Harold Ramis Dead: Things To Love About The Legendary Comedian

The Huffington Post Canada

Chances are that Harold Ramis helped make you laugh at some point in your life.

The late funnyman, who died Monday at the age of 69, was responsible for some of the greatest comedies of the 1970s, '80s and 90s. "Ghostbusters," "Caddyshack," "Animal House" ... he had a hand in all of them.

Here are a few things to know about one of comedy's greats.

He worked in a psychiatric ward in St. Louis.

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Harold Ramis told GQ that he may have been suited for the job because he had an "amazing tolerance for outlandish behaviour, and an interest in it." "I think I was well equipped to deal with actors, especially the ones who act out in antisocial ways." Among other actors, Ramis worked with John Belushi, Bill Murray and Chevy Chase.
He was "joke editor" for Playboy.

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Seriously.
He took methamphetamine to avoid the Vietnam War

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In his own words: "I thought, 'I really don’t want to get drafted.' So I went down to the physical and checked every psychological disorder and drug on the medical-history form. There were these long lines of people in their underwear, handing their forms to the clerk. He glanced at mine and said, 'Jeez. I guess you’re going to be fighting this one on the home front.' Of course, I’d also taken the precaution of taking a massive dose of methamphetamine before I went."
He gave us "Animal House"

Co-writer.
"Caddyshack"

Director, co-writer.
"Stripes"

Co-writer, star.
"Ghostbusters"

Co-writer, star.
"Groundhog Day"

Director, co-writer, star.
"Analyze This"

Director, co-writer.
He influenced this guy...

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Adam Sandler.
This guy...

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Judd Apatow, producer of "Superbad" and "Girls," and director of "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," "Knocked Up" and "Funny People."
And these guys...

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Bobby and Peter Farrelly, directors of "Dumb and Dumber" and "There's Something About Mary."
Really, a generation of comedians.

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Seth MacFarlane, Patton Oswalt, Rainn Wilson, Dane Cook, Kat Dennings and many more are among those paying tribute to him.
In the end, we'll miss his wisdom and wit.

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"There were a lot of political films coming out of Europe during the late ’60s. Movies like Costa-Gavras’s 'Z' and stuff like that. I used to go see all of them, and I realized that my righteous indignation was a form of entertainment for me. I loved getting pissed off at injustice. I didn’t do anything about it, I just liked the feeling of being pissed off."
R.I.P., and thank you.