Can you believe it’s been 31 years since we first picked up the phone and called our favorite paranormal investigators?
After three decades, the love for the Ghostbusters franchise hasn’t died down and after years of waiting, we’re finally getting treated to more movies! While neither of these films is the Ghostbusters 3 that fans have been clamoring years for, it will still be mind-blowingly awesome to see a new generation of Ghostbusters strap on the proton packs after such a long time.
With that in mind, I thought it would be fun to take a look back at what the original cast of Ghostbusters is up to these days.
Bill Murray – Dr. Peter Venkman
To nobody’s surprise, the man who brought the cantankerous Dr. Peter Venkman to life is still active to this day. Bill is no stranger to success, as the SNL alum has starred in not only Ghostbusters but such beloved films as Groundhog Day, Caddyshack, and Rushmore, which won an obscene amount of awards.
Murray is also well known for providing the voice of Garfield after everyone’s favorite fat orange tabby cat made the jump to the big screen.
As Ghostbusters fans are probably well aware, Murray is notorious for being exceptionally removed from the Hollywood scene. He doesn’t have a manager or an agent and reportedly will only review offers for scripts and roles via a personal phone number and voicemail that he checks infrequently.
Dan Aykroyd – Dr. Raymond Stanz
Like Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd remains active to the present day. The longtime actor and screenwriter not only brought the eccentric and jovial Ray Stantz to life in Ghostbusters, he was also an original “Not Ready For Prime Time Player” cast member on SNL and starred in the cult musical comedy The Blues Brothers as Elwood Blues.
In recent years, Aykroyd has notably appeared in Ghostbusters: The Video Game alongside fellow Ghostbusters alums Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Harold Ramis and Annie Potts, as well as William Atherton and Brian Doyle-Murray.
Currently, Dan is working with Sony as a part of the newly founded production company Ghostcorps on a Ghostbusters sequel that will serve as a companion to the all-female reboot coming out in 2016.
Harold Ramis – Dr. Egon Spengler
Harold Ramis was a comedy genius and listing his accomplishments would take more space than this article allows.
The man behind the beloved Egon Spengler also brought Russel Ziskey to life in Stripes and worked as a writer-director for such classics as Caddyshack, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Groundhog Day and Analyze This.
Tragically, the world became a decidedly less funny and bright place as Harold Ramis passed away in February of 2014 from complications brought on by vasculitis but his legacy speaks for itself and his films have influenced generations of both comedians and comedy writers.
Ernie Hudson – Winston Zeddemore
Ernie Hudson was so much more than just much-needed 4th Ghostbuster Winston Zeddemore. He was often the voice of reason and logic, making him an excellent foil to the eccentric antics of Drs. Venkman, Stenz and Spengler.
Since his work in Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II, Hudson has lent his talents to The Super Mario Bros. Super Show!, The Ben Stiller Show, more modern shows like Psych and Secret Life of the American Teenager and most recently guest-starred in new TV series Scorpion as Brooks, the head air traffic controller at LAX.
Rick Moranis – Louis Tully
Ahh, Louis. What wasn’t to love about the ultimate underdog of Ghostbusters?
Rick Moranis is truly a once-in-a-lifetime kind of actor and his filmography backs that up. Moranis has appeared in not only both Ghostbusters movies, but also cult classics such as Little Shop of Horrors, Spaceballs, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.
While he has provided some voice-work for animated films since, Rick hasn’t actually appeared in a live-action film since 1997.
Though that might seem a bit strange for such a prolific funny man, the reasoning behind Moranis’s departure from Hollywood is truly noble, as he chose to voluntarily step away from his red-hot career to focus on being a full-time single dad, following the tragic death of his wife in 1991.
When asked in 2013 about reprising his role as Louis Tully in another Ghostbusters movie, he said,
“I haven’t talked to Dan Aykroyd about it. Somebody he’s associated with called me and I said, ‘I wouldn’t not do it, but it’s got to be good.’ You know, I’m not interested in doing anything I’ve already done, and I thought the second one was a disappointment. But I guess I’m interested in where that guy is now. I sort of see him as being Bernie Madoff’s cellmate in jail. Both of them being so orderly that they race to get up and make their beds.”
Annie Potts – Janine Melnitz
The Ghostbusters’ faithful secretary and confidante hasn’t lost a step!
Annie has appeared in a number of popular 80’s films including both Ghostbusters movies, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, and Who’s Harry Crumb?
Perceptive fans will also recognize her voice acting work from the first two Toy Story films as she lent her voice to Woody’s love interest Bo Peep.
Most recently, Potts has appeared on various sitcoms and television shows and most recently starred as Gigi Stopper on ABC’s comedy-drama series GBC in 2012.
Sigourney Weaver – Dana Barrett
Of all of the original cast, Sigourney Weaver has gone on to have perhaps the most prolific film career, at least in terms of sheer visibility.
While she is known for playing Dr. Venkman’s would-be girlfriend Dana Barrett in Ghostbusters, her most well-known role has got to be the heroic Ellen Ripley in the epic Alien franchise.
Weaver’s best trait is likely her versatility, as she has done everything from action, to horror, to drama, to comedy and everything in between. Most recently, Sigourney can be seen as Michelle Bradley in Chappie and is credited as “Grandma” in upcoming 2016 film A Monster Calls, which is currently in post-production.
Harold Ramis died last year on February 24th 2014. He was healthy till that happened to him. It started sometime in 2011 not 2010 so get the facts straight. He will Always be missed from his Ghostbusters Fans including myself. R.I.P.
Patrick, thank you very much for pointing out my obvious blunder! I must have been typing in a hurry because that was one heck of a flub. The article has been edited to display the correct information. Thank you for taking the time to comment and bring that to my attention! I hope the rest of the article was enjoyable.