Ivan Reitman was a filmmaker who directed movies including “Ghostbusters” and “Stripes.”
- Died: February 12, 2022 (Who else died on February 12?)
- Details of death: Died at his home in Montecito, California in his sleep at the age of 75.
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Filmmaking career
After his feature film directorial debut, 1971’s “Foxy Lady,” Reitman got his big break as a producer of “National Lampoon’s Animal House.” He had previously produced the live “National Lampoon Show” in New York City, and he would go on to work with National Lampoon acting alums including Bill Murray and Harold Ramis (1944–2014) many times over the course of his career. Reitman and Murray both had breakthroughs with the next film Reitman directed, “Meatballs.” He followed it with the hit comedy “Stripes,” then locked down his growing reputation as a beloved comedic director with 1984’s “Ghostbusters.” It became one of the top comedies of the 1980s, spawning sequels (the first of which was directed by Reitman) as well as animated TV series, comic books, reboots, and more.
Reitman went on to direct and produce movies including “Legal Eagles,” “Twins,” “Kindergarten Cop,” and “Dave.” He also produced or co-produced “Heavy Metal,” “Up in the Air,” and others. He co-produced the 2016 “Ghostbusters” reboot as well as the 2021 sequel to his original film, “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” written and directed by his son, Jason Reitman. Reitman directed the music video for Ray Parker Jr.’s song “Ghostbusters,” a popular video that found heavy rotation on MTV. He was executive producer for movies including “Beethoven,” “Old School,” and “I Love you, Man.”
Notable quote
“I always complain that comedy was never looked at as seriously, as hard as it is to make. It never got the respect it deserves. You know, people pay lip service to how difficult it is and how easy it is to fail. And frankly, it’s much more easy to fail in comedy than it is in drama. And so, I think now people are starting to look at it. They’re starting to miss the energy of those movies from the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.” –from a 2015 interview for Salon
Tributes to Ivan Reitman
Full obituary: The New York Times
