Washington [US], February 14 (ANI): Ivan Reitman, the Hollywood director and producer behind popular films such as ‘Animal House’, ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Stripes’, has passed away. He was 75 when he breathed his last.
As per Variety, the veteran director-producer died in his sleep on February 12 in Montecito, California. The cause of his death is not known yet. Born in Czechoslovakia and raised in Canada, Reitman made his first major impression as the producer of ‘National Lampoon’s Animal House’ (1978), the madcap, wildly successful frat comedy that introduced ‘Saturday Night Live’ star John Belushi to big-screen audiences.
His success was later followed by directing comedy films ‘Meatballs’ and ‘Stripes’ starring Bill Murray. His hard work continued to open doors and even helped him earn two Oscar nominations after producing and directing ‘Ghostbusters’ in 1984. The movie grossed nearly USD 300 million worldwide following its release. It has since generated spinoffs, television shows and a new film, ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’, which his son, Jason, directed last year. Reitman’s other notable credits in his celebrated career include ‘Kindergarten Cop’, ‘Junior’, ‘Beethoven’, ‘Old School and Six Days’, ‘Seven Nights’, among others. Reitman’s more recent directorial efforts included his last feature, ‘Draft Day’ with Kevin Costner, rom-com ‘No Strings Attached’ and ‘My Super Ex-Girlfriend’. In 2009, he co-produced ‘Up in the Air’, a comedy-drama starring George Clooney as a peripatetic corporate downsizing specialist. Directed and co-written by his son Jason, the film garnered an Academy Award nod as best picture and collected the Oscar for best adapted screenplay. Reitman is survived by his wife Genevieve, his son Jason, a director, and daughters Catherine, a TV actor-writer-producer, and Caroline.
