Ivan Reitman OC (27 October 1946 – 12 February 2022) was a Canadian film director and producer. He was best known for his comedy films in the 80s and 90s. He was the owner of The Montecito Picture Company which he founded in 1998.
Films he directed are: Meatballs (1979), Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters (1984), Twins (1988), Ghostbusters II (1989), Kindergarten Cop (1990), Dave (1993), Junior (1994) and Draft Day (2014). He also produced National Lampoon’s Animal House (1978), Heavy Metal (1981), Space Jam (1996), and Private Parts (1997).
Profile Summary
Age
Ivan was born in Komarno, Czechoslovakia on 27th October 1946.
Biography
Ivan Reitman was born in Komárno (now in Slovakia) on October 27 1946, the son of Klara (Raab) and Ladislav “Leslie” Reitman. Both of his parents were Hungarian Jews; his mother survived Auschwitz and his father was an underground resistance fighter. The family emigrated to Canada as refugees when Ivan was four. He attended Oakwood Collegiate in Toronto and was a member of the Twintone Four (singing group). He went on to McMaster University where he earned a B.Mus in 1969. While at McMaster he produced and directed a number of short films.
Personal life and Death
Reitman married Geneviève Robert in 1976. He had two daughters and a son (Jason, who is a film director and is best known for Juno, Thank You for Smoking, Up in the Air and Ghostbusters: Afterlife). His daughter Catherine is the creator, executive producer, writer and star of the CBC comedy series Workin’ Moms. His other daughter Caroline is a nurse in San Diego, California. He and his French-Canadian wife (who converted to Judaism) brought up their children in the same tradition.
