Beloved actor Rick Moranis made one of his few public appearances since leaving Hollywood’s spotlight decades ago on Friday, November 15, in a sight as rare as seeing a real ghost. Photographers captured the 71-year-old star, known for his iconic roles in “Ghostbusters” and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” during a casual shopping trip in New York City.
Bundled against the autumn chill, Moranis wore a brown leather jacket, green-brown pants, and a green newsboy cap that nearly obscured his trademark glasses, a stark contrast to his days as the nervous accountant Louis Tully or the ambitious inventor Wayne Szalinski.
The Man Behind The Movies
For those who grew up in the 1980s and early 1990s, Moranis was everywhere. His journey to stardom began in his native Canada on “Second City Television,” alongside fellow comedy legends John Candy, Catherine O’Hara, and Eugene Levy. Soon after, Hollywood came calling, and Moranis answered with a string of unforgettable performances in classics like “Little Shop of Horrors,” “Spaceballs,” and “The Flintstones.”
But in 1991, tragedy struck. Moranis’s wife, Ann Belsky, a talented costume designer, passed away from breast cancer in her mid-thirties. Following this devastating loss, Moranis made a decision that would surprise many: he stepped back from the spotlight to focus on raising his two children as a single father.
A Deliberate Distance
“I took a break, which turned into a longer break,” Moranis told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015. “Stuff happens to people all the time, and people make adjustments, change careers, and move to another city. Really, that’s all I did.”
This wasn’t retirement, as he’s quick to point out. Instead, it was a conscious choice to be more selective about his work. While he continued to do occasional voice work, including roles in “Brother Bear” and its sequel, Moranis hasn’t appeared in a live-action film since 1997’s “Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves.”
Recent Developments
In 2020, fans were thrilled when Moranis briefly returned to screens in a Mint Mobile commercial with Ryan Reynolds. However, in the same year, Moranis made headlines for a more troubling incident when he fell victim to an unprovoked assault in Manhattan. Thankfully, he recovered from the incident, and the attacker’s subsequent conviction served justice.
Hope sparked again for Moranis fans when news broke about “Shrunk,” a planned continuation of the “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” franchise, featuring Moranis alongside Josh Gad. While the project has faced numerous delays due to COVID-19, scheduling conflicts, and budget issues, Gad remains optimistic about bringing Moranis back to the big screen.
“I still believe there’s an audience for an actual sequel to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” Gad shared recently. “I happen to think Rick Moranis is one of the greatest actors and comedians of all time.”
A Legacy Of Laughter
Looking at Moranis’s recent photos, we might see a man who looks different from his heyday, but his legacy in entertainment remains unchanged. His choice to prioritize family over fame has only added to the respect many feel for him. As Amy O’Neill, his on-screen daughter from “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,” recently told PEOPLE, “Rick was always warm but respectful, always kind, professional, and on his game. I’m so proud to have called him Dad.”
While fans eagerly anticipate his potential return in “Shrunk,” Moranis continues to pursue his own path, making infrequent yet significant appearances that serve as a reminder of the beloved actor who played a significant role in defining comedy in the 1980s and early 1990s. “I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. My life is wonderful,” Moranis once said. And for a man who chose family over fame, that’s perhaps the greatest success story of all.
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