Simply put, Ivan Reitman’s supernatural comedy “Ghostbusters” is one of the most popular and iconic movies ever made.
Released on June 8, 1984, the movie featured a brilliant cast that included Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Sigourney Weaver, and Rick Moranis â each of whom shared flawless chemistry and camaraderie with their talented co-stars.
More than 41 years after it hit theaters, wouldn’t it be interesting to compare how the core cast looked back in 1984 to how they look now? Well then, let’s do exactly that…
Bill Murray (Peter Venkman)
Bill Murray played the sarcastic, lackadaisical, and womanizing parapsychologist Peter Venkman â one of the three founding members of the eponymous team â in “Ghostbusters.”
Age when “Ghostbusters” released: 33.
Selected credits before “Ghostbusters”: Meatballs (1979), Caddyshack (1980), Stripes (1981).
Age now: 75.
Selected credits after “Ghostbusters”: Scrooged (1988), Groundhog Day (1993), Lost in Translation (2003).
Filmography info per IMDb.
Dan Aykroyd (Ray Stantz)
Dan Aykroyd played parapsychologist Ray Stantz â the second of the three founding members of the eponymous team â in “Ghostbusters.” Stantz is characterized by his childlike enthusiasm and unwavering belief in the paranormal.
Age when “Ghostbusters” released: 31.
Selected credits before “Ghostbusters”: The Blues Brothers (1980), Trading Places (1983), Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983).
Age now: 73.
Selected credits after “Ghostbusters”: Dragnet (1987), My Girl (1991), Chaplin (1992).
Filmography info per IMDb.
Harold Ramis (Egon Spengler)
Harold Ramis played the lanky, bespectacled, geeky, and blunt Egon Spengler â the third of the three founding members of the eponymous team â in “Ghostbusters.”
Age when “Ghostbusters” released: 39.
Selected credits before “Ghostbusters”: Stripes (1981), Heavy Metal (1981), National Lampoon’s Vacation (1983).
Age now: Sadly passed away in 2014 aged 69.
Selected credits after “Ghostbusters”: Groundhog Day (1993), As Good as It Gets (1997), Year One (2009).
Filmography info per IMDb.
Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore)
Ernie Hudson played Winston Zeddemore, the working class New Yorker who responds to a help-wanted advertisement the eponymous team posted in an attempt to deal with their sizable workload, becoming their fourth and final member.
Age when “Ghostbusters” released: 38.
Selected credits before “Ghostbusters”: The Octagon (1980), Going Berserk (1983), Two of a Kind (1983).
Age now: 80.
Selected credits after “Ghostbusters”: The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992), The Crow (1994), Congo (1995).
Filmography info per IMDb.
Sigourney Weaver (Dana Barrett)
Sigourney Weaver played Dana Barrett in “Ghostbusters.” Barrett was a talented cellist living at 550 Central Park West who called the eponymous team when strange things started happening in her apartment. She gets possessed by the demon Zuul, aka the Gatekeeper.
Age when “Ghostbusters” released: 34.
Selected credits before “Ghostbusters”: Annie Hall (1977), Alien (1979), The Year of Living Dangerously (1982).
Age now: 76.
Selected credits after “Ghostbusters”: Gorillas in the Mist (1988), Working Girl (1988), Avatar (2009).
Filmography info per IMDb.
Rick Moranis (Louis Tully)
Rick Moranis played Louis Tully in “Ghostbusters.” Tax attorney Tully was a peculiar and nerdy neighbor of Dana Barrett’s who gets possessed by the demon Vinz Clortho, aka the Keymaster.
Age when “Ghostbusters” released: 31.
Selected credits before “Ghostbusters”: Strange Brew (1983), Streets of Fire (1984).
Age now: 72.
Selected credits after “Ghostbusters”: Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Spaceballs (1987), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989).
Filmography info per IMDb.
Annie Potts (Janine Melnitz)
Annie Potts played Janine Melnitz, the eponymous team’s straight-talking secretary and confidante, in “Ghostbusters.” Melnitz is attracted to Ghostbuster Egon Spengler.
Age when “Ghostbusters” released: 31.
Selected credits before “Ghostbusters”: Corvette Summer (1978), King of the Gypsies (1978), Heartaches (1981).
Age now: 73.
Selected credits after “Ghostbusters”: Pretty in Pink (1986), Who’s Harry Crumb? (1989), Toy Story (1995).
Filmography info per IMDb.
William Atherton (Walter Peck)
William Atherton played Walter Peck in “Ghostbusters.” Peck was the slimy, cynical, and over-zealous Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inspector who wanted to shut the eponymous team down.
Age when “Ghostbusters” released: 36.
Selected credits before “Ghostbusters”: The Sugarland Express (1974), The Day of the Locust (1975), Independence (1976).
Age now: 78.
Selected credits after “Ghostbusters”: Die Hard (1988), The Pelican Brief (1993), Jinn (2014).
Filmography info per IMDb.
David Margulies (Lenny Clotch)
David Margulies played Lenny Clotch, the vote-obsessed Mayor of New York City who used his power to provide the eponymous team with resources in their fight against Gozer, in “Ghostbusters.”
Age when “Ghostbusters” released: 47.
Selected credits before “Ghostbusters”: All That Jazz (1979), Hide in Plain Sight (1980), I’m Dancing as Fast as I Can (1982).
Age now: Sadly passed away in 2016 aged 78.
Selected credits after “Ghostbusters”: 9½ Weeks (1986), Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994), Hudson River Blue (1997).
Filmography info per IMDb.
Since the original movie, “Ghostbusters” has spawned a franchise that includes three sequels (1989’s “Ghostbusters II,” 2021’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” and 2024’s “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire”) and a reboot (2016’s all-female “Ghostbusters”). Long may it continue to entertain.
May Harold Ramis and David Margulies rest in eternal peace.
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