Rarely seen 90s movie icon, 72, is unrecognisable as he makes a low key arrival in Sydney

He’s the beloved 90s movie star who is preparing to make an anticipated return to the silver screen after a decades-long hiatus.

And Rick Moranis looked almost unrecognisable as he touched down in Sydney on Thursday.

The Ghostbusters star, 72, is in the country to film scenes for the upcoming sequel to the iconic Mel Brooks Star Wars spoof, Spaceballs.

Rick cut quite a low-key figure for the flight, wearing a comfortable-looking navy blue fleece jacket over an off-white collared shirt.

He also wore a pair of khaki chinos and a pair of black sneakers, dialling up the ‘incognito’ factor with a light grey cap.

The actor was spotted wheeling his own luggage and carrying a black backpack on his shoulders.

The Ghostbusters star, 72, is in the country to film scenes for the upcoming sequel to the iconic Mel Brooks Star Wars spoof, Spaceballs

Rick appeared in good spirits after his long flight, happily chatting to airport staff who were escorting him through the terminal.

Despite his best efforts, Rick was spotted by some fans as he exited the airport and the star was more than happy to pose for a few photos.

He was also spotted smiling and happily chatting to an excited fan as he made is way to a waiting car.         

The talented actor made the decision to focus on being a single father after losing his wife, costume designer Ann Belsky, to breast cancer in February 1991. 

The couple had two children together: Rachel and Mitchell.

Rick, who was born in Toronto, Canada, secured his big break when he appeared in the 1983 film Strange Brew.

He then appeared in a string of commercially successful films, including Ghostbusters in 1984, Spaceballs in 1987, and two films in 1989, Ghostbusters II and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

The original Honey, I Shrunk the Kids was so successful that Rick returned for sequel, Honey, I Blew Up The Kid in 1992.

Rick cut quite a low-key figure for the flight, wearing a comfortable-looking navy blue fleece jacket over an off-white collared shirt

The actor was spotted wheeling his own luggage while carrying a black backpack on his shoulders

Rick appeared in good spirits after his long flight, happily chatting to airport staff who were escorting him through the terminal

Despite his best efforts, Rick was spotted by some fans as he exited the airport and the star and was more than happy to pose for a few photos

His last on-camera role before his decades-long hiatus came when he completed the Honey, I Shrunk The Kids trilogy with the straight-to-video sequel Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves in 1997.

He told USA Today in 2005: ‘As a single parent, I just found that it was too difficult to manage to raise my kids and to do the traveling involved in making movies.

‘So I took a little bit of a break. And the little bit of a break turned into a longer break, and then I found that I really didn’t miss it.’

Rick added: ‘But I’m interested in anything that I would find interesting. I still get the occasional query about a film or television role and as soon as one comes along that piques my interest, I’ll probably do it.’

He was offered a cameo in the 2016 female-driven Ghostbusters reboot alongside co-stars including Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Sigourney Weaver, but turned it down.

‘I wish them well,’ he told the publication. ‘I hope it’s terrific. But it just makes no sense to me. Why would I do just one day of shooting on something I did 30 years ago?’

While Rick has attempted to stay under the radar since retiring from the entertainment industry, he began spending even less time out in public after becoming the victim of an unprovoked attack on New York’s Upper West Side in 2020. 

Rick will be reprising one of his biggest roles as he will once again star as Dark Helmet in the sequel to classic 1987 parody film Spaceballs, announced by comedy legend Mel Brooks in June.

Joining Rick for the Spaceballs sequel is former co-star Bill Pullman who starred as Lone Starr in the original flick, Josh Gad, and Keke Palmer.

The film’s original director Brooks will also be returning and will reprise his role as President Skroob. 

It is slated for release in cinemas in 2027.

He was also spotted smiling and happily chatting to an excited fan as he made is way to a waiting car

Rick will be reprising one of his biggest roles as he will once again star as Dark Helmet in the sequel to classic 1987 parody film Spaceballs, announced by comedy legend Mel Brooks in June

He then appeared in a string of commercially successful films including Ghostbusters (pictured) in 1984, and two films in 1989, Ghostbusters II and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids