Nov 21, 1944

Chicago, Illinois, USA

Harold Ramis is an American actor, director, and writer. His best known acting roles are as "Egon Spengler" in Ghostbusters and "Russell Ziskey" in Stripes as well as being one of three authors to pen the screenplay for the film National Lampoon's Animal House.
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After graduating from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri his first job was as a mental-ward orderly. Ramis was a member of the Alpha Xi chapter of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity at Washington University, and it is reputed... ... (read more...) that some of his own experiences in ZBT helped inspire Animal House. Ramis worked as joke editor for Playboy magazine. He performed with Chicago's Second City improvisational comedy troupe and the Broadway revue National Lampoon's Lemmings. Ramis was also a writer and performer on the SCTV television series.
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Although occasionally mistaken for a Canadian, Ramis is actually from Chicago, Illinois. He has worked frequently with Bill Murray and Ivan Reitman.

In 2004 he was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.