Rick Moranis received a huge welcome while making a rare public appearance at 2026 San Diego Comic-Con!
The 73-year-old actor surprised fans during the Friday (July 24) panel for Spaceballs: The New One, emerging in his Lord Dark Helmet costume before joining co-stars Keke Palmer, Josh Gad, Lewis Pullman, and Daphne Zuniga onstage.
Rick received a standing ovation, per AP News, as he promoted his first live-action movie role in nearly 30 years. With renewed interest in the beloved actor, fans are searching for details about his life away from Hollywood, including his late wife and their two children.
Who was Rick Moranis’ wife?
Rick married costume and makeup designer Ann Belsky in 1986. The couple welcomed two children, Rachel and Mitchell, before Ann died from breast cancer in 1991, per People.
He continued acting for several more years but eventually found it too difficult to balance filming and travel with raising his children as a single father.
“I went from that to being at home with a couple of little kids, which is a very different lifestyle,” Rick told The Hollywood Reporter in 2015. “But it was important to me. I have absolutely no regrets whatsoever. My life is wonderful.”
Rick never considered himself formally retired. He continued writing, recording comedy albums and accepting occasional voice roles, including Disney’s Brother Bear. His most recent live-action film was 1997’s direct-to-video release Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves!
Rachel and Mitchell have largely remained outside the public eye, and Rick has kept details about their adult lives private.
What is Rick Moranis’ new ‘Spaceballs’ movie?
Spaceballs: The New One brings Rick back as Dark Helmet alongside original stars Mel Brooks, Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, and George Wyner.
Josh Gad, Keke Palmer, Lewis Pullman, and Anthony Carrigan are among the franchise newcomers. Josh Greenbaum directed the sequel from a screenplay by Josh, Dan Hernandez, and Benji Samit.
The movie is scheduled to arrive in theaters on April 23, 2027.
Keep up with all the latest 2026 San Diego Comic-Con panels, including for Lanterns, Percy Jackson, The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power, and more!
Click through the gallery to see more photos of Rick Moranis and the Spaceballs: The New One cast at Comic-Con…
Posted To:2026 Comic-con 2026 San Diego Comic-con Anthony Carrigan Comic-Con Daphne Zuniga Event Photos Josh Gad Keke Palmer Kevin Smith Lewis Pullman Rick Moranis Spaceballs