cast of ghost the movie

Full Cast & Crew: Ghost (1990)

Patrick Swayze

Molly Jensen

Tony Goldwyn

Carl Bruner

Stanley Lawrence

Elevator Man

Christopher J. Keene

Susan breslau, martina deignan.

Rose (as Martina Degnan)

Rick Kleber

Mover (as Richard Kleber)

Macka Foley

Rick Aviles

Willie Lopez

Emergency Room Ghost

Sam Tsoutsouvas

Sharon breslau.

Cemetery Ghost (as Sharon Breslau Cornell)

Vincent Schiavelli

Subway Ghost

Angelina Estrada

Rosa Santiago

Armelia McQueen

Oda Mae's Sister

Whoopi Goldberg

Oda Mae Brown

Thom Curley

Workman in Loft

Stephen Root

Police Sgt.

Laura Drake

Policewoman

Augie Blunt

Alma Beltran

Woman Ghost

Vivian Bonnell

Derek thompson.

Ortisha's Friend

J. Christopher Sullivan

Charlotte zucker.

Bank Officer

Tom Finnegan

Bruce Jarchow

Lyle Furgeson

Sondra Rubin

Faye Brenner

William Cort

Bank Co-Worker

Minnie Summers Lindsey

Apartment Woman (as Minnie Lindsey)

Mabel Lockridge

Apartment Woman

William L. Arance

Dark Ghost (as W.L. Arance)

Mike Jittlov

Wake Guest (uncredited)

Man in Elevator (uncredited)

Robert Buckingham

Suzanne q. burdeau.

Bank Employee (uncredited)

Faith Burton

Nurse (uncredited)

Ken Clayton

Suke-chang eggit, jimmy fields.

Doctor (uncredited)

Anthony Gordon

Arsenio Hall

Arsenio Hall (archive footage) (uncredited)

Steven-Charles Jaffe

Robert lawson, david pfeiffer, louis ramirez, billy marshall thompson.

Boy at Funeral (uncredited)

Roger Trantham

Burton zucker.

Subway Passenger (uncredited)

• Cast & crew
• User reviews

After a young man is murdered, his spirit stays behind to warn his lover of impending danger, with the help of a reluctant psychic. After a young man is murdered, his spirit stays behind to warn his lover of impending danger, with the help of a reluctant psychic. After a young man is murdered, his spirit stays behind to warn his lover of impending danger, with the help of a reluctant psychic.

• Jerry Zucker
• Bruce Joel Rubin
• Patrick Swayze
• Whoopi Goldberg
• 372 User reviews
• 103 Critic reviews
• 52 Metascore
• See more at IMDbPro
• 18 wins & 23 nominations total

• Molly Jensen

• Oda Mae Brown

• Carl Bruner
• Elevator Man
• (as Martina Degnan)

• (as Richard Kleber)

• Willie Lopez

• Emergency Room Ghost
• Cemetery Ghost
• (as Sharon Breslau Cornell)

• Subway Ghost
• Rosa Santiago

• Oda Mae's Sister
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia The role of Oda Mae Brown was not written with Whoopi Goldberg in mind, but Patrick Swayze , an admirer of hers, convinced the producers that she would be right for the part.
• Goofs There are a number of inconsistencies concerning Sam touching things when his hands should have gone through. For example, when Sam is in the hospital after his murder he gets out of the chair by grabbing hold of the arm-rests to push himself up out of the chair. However, these could be explained that those things he is trying to intentionally manipulate require concentration, but things that he's used to doing or doing without thought don't require concentration at all as they are instinctively easy.

[last lines]

Sam Wheat : It's amazing, Molly. The love inside, you take it with you. See ya.

Molly : See ya. Bye.

• Crazy credits The opening credits are half transparent like a ghost.
• Alternate versions There are two different versions for the same scene. In one Oda Mae talks to Molly about Sam' s ghost behind Molly' s apartment door. However, in the other version, Molly comes down to the street and meets Oda Mae, and at the next scene they are discussing about Sam at a coffee place.
• Connections Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Quick Change/Arachnophobia/Ghost/The Adventures of Ford Fairlaine/Jetsons: The Movie (1990)
• Soundtracks I'm Henry the VIII, I Am by Fred Murray and R.P. Weston Performed by Patrick Swayze

User reviews 372

• TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews
• May 13, 2006
• How long is Ghost? Powered by Alexa
• Why did Carl berate Willie for killing Sam?
• Is it true Paul Hogan was offered to play Sam Wheat but turned it down?
• Did Sam intend to kill Carl out of revenge by having him fatally impaled with glass?
• July 13, 1990 (United States)
• United States
• 104 Prince Street, Soho, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA (Molly and Sam's apartment)
• Paramount Pictures
• Howard W. Koch Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $22,000,000 (estimated)
• $217,631,306
• $12,191,540
• Jul 15, 1990
• $505,703,557

Technical specs

• Runtime 2 hours 7 minutes

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• TV Listings
• Cast & Crew

Ghost - Full Cast & Crew

• 52   Metascore
• 2 hr 6 mins
• Drama, Suspense
• Watchlist Where to Watch

A murdered New York banker returns to protect his girlfriend, with help from a psychic.

