Canadian comedian and actor Rick Moranis was once one of Hollywood’s biggest names. He rose from Sketch comedy to become one of the top comedy stars in the 1980s and 1990s.
At the peak of his career, he starred in box-office hits like Ghostbusters (1984), Spaceballs (1987), and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989). Then, in 1991, he stepped away from acting and all the fame to focus on raising his kids.
So, why exactly did Moranis leave Hollywood, and what has he been up to since then?
Why did Rick Moranis leave Hollywood?
Rick Moranis left Hollywood in 1991 following the death of his wife, costume designer Ann Belsky, who passed away from breast cancer. Her passing left him a widower and with two young kids – Rachel and Mitchel Moranis.
He thus decided to give up his acting career to focus on raising his children.
“I went from that [Hollywood life] to being at home with a couple of little kids, which is a very different lifestyle. But it was important to me. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. My life is wonderful,” Moranis told The Hollywood Reporter in a 2015 interview.
Creative work away from Hollywood
Moranis may have walked away from acting, but he did not retire. During his time away, he engaged in various creative projects that allowed him to be close to home without long travel requirements.
For example, he took on voice acting roles for various film and TV projects, including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys, Brother Bear, Brother Bear 2, Miss Spider’s Sunny Patch Kids, and The Goldbergs.
Moranis also ventured into songwriting and released several albums, including “The Agoraphobic Cowboy” (2005), for which he received a Grammy nomination. He also released another album in 2013 titled “My Mother’s Brisket & Other Love Songs.”
Rick Moranis planned a comeback
With his children now grown up, Rick Moranis has shown renewed interest in going back to acting.
In 2020, he appeared in the Mint Mobile commercial alongside Ryan Reynolds. The commercial marked his first on-screen role in more than two decades.
Most recently in 2025, he signed on to reprise his role as Dark Helmet in a Spaceballs sequel, Spaceballs: The New One, which is set to be released in 2027.
Moranis had also signed up to reprise his role as Wayne Szalinski in Shrunk, a planned Disney sequel to Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. However, the project experienced significant delays, first due to the Covid-19 pandemic and, later, scheduling conflicts and budget constraints.