately left the taping. Flattery and Jove carried on with the show. Ramis then got Andy Kaufman to fill in for Chase and recorded the host segments at a separate, later, session; it would be Kaufman's final professional appearance. The Top aired on Friday, January 27, 1984, at 7 p.m. It scored

9435-411: The theater, in 1959, as a place where scenes and stories were created with improvisation, using techniques that grew out of Spolin's innovative teachings, later known as Theater Games , with Sills as its director. The cabaret theater comedy style of the Second City tended towards satire and commentary on social norms, and political figures and events. In 1961, the theater sent a cast to Broadway with

9546-547: The title of a series of articles about Chicago by A. J. Liebling , published in The New Yorker in 1952, and published in book form as a collection the same year. In summer 1955, at The Compass bar in Hyde Park, University of Chicago students, led by David Shepherd and Paul Sills , calling themselves Compass Players , began a " commedia dell'arte ", based on professional theater games taught by Viola Spolin , who

9657-547: The troupe while chairman of the theater department at Columbia College Chicago for three decades. The Second City Training Center was founded in the mid-1980s to facilitate the growing demand for workshops and instruction from the world-famous Second City theatre. Training Centers are located in Chicago, Toronto and Los Angeles. The Training Centers have grown substantially since the Second City Conservatory

9768-422: The two about the overall direction and mood of the film. They did not speak for more than 20 years. Shortly before Ramis's death, Murray, encouraged by his brother Brian Doyle-Murray , visited him to make amends with a box of doughnuts and a police escort, according to Ramis's daughter Violet. At that point, Ramis had lost most of his ability to speak, so Murray did most of the talking over several hours. Murray gave

9879-419: The underdog. And through it all, we never lost our faith in happy endings." He ended his statement by saying he hoped Ramis "received total consciousness", in reference to a line from Caddyshack . Ramis and longtime collaborator Bill Murray had a falling out during the filming of Groundhog Day , which Ramis attributed to problems that Murray had in his own life at the time, plus creative differences between

9990-727: The usual TV rerun fare, the business, run by the greedy Guy Caballero ( Joe Flaherty ) sitting in a wheelchair only "for respect," operates a bizarre and humorously incompetent range of cheap local programming. The range included soap opera "The Days of the Week"; game shows , such as "Shoot at the Stars", in which celebrities literally are shot at in similar fashion to targets in a shooting gallery; and movie parodies , such as "Play it Again, Bob" in which Woody Allen (as played by Rick Moranis ) attempts to entice Bob Hope (as played by Dave Thomas ) to star in his next film. In-house media melodrama

10101-472: The widows of John Belushi and Bernard Sahlins . He is buried at Shalom Memorial Park in Arlington Heights . Upon Ramis's death, then-President Barack Obama released a statement, saying, "When we watched his movies—from Animal House and Caddyshack to Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day —we didn't just laugh until it hurt. We questioned authority. We identified with the outsider. We rooted for

10212-435: The working title "The Dinner Party", because he considered it poorly written. That same year, he began filming the low-budget The Ice Harvest , "his first attempt to make a comic film noir." Ramis spent six weeks trying to get the film greenlit because he had difficulty reaching an agreement about stars John Cusack 's and Billy Bob Thornton 's salaries. The film received mixed reviews. In 2004, Ramis's typical directing fee

10323-463: The world. It's knowing how to deal with people who might be reacting in a way that's connected to anxiety or grief or fear or rage. As a director, you're dealing with that constantly with actors. But if I were a businessman, I'd probably be applying those same principles to that line of work. Ramis began writing parodic plays in college, saying years later, "In my heart, I felt I was a combination of Groucho and Harpo Marx , of Groucho using his wit as

10434-452: Was $ 5 million. In an interview in the documentary American Storytellers , Ramis said he hoped to make a film about Emma Goldman (even pitching Disney with the idea of having Bette Midler star) but that none of the film studios were interested and that it would have been difficult to raise the funding. Ramis said in 2009 that he planned to make a third Ghostbusters film for release either in mid-2011 or for Christmas 2012. A reboot to

10545-544: Was Dennis Peterson), stern board chairman Allan "Crazy Legs" Hirschman and home dentist Mort Finkel. His celebrity impressions on SCTV included Kenneth Clark and Leonard Nimoy . In 1984, Ramis executive produced a music/comedy/variety television show called The Top . The producer was Paul Flaherty and the director was David Jove . Ramis got involved after the mysterious death of his friend Peter Ivers , who had hosted Jove's underground show New Wave Theatre . He called Jove and offered to help. Flattery and Jove pitched him

10656-546: Was Sills's mother. They soon began performing occasional shows on the Near North Side . On December 16, 1959, The Second City's first revue show premiered at 1842 North Wells Street, with Sills's former wife and Compass Player Barbara Harris singing "Everybody's in the Know". Admission was $ 1.50 (equivalent to $ 16 in 2023). Sahlins and Sills flipped burgers in the kitchen. Sahlins, Sills, and Howard Alk had founded

10767-403: Was a commercial success and became the first of six film collaborations between Murray and Ramis. His third film and his directorial debut was Caddyshack , which he wrote with Kenney and Brian Doyle-Murray . It starred Chevy Chase , Rodney Dangerfield , Ted Knight , and Bill Murray. Like Ramis's previous two films, Caddyshack was a commercial success. In 1982, Ramis was attached to direct

10878-463: Was a member of the Alpha Xi chapter of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. Afterward, Ramis worked in a mental institution in St. Louis for seven months. He later said of his time working there that it: …prepared me well for when I went out to Hollywood to work with actors. People laugh when I say that, but it was actually very good training. And not just with actors; it was good training for just living in

