Harold Ramis, A Generation of Laughter

For those who only remember Harold Ramis as "that actor" in Ghostbusters and Stripes, then you didn't know the dept of one of the most prolific comedy writers of his time. Harold Ramis shaped this generations idea's of what is funny.

In Stripes with Bill Murray (getty images)

Harold Ramis was a master at creating hilarious plots and scenes peopled by indelible characters, among them a groundskeeper obsessed with a gopher, fraternity brothers at war with a college dean and a jaded weatherman condemned to living through Groundhog Day over and over.

In Ghostbusters with Dan Aykroid and Bill Murray (getty images)

Ramis was a writer, director and actor whose energetic but sly silliness helped catapult comedies like Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters, Animal House and Caddyshack to commercial and critical success. He also directed such comedy classic's as National Lampoon's Vacation, Analyze This, Year One, Multiplicity, Analyze That, and The Ice Harvest to name a few.

With Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal on the set of "Analyze This" (getty images)

He even got into some TV directing when he took on episodes of NBC's "The Office"

With Steve Carell on the set of "The Office" (getty images)

He was truly a master at knowing what made people laugh. As he once said himself, “We represent the underdog as comedy usually speaks for the lower classes,” “We attack the winners.”

Harold Ramis died of complications of autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, a disease that involves swelling of blood vessels. He was 69 years old.

Check out this tribute that ran on CNN on Monday.

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