Rick Moranis Turns 71: Exploring His Low-Key Lifestyle After Exiting Hollywood Nearly Three Decades Ago

Rick Moranis is known for his distinctive comedic style and memorable roles in film and television. He began his career in the ’70s as a radio disc jockey before venturing into comedy, performing at various clubs in Toronto, Moranis where he gained widespread recognition for his work on the Canadian sketch comedy show Second City Television (SCTV) in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

However, he had his breakout role in the 1983 film Strange Brew, which he co-wrote and starred in alongside fellow SCTV alum Dave Thomas. Moranis then gained international fame with movies like Ghostbusters, Spaceballs, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Parenthood, My Blue Heaven, and The Flintstones in the late ’80s and early ’90s and since then the actor who recently turned 71 on April 18 has largely remained out of the public eye, with only sporadic appearances in film and television.

Rock Moranis stepped away from the spotlight to raise his kids

After the passing of his wife, Ann Belsky, a talented costume designer, in 1991 following a courageous battle with breast cancer, the devoted father of two made the heartfelt decision to prioritize raising his children. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in 2015, he revealed that he intentionally stepped away from his professional endeavors to give himself the necessary time and space to cope with the profound loss of his beloved wife. “I took a break, which turned into a longer break,” Moranis told the news outlet. “Stuff happens to people all the time, and people make adjustments, change careers, move to another city. Really, that’s all I did.”

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“I was working with really interesting people, wonderful people, I went from that to being at home with a couple of little kids, which is a very different lifestyle. But it was important to me,” he added. “I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. My life is wonderful.”

Rick Moranis has been involved in some projects here and there

Although Moranis, has not appeared on the big screen since his wife’s demise, he has instead focused on voice acting, lending his talents to animated projects such as Disney’s Brother Bear and its 2006 sequel Brother Bear 2.

In February 202, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Moranis was set to reprise his iconic role as Wayne Szalinski in the reboot of Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, titled Shrunk. The movie is also set to star Frozen‘s Josh Gad, as his now-grown son.