Screenwriter

Executive producer, assoc. producer, cinematographer, production company, distributor, art director, sound mixer, sound effects, sound/sound designer, special effects, production designer.

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1990, Fantasy/Romance, 2h 7m

What to know

Critics Consensus

Ghost offers viewers a poignant romance while blending elements of comedy, horror, and mystery, all adding up to one of the more enduringly watchable hits of its era. Read critic reviews

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Ghost videos, ghost   photos.

Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) is a banker, Molly Jensen (Demi Moore) is an artist, and the two are madly in love. However, when Sam is murdered by friend and corrupt business partner Carl Bruner (Tony Goldwyn) over a shady business deal, he is left to roam the earth as a powerless spirit. When he learns of Carl's betrayal, Sam must seek the help of psychic Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg) to set things right and protect Molly from Carl and his goons.

Rating: PG-13

Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Original Language: English

Director: Jerry Zucker

Producer: Lisa Weinstein

Writer: Bruce Joel Rubin

Release Date (Theaters): Jul 13, 1990  original

Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013

Box Office (Gross USA): $214.3M

Runtime: 2h 7m

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Production Co: Paramount Pictures

Sound Mix: Stereo, Dolby SR, Surround

Aspect Ratio: 35mm

Cast & Crew

Patrick Swayze

Molly Jensen

Whoopi Goldberg

Oda Mae Brown

Tony Goldwyn

Carl Bruner

Rick Aviles

Willie Lopez, Burgler

Oda Mae's Sister

Armelia McQueen

Vincent Schiavelli

Subway Ghost

Stephen Root

Police Sergeant

Jerry Zucker

Bruce Joel Rubin

Steven-Charles Jaffe

Executive Producer

Lisa Weinstein

Associate Producer

Maurice Jarre

Original Music

Adam Greenberg

Cinematographer

Walter Murch

Film Editing

Janet Hirshenson

Jane Jenkins

Production Design

Mark W. Mansbridge

Art Director

Joe D. Mitchell

Set Construction

Kendall Errair

Costume Design

Eric Harrison

Dawn J. Jackson

News & Interviews for Ghost

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Critic Reviews for Ghost

Audience reviews for ghost.

Iconic and heartwarming, this romantic thriller film delivers strong performances and memorable sequences despite an occasional lack of sophistication in the production.

"Ghost" is one of those films that is filmmaking at its most effective: It is uncomplicated, entertaining and engrossing with surprisingly good performances. And while many may scoff at the film as pure fluff, their scoffs unfairly overlook "Ghost"'s amazing balance of drama, comedy and action - a feat that is very hard to achieve in films. "Ghost" is smart enough to work off a very uncomplicated script. The plot is very basic and doesn't try to fool you with too many twists and turns - keeping the twists to just one very effective one at the film's climax. This allows the viewer to just engross themselves into the lives of the characters without having too much to figure out. You become invested in the central relationship. The performances work. "Ghost" takes advantage of Whoopi Goldberg at her best and she plays Oda Mae Brown with a gusto that makes her irresistible. She carries the film's comedy squarely on her shoulder but doesn't venture into cartoonish territory allowing Oda Mae's journey to be just as important to the viewer as Sam and Molly's. Speaking of Molly Jensen and her doomed lover Sam Wheat (the titular Ghost), they are played with uncomplicated effectiveness by star-on-the-rise Demi Moore and hot-after-"Dirty Dancing" Patrick Swayze. She cries. He swoons. And Swayze proves to have just as much chemistry with Goldberg as he does with Moore. While Goldberg got the Academy Award and Moore became an A-lister, Swayze is the one that anchors the film. Jerry Zucker assembles this film amazingly well. He keeps it simple, he knows that when a scene is meant to make you swoon he puts it on overdrive (the use of "Unchained Melody" in the pottery scene is brilliant). When the scene is meant to make you laugh he doesn't get in the way of the joke - nothing else happens. When he wants you to feel Molly's sadness, a major close up of her crying face and falling tears is in frame. Zucker guides the movie effectively. "Ghost" is an underrated gem. Not the most substantive film, but so what? It's funny, it's sad, it's romantic, it's thrilling. Just what a pure Hollywood film needs to be. Nothing more, nothing less.

I only thought this was okay when I saw it as a kid, but now that I'm older, more seasoned in film criticism, and less ironically embracing of supernatural melodrama, I can truly appreciate Ghost for the stylish, thrilling, Academy Award-winning tearjerker it is. If you don't wanna throw some pots after watching this, you're dead to me.

