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Rick Moranis returns to acting at last

Rick Moranis in 1984's 'Ghostbusters' (credit: Sony)
Rick Moranis in 1984’s ‘Ghostbusters’ (credit: Sony)

At long last, Rick Moranis is returning to acting – but don’t get too excited, as it won’t be on the big screen.

The Hollywood Reporter announced that the 64-year Canadian comedy icon, best known for his roles in the ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Kids’ movies, is reuniting with his old partner Dave Thomas for a July benefit concert in their native Toronto.

Moranis and Thomas will revive their old double-act the McKenzie Brothers, the ‘Canadian bumpkin’ hosts of talk show ‘Great White North.’ The duo rose to fame playing these characters on TV’s ‘Second City TV’ and ‘Saturday Night Live,’ and in 1983 movie ‘Strange Brew.’

Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas in 1983's 'Strange Brew' (credit: MGM-UA)
Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas in 1983’s ‘Strange Brew’ (credit: MGM-UA)

Other comedy legends appearing at the show include Dan Aykroyd, Eugene Levy and Martin Short, who will also serve as host. The event is in aid of Thomas’ nephew who suffered a paralysing injury in a snowmobile accident earlier this year.

Moranis became a huge star from the mid-1980s onwards, with such movies as ‘Little Shop of Horrors,’ ‘Spaceballs’ and ‘Parenthood.’

However, he largely retreated from acting in the late 1990s to focus on raising his children after the untimely death of his wife. His last live-action role was in 1997’s ‘Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves,’ although he took several voice-acting roles in the 2000s including Disney’s ‘Brother Bear’ and its straight-to-video sequel.

In 2015, he was the only surviving core cast member of ‘Ghostbusters’ to decline a cameo appearance in director Paul Feig’s reboot.

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