All About Rick Moranis’s Kids and the Tragic Loss That Led to His Hollywood Hiatus
Rick Moranis’s wife died on Feb. 4, 1991.
Published June 17 2025, 1:01 p.m. ET
For a generation of moviegoers, Rick Moranis was a beloved face in comedies like Ghostbusters, Spaceballs, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. Then, at the height of his fame, he stepped away. The reason? Rick Moranis’s kids became the focus of his life after the heartbreaking death of his wife. His quiet retreat from Hollywood was not fueled by scandal or failure but by fatherhood and grief.
In 2025, per Deadline, the actor made headlines with his return to acting. Fans, however, still wonder about the personal story that led to his Hollywood hiatus. Who are his children? What happened to Rick Moranis's wife? Keep reading as we take a closer look at his step out of the spotlight.
Rick Moranis’s kids were his top priority after his wife’s tragic death.
In 1991, Rick's wife, Ann Belsky, a costume designer, died from breast cancer. At the time, he was juggling blockbuster roles and raising their two young children, Mitchell Moranis and Rachel Moranis. Following Ann’s passing, Rick faced a choice: continue his Hollywood career or be present as a single parent.
In an interview with USA Today, Rick explained his decision, saying, "I'm a single parent and I just found that it was too difficult to manage to raise my kids and to do the traveling involved in making movies."
During a 2015 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Rick explained that he would continue to be “picky” with what he did for work for the sake of his children. This included him turning down an offer to participate in a Ghostbusters reboot because the opportunity just didn’t make any sense to him.
He said as he explained his reasoning: “Why would I do just one day of shooting on something I did 30 years ago?”
Mitchell and Rachel have stayed largely out of the spotlight.
Unlike many children of celebrities, Mitchell and Rachel have led lives largely away from Hollywood’s glare. His son Mitchell is credited as an artist and a creative professional with some interests in acting. His daughter Rachel, on the other hand, is a Harvard graduate and entrepreneur.
Both of his children were able to pursue careers that reflected their personal interests. For the most part, fans assume this was largely thanks to their father’s decision to step out of the spotlight to raise them.
According to her LinkedIn profile, Rachel co-founded an app called Stardust. While there are some social media posts that claim Mitchell dabbled in acting like his father, he appears to have largely stayed out of the public eye. Out of respect for their father’s privacy, it appears as if the children opted out of doing interviews or speaking to the press over the years. Unfortunately, this does mean there just isn’t very much known about his children.
Rick’s story is a rare example of a celebrity choosing family over fame — and sticking with it. His legacy isn't just built on the iconic characters he played but on the private choices he made off-screen. Mitchell and Rachel may not be public figures, but they are at the center of one of the most admired decisions in Hollywood: a father stepping back from stardom to raise his children.