Harold Ramis (1944 - 2014)

"It's hard for winners to do comedy. Comedy is inherently subversive. We represent the underdog as comedy usually speaks for the lower classes. We attack the winners."

It's with great sadness that this week sees the closure in the chapter of one of the greatest comedic writers of the last 35 years. Harold Ramis passed away due to 'complications of autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis', and just like that, the world of comedy feels that much smaller for it.

For most people of my generation, Ramis will be best remembered as the lovable nerd, Dr Egon Spengler, but his influence on pop culture goes much deeper than Ghostbusters. Ramis got his break into writing as a joke editor for Playboy Magazine before moving on to work with the 'National Lampoon show', where he met the likes of John Belushi, Joe Flaherty, Christopher Guest, and Bill Murray. While many of his pals moved on to 'Saturday Night Live', Ramis found a new writing home with the Canadian 'SCTV', before making a jump into feature films.

Ramis and producer Jon Peters on set of Caddyshack

Ramis hit the ground running with the box office smash, 'National Lampoon's Animal House'. The film was so successful it helped spawn what is now known as the 'college comedy', which was huge back in the early to mid 80's, and found a new lease of life with the likes of 'American Pie' in the late 90's. Ramis' brand of anarchic humour was very much at the forefront of many of his early works, such as the iconic 'Meatballs', 'Stripes', 'Caddyshack', 'Back to School' and 'Armed and Dangerous'. Lovable losers fighting the system was his trademark, and he brought that slob-ish sense of fun when he collaborated with Dan Aykroyd on 'Ghostbusters' in 1984. 

Despite early directorial jobs on the likes of 'Caddyshack', 'Club Paradise' and the fantastic 'Vacation', it took the genre bending 'Groundhog Day' in 1993 for Ramis to be taken seriously as a director. In a co-written script with Danny Rubin, and featuring his old friend Bill Murray, 'Groundhog Day' is now regarded as one of the finest comedy films from the decade, and regularly tops 'Greatest Comedy of all Time' lists. This was followed by the well-received 'Analyze This', and the sequel, 'Analyze That'. 

Ramis and Annie Potts on set of Ghostbusters

Though much less prolific in the last decade than he was in the 80's, his influence on modern comedy and pop culture is not up for question. How many gags from The Simpsons and Family Guy can be attributed to characters he created or jokes he wrote? Our current generation of comedy talent, including the likes of Seth Rogen and Judd Apatow, would be happy to admit his influence, with Ramis even making a cameo in 'Knocked Up'.

Despite his death, he leaves one of the most impressive legacies that any comedian can hope to leave; the ability to make people laugh decades after the jokes were delivered and the cameras stopped rolling. Our generation may have fond memories of growing up watching his films, but the iconic status of 'Ghostbusters' will ensure that future generations will continue to discover his films for decades to come.