Director/Producer Ivan Reitman has been the creative force behind films beloved by audiences around the world. 

From raucous comedies like “Animal House,” “Stripes” and “Ghostbusters,” to more sophisticated delights like “Dave,” “Six Days Seven Nights” and “Twins.”

The career that has brought us so many laughs began in Canada, where his family emigrated from Czechoslovakia when he was four-years-old. 

Ivan Reitman studied music at McMaster University, but soon turned his talents to film and theater.

Shortly after graduation, Reitman delved into film production—first with the extremely low-budget horror comedy “Cannibal Girls,” starring Canada’s Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin, followed by the live television show “Greed,” with Dan Aykroyd as its announcer. 

Ivan Reitman then headed to New York City and produced the Broadway hit “The Magic Show,” starring McMaster friend Doug Henning. 

He continued producing for the stage with the off-Broadway hit “The National Lampoon Show,” where he brought together for the first time the then-unknown John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis and Joe Flaherty. 

Ivan Reitman returned to Broadway with the musical “Merlin,” which earned him Tony nominations for directing and producing. 

While in New York, Ivan Reitman reapplied his talents to filmmaking when he joined forces with National Lampoon and brought us the groundbreaking sensation “Animal House.”  Following the success of that film, Reitman returned home to Canada to direct “Meatballs,” still considered one the most successful films ever made in Canada.

The string of hits continued with “Stripes” and the “Ghostbusters” series, which teamed Bill Murray with Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis; “Dave” (Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver); “Legal Eagles” (Robert Redford, Debra Winger); “Six Days Seven Nights” (Harrison Ford, Anne Heche); “Evolution” (David Duchovny, Julianne Moore); and a series of films that revealed an untapped comic persona for action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger—“Twins,” “Junior” (both co-starring Danny Devito) and “Kindergarten Cop.”

Ivan Reitman’s list of producing credits is equally extensive.  He produced the family features “Beethoven” and “Beethoven’s 2nd”and the HBO telefilm “The Late Shift,” which received seven Emmy nominations. 

Other producing endeavors include “Heavy Metal,” Howard Stern’s “Private Parts,” the animation/live action film “Space Jam” (which teamed Michael Jordan with the Looney Tunes characters) and the teen comedy hits “Road Trip,” “Eurotrip” and “Old School,” starring Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson.

In 1984, Reitman was honored as Director of the Year by the National Association of Theater Owners and the next year received a Special Achievement Award at the Canadian Genie Awards.  In 1979 and again in 1989 (for the films “Animal House” and “Twins”), Reitman was honored with the People’s Choice Award. 

In November of 1994, Reitman became the third director honored by Variety magazine in a special Billion Dollar Director issue. 

At the end of the year 2000, Reitman’s films “Animal House” and “Ghostbusters” were honored as two of this past century’s funniest movies by the American Film Institute. 

He currently heads The Montecito Picture Company, a film and television production company, with partner Tom Pollock, in association with DreamWorks, SKG.

Reitman recently directed “My Super Ex-Girlfriend,” which is now in worldwide release, and is the executive producer of the smash Canadian comedy “The Big Dirty,” starring the comedy troupe Trailer Park Boys.

Ivan Reitman has been married to former Quebec film actress Genevieve Robert for over 30 years.  Together, they have three children and live in Santa Barbara, California.