"Ghostbusters"! A Cast Compendium Quiz

Answer: Bill Murray

It's difficult to isolate what role Murray may be best known for in the eighties. He was a staple on "Saturday Night Live". He started the decade as groundskeeper Carl in "Caddyshack" (1980). He followed that up with "Stripes" (1981), "Tootsie" (1982), "Ghostbusters" (1984), "Scrooged" (1988) and closed out the decade with "Ghostbusters 2" (1989).

Answer: Dan Aykroyd

Aykroyd is the true believer of the group of Ghostbusters. From his séance hosting great-grandfather, right on down to his father who co-wrote a historical compilation of the family's séances.

His original script was a dark take on things. Imagine a future where multiple Ghostbuster teams fight giant monsters from outer space. The scale of production would have been completely impossible for the era. Fortunately, he would end up co-writing the movie with Harold Ramis and we got the iconic comedy we know today.

Answer: Harold Ramis

Ramis is the creative force who essentially saved the movie from being unfilmable. He took a working vacation with Aykroyd and Ivan Reitman, the film's director, to Martha's Vineyard. There they spent a couple weeks and completely dismantled the original outer space concept. Ramis brought the story back to Earth.

He also decided his character Egon should never smile or laugh on camera. This created a perfect stiff contrast to the wild energy of the other characters.

Answer: Ernie Hudson

The role was originally written for Eddie Murphy but he was already committed to "Beverly Hills Cop". The film's director, Ivan Reitman, then reached out directly to Ernie Hudson for the role.

In the original draft, the character was an ex-military demolitions expert with a massive backstory who joined the team near the beginning. However, the studio made last-minute script changes that drastically reduced his role just days before filming began. Despite having his screen time cut, Hudson's straightforward performance made him one of the film's most favorite characters.

Answer: Sigourney Weaver

Weaver was also credited for the role of Zuul. At the time, Weaver talked about being relieved to get the gig after having such an intense role in "Alien". During her audition, she proved she was ready for the supernatural part by catching the director completely off guard.

She went full method acting, got down on all fours on his office couch, snarled, and began barking like a dog right at him to show exactly how she would play a possessed creature.

Answer: Annie Potts

Annie Potts perfectly played the receptionist handling the chaos in the business office. Her unique voice and small stature provided a great contrast to the main Ghostbusters team. On her very first day on set, Potts personally chose her character's iconic oversized glasses from a prop box to give the character an authentic New York attitude. Potts returned to the franchise decades later, reprising her classic role for a cameo appearance in "Ghostbusters: Afterlife".

Answer: Casey Kasem

If you listened to the radio during the '80s then you definitely recognized Casey Kasem do a voice-only cameo as himself. Kasem hosted his signature countdown show during the film's "rise to stardom" montage, landing a great piece of pop-culture credibility for a fictional news bit by reporting, "Still making headlines all across the country, the Ghostbusters are at it again...

This is Casey Kasem. Now, on with the countdown."

Answer: Rick Moranis

Rick Moranis got his start on television with "SCTV" in 1980 before landing the role of Louis Tully in "Ghostbusters". Fun fact: John Candy turned the role down. Moranis went on to star in massive hits like "Spaceballs" and "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" before stepping away from acting altogether.

While he has been approached for numerous sequels and reboots over the years, he has never reprised his iconic "Ghostbusters" character.

Answer: William Atherton

William Atherton played the annoying EPA inspector Walter Peck, who constantly pesters the team and gets in the way. He specialized in playing these types of arrogant, self-important characters that audiences love to hate. Action fans also recognize him as the equally irritating and frequently punched TV reporter Richard "Dick" Thornburg in the "Die Hard" franchise.

Answer: David Margulies

David Margulies played the fictional New York City Mayor Lenny Clotch, a character heavily inspired by real-life 1980s mayor Ed Koch. The script directly parodied Koch by mirroring his famous voting demographics and copying an obscure "Be Not Afraid" sign Koch kept on his real desk. Following his time on "Ghostbusters", Margulies went on to land notable roles in prominent 1980s features including "9 1/2 Weeks", "Brighton Beach Memoirs", and "Ishtar".

Answer: Ruth Hale Oliver

Ruth Hale Oliver was originally credited only as the "Library Ghost" in the 1984 film, playing the quiet old lady who gives the audience the movie's first big jump-scare. Her brief performance became a total cult legend for fans. Decades later, creators officially named her Eleanor Twitty in the 2009 "Ghostbusters" video game, turning a nameless background ghost into a massive piece of franchise lore.

Answer: Alice Drummond

Alice Drummond secured the perfect part of the librarian because of her piercing scream when encountering the film's frightening first specter. She also delivers a brilliant, hidden reference when Dr. Venkman interviews her. When she mentions her uncle thought he was Saint Jerome, it is actually a spot-on insider joke by the writers, since Saint Jerome is the patron saint of librarians.

Answer: Slavitza Jovan

Yugoslavian model Slavitza Jovan provided the striking, statuesque presence for Gozer the Gozerian, but she didn't provide the voice. When she actually tried to deliver her menacing lines on camera, her thick European accent caused the set to break up in giggles. To save the terrifying villain, the filmmakers hired Paddi Edwards-a British-born character actress who had relocated to Hollywood decades earlier-to completely dub over her lines in post-production.

Answer: Reginald VelJohnson

Reginald VelJohnson clearly mastered the Hollywood cop vibe starting with his single line as a municipal corrections officer in "Ghostbusters". Delivering the line, "Okay, Ghostbusters. The mayor wants to see you guys. The whole island's going crazy. Let's go," kicked off a legendary run of law enforcement characters.

He went on to play the Twinkie-loving LAPD sergeant Al Powell in "Die Hard", Detective David Sutton in the 1989 buddy-cop hit "Turner & Hooch", and famously spent nine years on television as Chicago police officer Carl Winslow on "Family Matters".

Answer: Jordan Charney

Veteran character actor Jordan Charney played Columbia University Dean Yeager, the man completely responsible for kicking off the plot by firing the guys. While he only had one single scene, the epic roll he went on blasting the trio of doctors is unforgettable.

He brilliantly shut down their paranormal research by calling it "popular tripe" and a "dodge or hustle" before dropping the classic line, "You are a poor scientist, Dr. Venkman!"