Rick Moranis

Rick Moranis — actor with roots in the Russian Empire

Rick Moranis is a Canadian-American actor and comedian best known for Ghostbusters, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Spaceballs, and Strange Brew. He retired from acting in 1997 following his wife's death to raise his children, returning only occasionally since.

Tracing the roots — Jewish

His grandparents came from Russia and Ukraine (Russian Empire) — part of the Eastern European Jewish emigration to Canada. Growing up in the Jewish immigrant community of Toronto, Moranis absorbed the comedy tradition that came through that immigrant culture and translated it into some of Hollywood's most beloved comic performances.

A career defined by ambition