| Raymond "Ray" Stantz | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Ghostbusters (1984) |
| Last appearance | Ghostbusters: The Video Game (2009) |
| Created by | Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis |
| Portrayed by | Dan Aykroyd (Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Ghostbusters: The Video Game) Frank Welker (Real Ghostbusters, Extreme Ghostbusters guest star) |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Ray |
| Aliases | Thurman |
| Species | Human |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | physicist/parapsychologist Ghostbuster |
| Title | PhD |
| Relatives | Aunt Lois Uncle Andrew MacMillan |
| Religion | Agnostic |
| Nationality | American |
Raymond "Ray" Stantz, Ph.D., is a fictional scientist and member of the Ghostbusters, appearing in the films Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, and Casper (played by Dan Aykroyd) and in the animated television series The Real Ghostbusters (voiced by Frank Welker). He is one of the three doctors of parapsychology on the team, along with Dr. Peter Venkman and Dr. Egon Spengler.
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Ray is considered the "heart" of the Ghostbusters by the other members of the team. He is an expert on paranormal history and metallurgy. He is characterized by his almost childlike enthusiasm towards his work, and his forthright acceptance of paranormal activity. Though he expresses skepticism toward Christianity, he is extremely knowledgeable about the Bible, even quoting a specific book and chapter--"I remember Revelation 7:12"-- about the end of the world (though the passage he quotes is actually Revelation 6:12). He is known for his wordy and overly technical explanations of scientific and paranormal phenomena. Ray, along with Egon, is responsible for pioneering the Ghostbusters' theories and designing and building the equipment used for catching and containing ghosts.
Dan Aykroyd made an appearance with Bill Murray as Ghostbusters for a critically ill child whose dream was to meet them.[1] Aykroyd did a cameo as Stantz in the 1995 movie version of Casper.[2]
Ray has a completely extended family (which has different nationalities ranging from Swiss to Scottish to Russian), including his Aunt Lois (who appears in the episode, "The Spirit of Aunt Lois"), and Uncle Andrew MacMillan of Dunkeld, Scotland (who is mentioned as being deceased in "Bustman's Holiday").
Ray was born in the Bronx, according to Citizen Ghost, then later moved to Morrisville, which appears in Look Homeward Ray. The latter episode also reveals that Ray's childhood crush was a brunette named Elaine.
During the shows run he was the closest member of the team to being a pilot, having won a free flying lesson in 1976, as mentioned in You Can't Take It With You.
Ray's surname was misspelled in the series as Stanz, in much the same way as Winston Zeddemore's surname was misspelled Zeddmore.
Ray only appears in the two-part series finale. After the closing down of the Ghostbusters Ray got a job at a major university. After a "minor mishap", which was followed by a large explosion, he has a job at Perpetual Motors, a used car company.
Dan Aykroyd, as well as all the other main characters, appeared in 2009's Ghostbusters video game.[3]
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