Ivan Reitman was a master of comedy, a director who excelled at marrying the bawdy with the sophisticated, and a man who practically invented the careers of some of our most beloved comedic actors.

It was the college fraternity romp National Lampoon’s Animal House that got Reitman started in Hollywood in 1978, and that introduced a then-little-known John Belushi to American audiences. Reitman was a producer on the John Landis-directed feature. At this point, he had only directed three small films (Orientation, a short, the camp Foxy Lady, and the horror story Cannibal Girls). His break as a director came a year after Animal House with the camper comedy Meatballs which launched the career of Bill Murray.

Reitman and Murray hit it big in 1984 with Ghostbusters, which also starred Dan Aykroyd, Rick Moranis, Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson, and Harold Ramis. Ghostbusters proved to be the gift that kept on giving: in addition to earning $300 million dollars at the worldwide box office, the comedy also garnered two Golden Globe nominations (for Best Film, Musical or Comedy, and Best Actor Musical or Comedy for Bill Murray).  Ghostbusters also began one of the most lucrative comedy franchises of its time, which included TV series and spinoffs and another film called Ghostbusters: Afterlife in 2021, directed by Reitman’s son, Jason Reitman.

In 1988 he turned a terminator into a comedy star when he cast Arnold Schwarzenegger as Danny DeVito’s twin in, well, Twins. Their collaboration produced another two films, Kindergarten Cop and Junior. In between he made his other twice Golden Globe-nominated film, Dave, starring Kevin Kline, and tried his hand at drama with the Robert Redford starrer Legal Eagles. In all, Reitman produced 74 projects and directed 18 films, four shorts, and one music video (Ray Parker Jr.’s ‘Ghostbusters’).

Born in an ethnic Hungarian town in Czechoslovakia to a mother who had survived Auschwitz and a father who had fought for the resistance, Reitman and his parents moved to Canada when he was four years old. His first job was as a news producer on a TV station in Toronto. At the time of his death at 75, he still had two films in pre-production, Triplets, and Summer of Love. He passed peacefully in his sleep at his house in Montecito, California.

Reitman’s children, Jason Reitman, Catherine Reitman, and Caroline Reitman, told the Associated Press in a joint statement: “Our family is grieving the unexpected loss of a husband, father, and grandfather who taught us to always seek the magic in life. We take comfort that his work as a filmmaker brought laughter and happiness to countless others around the world. While we mourn privately, we hope those who knew him through his films will remember him always.”

At the time of writing, reactions by famous Hollywood stars and fellow filmmakers to Reitman’s death have included words from Paul Feig: “I’m in absolute shock. I had the honor of working so closely with Ivan and it was always such a learning experience. He directed some of my favorite comedies of all time. All of us in comedy owe him so very much. Thank you for everything, Ivan. Truly”; Kindergarten Cop-songwriter Diana Warren: “Very very sad news. thank U for the movies Ivan Reitman”; and Ghostbusters star Ernie Hudson: “I am deeply saddened by the loss of Ivan Reitman. Truly a great man and filmmaker who I had honor and privilege of knowing and working with. Deepest condolences to Jason and the entire family. May he RIP.” Kumail Nanjiani tweeted: “A legend. The number of great movies he made is absurd.” Director Kevin Smith: “Meatballs, Stripes, and Ghostbusters: this trilogy shaped my career […] your movies made my movies. Your work is part of my creative DNA. I’m lucky you ever existed”; and Mindy Kaling: “Ivan Reitman was old school in the best way. I loved working with him.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger had a heartfelt reaction to the loss of his longtime friend and collaborator: “Ivan Reitman is a legend. In Hollywood, he was bigger than life. He was comedy royalty. In life he was mensch- a winderful father and husband,a fantastic friemd, a great human being. He was kind, he was generous, he was smart as hell, and he was always there for you. I am devastated and my thoughts are with the Reitman family. If you knew him, Ivan had a way of making himself part of your story, and he ceretianly wrote a chunk of mine. I’ll always be grateful that he took a chance on this Austrian action-hero in a comedy during a time when studios just waned me to focus on finsing new ways to kill bad guys, blow things up, and show off some muscles. I knew I could make it in comedy, but I needed someone else to know it to make it a reality. That’s why Ivan was a great director and friend: he coud see something in you that other people didn’t, and he could help you show the rest of the world.”