10989-414: Was alive, as Phoebe takes after him. In turn, Phoebe is affectionate to her ghostly grandfather, respecting Egon as a fellow scientist and chess player, and feeling hurt when her mother expresses contempt for Egon. He also guides Callie to realize that, even if he was not present, he had always kept an eye on her life. When Ray, Peter and Winston arrive to aid the family in stopping Gozer, Egon materializes as

11100-541: Was attached to the building due to his fondness for its bronze fireman's pole and the fact it was a place they could afford with their then-pitiful budgets. In time they renovated the building to suit their needs after their business took off. With Ray's assistance, Egon developed the technology behind the P.K.E. Meter, the Proton Pack, the Trap, the Aura Analyzer, the para-goggles, and the storage facility. He spent

11211-439: Was called "Playroom School," after Spolin's "Educational Playroom," a progressive school project during the 1930's on Sheridan Road which Paul Sills had attended. Theater Games were gaining recognition and are now incorporated in drama therapy , play therapy , and are used as an educational tool. Early Second City and Game Theater members, as well as some Old Town and Lincoln Park community members, were closely involved, including

11322-523: Was conducting experiments on human emotions, during which he invented the Giga Meter, a device similar to the PKE Meter designed to detect and measure psychomagnotheric energy in gigaelectron volts. A negative test involved keeping a couple with marriage problems locked in a room for hours and gradually raising the temperature. A positive test involved a girl in a room with dozens of stuffed animals and

11433-728: Was established in the mid-1980s under the tutelage of longtime Chicago improv instructors and mentors Martin de Maat and Sheldon Patinkin . The Chicago Training Center has over 5,000 students in several disciplines, including improvisation and comedy writing . Former Training Center students include Steve Carell , Tina Fey , Amy Poehler , Mike Myers , Chris Farley , Tim Meadows , Bonnie Hunt , Stephen Colbert , Halle Berry , Sean Hayes , Amy Sedaris , Jon Favreau , Hinton Battle , Jack McBrayer , Dave Foley , and Kevin McDonald . Classes are taught by working professionals, many of whom are existing or former Second City performers. In 2007,

11544-529: Was frequently satirized, including by John Candy , as the vain, bloated variety star character, Johnny La Rue; Thomas's acerbic critic, Bill Needle; Andrea Martin 's flamboyant, leopard-skin clad station manager, Mrs. Edith Prickley; Catherine O'Hara 's alcoholic, narcissistic, former leading-lady, Lola Heatherton; and Flaherty's effusive talk show host, Sammy Maudlin. Martin Short also originated his dorky Ed Grimley character here, which he later brought to Saturday Night Live . In 1974, Andrew Alexander took

11655-592: Was held, which concluded with a significant majority in favor of unionization, marking a successful end to the union campaign initiated by the IFT in the spring. Furthermore, comedy educators at The Second City in both the U.S. and Canada announced their unionization, with the Canadian contingent joining CWA Canada. The organizers in Canada filed for union certification with the Ontario Labour Relations Board after garnering substantial support from

11766-553: Was known as "The Hammer") of willful destruction of public property, fraud, violating their judicial restraining order, and malicious mischief. While angrily insulting the trio, judge Stephen Wexler inadvertently released the ghosts of the Scoleri Brothers, two murderers he sentenced to death by the electric chair. In the ensuing chaos judge Wexler dismisses the charges against the Ghostbusters and rescinds their judicial restraining order, allowing Egon, Ray, and Peter to capture

11877-651: Was put up for sale by Alexander and co-owner D’Arcy Stuart. In January 2021, The Second City and Saturday Night Live paired up to launch a new training scholarship for diverse, upcoming talent. In February 2021, ZMC , a New York City-based private equity investment firm, purchased The Second City. In 2022, The Second City announced its expansion to New York with its new location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The nearly 12,000-square-foot (1,100 m ) entertainment complex at 64 N. 9th Street comprises two cabaret-style live theaters, seven Training Center classrooms, and

11988-406: Was recreated digitally for key shots in conjunction with body doubles ( Bob Gunton and Ivan Reitman ). In the beginning of the credits at the end of the film, the words "For Harold" are seen once again. In the sequel Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire , the Ghostbusters' new recruit Lars Pinfield ( James Acaster ) took over Egon's position as the team's resident inventor, modifying his equipment with

12099-558: Was released on January 24, 2013. Egon appears in Lego Dimensions , with archival audio of Harold Ramis being used to represent his character. The Second City The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise. It is the oldest improvisational theater troupe to be continuously based in Chicago , with training programs and live theaters in Toronto and New York . Since its debut in 1959, it has become one of

12210-560: Was the original head writer of the television series SCTV , on which he also performed, as well as a co-writer of Groundhog Day and National Lampoon's Animal House (1978). The final film that he wrote, produced, directed, and acted in was Year One (2009). Ramis's films influenced subsequent generations of comedians, comedy writers and actors. Filmmakers and actors including Jay Roach , Jake Kasdan , Adam Sandler , Judd Apatow , and Peter and Bobby Farrelly have listed his films among their favorites. Along with Danny Rubin , he won

12321-433: Was very interested in paranormal phenomena, even while working with Ray Stantz and Peter Venkman at Columbia University . He and Ray Stantz studied paranormal literature in their spare time, and Egon personally follows John Horace Tobin's works including Tobin's Spirit Guide , and were interested in theories of reincarnation. It is mentioned in the film's novelization that Egon's mother is alive, and he calls her after finding

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