In June 1984, "Ghostbusters" opened in U.S. theaters and became the number-one film in America on its first weekend. Directed by Ivan Reitman and written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis, the comedy about four parapsychologists running a ghost-catching business in New York earned about $370 million worldwide, counting later reissues. It led to "Ghostbusters II" in 1989, and later to "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" in 2021 and "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" in 2024, which brought several original stars back. Here is what the people who answered the call have done since.
Rick Moranis
Rick Moranis, born in Toronto on April 18, 1953, played Louis Tully, the hapless accountant who becomes the Keymaster in "Ghostbusters." He first became known on "SCTV," where he and Dave Thomas created Bob and Doug McKenzie. He then starred in "Little Shop of Horrors," "Spaceballs," "Parenthood" and the "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" films. His wife died in 1991, and in 1997 he stepped back from movies to raise his two children because filming travel was hard to combine with single parenting. He kept working in other ways. His comedy album "The Agoraphobic Cowboy" earned a 2006 Grammy nomination, he voiced Rutt in "Brother Bear," and he appeared in a 2020 Mint Mobile ad with Ryan Reynolds. He is now returning as Dark Helmet in "Spaceballs: The New One," his first live-action film role since 1997. It is set for release on April 23, 2027.
Bill Murray
Bill Murray, born September 21, 1950, in Evanston, Illinois, played the wisecracking Dr. Peter Venkman in "Ghostbusters" and "Ghostbusters II." Before that, he was a "Saturday Night Live" cast member and won a Primetime Emmy for writing on the show. His role as Bob Harris in Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation" (2003) earned him a Golden Globe, a BAFTA and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. He has appeared in ten Wes Anderson films, starting with "Rushmore" in 1998 and most recently "The Phoenician Scheme" in 2025. In 2016, the Kennedy Center awarded him the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. He played Peter Venkman again in "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" (2021) and "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" (2024).
Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd, born July 1, 1952, in Ottawa, Ontario, developed the original "Ghostbusters" script, co-wrote it with Harold Ramis and played the enthusiastic Dr. Raymond Stantz. He was an original "Saturday Night Live" cast member from 1975 to 1979 and won an Emmy for writing in 1977. With John Belushi, he played Elwood in "The Blues Brothers," which he co-wrote. He earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for "Driving Miss Daisy" (1989). Outside acting, he co-founded the House of Blues music venues in 1992 and Crystal Head Vodka, known for its skull-shaped bottle, in 2007. He played Ray Stantz again in "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" and "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" and was an executive producer on both films.
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver, born October 8, 1949, in New York City, played cellist Dana Barrett, whose apartment becomes the center of supernatural trouble in "Ghostbusters." She was already known as Ellen Ripley in "Alien," and "Aliens" (1986) brought her first Oscar nomination. In 1989 she won two Golden Globes for "Gorillas in the Mist" and "Working Girl," the two films that earned her Oscar nominations that year. She later played Dr. Grace Augustine in "Avatar" and Kiri in "Avatar: The Way of Water." In 2024 she received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival, and she made her West End debut as Prospero in "The Tempest." She also returned as Dana in "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" (2021).
Ernie Hudson
Ernie Hudson, born December 17, 1945, in Benton Harbor, Michigan, played Winston Zeddemore, the fourth Ghostbuster, who joins the team after answering a help-wanted ad. He earned a BFA from Wayne State University and studied at the Yale School of Drama. His long career includes "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle," "The Crow," "Congo" and "Miss Congeniality." On television, he played Warden Leo Glynn on HBO's "Oz," Jacob on "Grace and Frankie," and Herbert "Magic" Williams on NBC's "Quantum Leap" revival. He made a cameo in the 2016 reboot and played Winston again in "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" (2021) and "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" (2024).
Annie Potts
Annie Potts, born October 28, 1952, in Nashville, Tennessee, played Janine Melnitz, the Ghostbusters' sharp-tongued receptionist. Two years later she began playing Mary Jo Shively on the CBS sitcom "Designing Women," which ran from 1986 to 1993. Younger audiences know her as the voice of Bo Peep in the "Toy Story" films, including "Toy Story 4" in 2019. From 2017 to 2024 she starred as Connie "Meemaw" Tucker on "Young Sheldon," and she has played Meemaw in a recurring role on "Georgie & Mandy's First Marriage." She played Janine again in "Ghostbusters II," "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" and "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire."
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghostbusters:_Frozen_Empire
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Moranis
- https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/rick-moranis-bill-pullman-reunite-spaceballs-new-132114821
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rick_moranis_(1780617403).jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rick_Moranis_at_San_Diego_Comic_Con_2026-2.jpg
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Murray
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bill_Murray_1989_(cropped).jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bill_Murray_at_the_2025_Sundance_Film_Festival_2_(cropped).jpg
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Aykroyd
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dan_Aykroyd_on_set_of_MTV_Music_Television_NYC.jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dan_Aykroyd_(2009).JPG
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigourney_Weaver
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sigourney_Weaver_1989_(cropped).jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sigourney_Weaver_at_the_2025_Toronto_International_Film_Festival_(cropped).jpg
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernie_Hudson
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ernie_Hudson_-_d%C3%A9dicace_TGS_2011.jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ernie_Hudson_(53986391430).jpg
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annie_Potts
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Annie_Potts_(2087827890)_(cropped).jpg
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Annie_Potts_(53705697262)_(cropped).jpg
