Edhat Staff
By edhat staff
Director, producer, and screenwriter Ivan Reitman passed away in Montecito this month. He was 75.
Reitman was best known for his smash hits Ghostbusters, National Lampoon’s Animal House, Meatballs, and Kindergarten Cop. He also co-owned the film production company “The Montecito Picture Company” with Tom Pollock that produced over 20 films.
Born in Czechoslovakia, Reitman’s mother survived the Auschwitz concentration camp and his father was an underground resistance fighter. His family arrived in Canada as refugees when Reitman was four years old. He got a job at a local station in Toronto and moved into stage production. His big break came when he produced National Lampoon’s Animal House in 1978 and directed Meatballs in 1979.
In the 1990s, Reitman moved his family to Montecito and were generous benefactors to many local nonprofits including the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and Cottage Hospital.
Reitman died in his sleep at his home in Montecito on February 12, 2022.
