Rick Moranis is a Canadian actor, comedian, musician, songwriter, writer and producer who rose to fame in the 1980s and 1990s with his roles in movies like Ghostbusters, Spaceballs, Little Shop of Horrors, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and The Flintstones. He was also a part of the sketch comedy series Second City Television (SCTV) and created the popular characters Bob and Doug McKenzie. But what is Rick Moranis net worth today, and how did he earn it?
Early Career and Breakthrough
Rick Moranis was born in Toronto, Ontario, on April 18, 1953. He started his career as a radio disc jockey in the mid-1970s, using the on-air name “Rick Allan” at three Toronto radio stations. He also teamed up with fellow comedian Ken Finkleman to create comedy radio specials and television pilots for CBC.
In 1980, Moranis joined the cast of SCTV, where he showcased his talents for impressions and original characters. He became famous for his portrayals of Woody Allen, George Carlin, Merv Griffin and David Brinkley. He also created the sketch The Great White North with Dave Thomas, featuring the Canadian stereotypes Bob and Doug McKenzie. The sketch was so popular that it spawned a comedy album called Great White North, which was nominated for a Grammy Award and sold over a million copies in Canada and the US.
Hollywood Success and Retirement
Moranis made his film debut in 1983 with Strange Brew, which he co-wrote and co-directed with Thomas. The film was based on the Bob and Doug McKenzie characters and became a cult classic. He then appeared in several hit movies throughout the 1980s and 1990s, such as Ghostbusters (1984) and its sequel (1989), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Spaceballs (1987), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) and its sequels (1992 and 1997), Parenthood (1989), My Blue Heaven (1990) and The Flintstones (1994).
Moranis also ventured into music, releasing two comedy albums: You, Me, the Music and Me (1989) and The Agoraphobic Cowboy (2005). The latter was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album.
However, Moranis decided to take a break from acting in 1997 to focus on raising his two children as a widower. His wife, Ann Belsky, had died of breast cancer in 1991. He has not appeared in a live-action film since then, although he has done some voice-over work for animated films like Brother Bear (2003) and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys (2001).
In 2020, Moranis announced that he would return to acting for a new sequel to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, called Shrunk. The film will star Josh Gad as his son and will be directed by Joe Johnston, who helmed the original film.