A very heartwarming, charming and smart movie, with a flawless funny script, original and great special effects, and with powerful performances. This movie literally showcases the whole cast, Patrick Swayze was great, Demi Moore was fascinating, Whoopi Goldberg was just plain awesome, if there is someone that can make you laugh your pants out, its Whoopi Goldberg, she had that comedic and dramatic power and she definitely pulled it off, and that gained her an Oscar. And I like how the story says that if you die good, you go to heaven or you stay for a while in the real world, and the people who die bad go directly to hell, and they never come back. And when that is displayed in the screen on how they go to hell is terrifying. Another element I like is how the dead who are still in the world can walk through anything, even move things, if they really concentrate, and it gives you that feeling, that when something moves alone, its a spirit thats still in Earth. All I can say is that Ghost was fantastic, it showcases its cast, its original, its very funny, and says things that are very true, and I was glad I saw this movie.

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See the Cast of ‘Ghost’ Then and Now

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Released in 1990, 'Ghost' starred Patrick Swayze as Sam Wheat, a man who dies as a result of a mugging gone awry, but his love for his fiance allows him to remain on Earth as a ghost. With the help of a psychic, Sam tries to avenge his death and reconnect with his fiance to resolve lingering issues before he moves on to the afterlife. Twenty-three years later, we revisit the cast of the film and see where they are now.

Patrick Swayze, Sam Wheat

Then:  Patrick Swayze played Sam Wheat, the man who is murdered in a botch mugging, but whose ghost remains on earth to handle unfinished business. Producer Bruce Joel Rubin wanted Swayze, but director Jerry Zucker didn't feel he was right for the role. Tons of big-name actors passed on the part, including Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis, John Travolta and Johnny Depp. The part ultimately went to the 'Dirty Dancing' star, who blew Zucker away at the audition.

Now:  Swayze went on to appear in 'Point Break,' 'To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar,' 'Donnie Darko' and 'Powder Blue.' Sadly, Swayze passed away in 2009 at the age of 57, due to complications from pancreatic cancer.

Demi Moore, Molly Jensen

Then:  Demi Moore played Molly Jensen, Sam's fiance who reconnects with his ghost through the help of a psychic medium. Fellow brat pack member Molly Ringwald turned down the part, as did Meg Ryan. Nicole Kidman auditioned, but the role eventually went to 'St. Elmo's Fire' star Demi Moore.

Now:  Since then, Moore has appeared in several films -- most notably, 'A Few Good Men,' 'Indecent Proposal,' 'Striptease' and 'G.I. Jane.' More recently, she appeared in 'Margin Call' and 'LOL.' Moore was previously married to Bruce Willis and Ashton Kutcher.

Whoopi Goldberg, Oda Mae Brown

Then:  Patti LaBelle auditioned for the role of psychic Oda Mae Brown, but the part went to Whoopi Goldberg. Although Jerry Zucker didn't have her in mind, he was convinced by Patrick Swayze, who was an admirer of Goldberg's. Goldberg, a comedienne and actress, had previously starred in 'The Color Purple' and 'Jumpin' Jack Flash.'

Now:  Goldberg starred in both 'Sister Act' films, lent her voice to the role of Shenzi the hyena in 'The Lion King,' and made a cameo appearance in Tyler Perry's 'Madea Goes to Jail.' She went on to appear in Perry's 'For Colored Girls,' and provided the voice of Stretch in 'Toy Story 3.' She can be seen next in the Michael Bay-produced 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' and the James Franco-co-directed 'Black Dog, Red Dog.'

Tony Goldwyn, Carl Bruner

Then:  Tony Goldwyn, a then relatively unknown actor, played Carl Bruner, Sam's friend and colleague -- it's Carl who orchestrates the mugging on Sam that results in his death.

Now:  Goldwyn went on to star in 'The Pelican Brief,' 'Nixon' and 'Kiss the Girls,' and more recently appeared in 'The Last House on the Left' and 'The Mechanic.' He can be seen next in the upcoming young-adult adaptation 'Divergent,' and currently stars on the drama series 'Scandal.'

Rick Aviles, Willie Lopez

Then:  Comedian Rick Aviles played Willie Lopez, the guy who ends up murdering Sam in the botched robbery.

Now:  Aviles appeared in 'Carlito's Way' and 'Waterworld,' and voiced one of the cockroaches in the MTV movie 'Joe's Apartment.' He also played Rat Man in the TV miniseries version of Stephen King's 'The Stand.' Unfortunately, Aviles died in 1995 at the age of 42.

Stephen Root, Police Sergeant

Then:  Actor Stephen Root was just getting his career started when he was cast in 'Ghost' as the police sergeant investigating the murder of Sam.

Now:  Root currently stars on the HBO series 'Boardwalk Empire,' but is perhaps best known for the role of Milton, the mumbling office worker obsessed with his red stapler in 'Office Space.' Root has dozens upon dozens of film and television credits to his name, and recently appeared in the films 'Rango,' 'The Company You Keep' and 'The Lone Ranger.'

Vincent Schiavelli, Subway Ghost

Then:  Vincent Schiavelli, an actor known for his peculiar appearance and demeanor, played the ghost on the subway. He had previously starred in 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,' 'Night Shift' and 'Amadeus.'

Now:  Schiavelli also appeared in the films 'Batman Returns,' 'A Little Princess,' 'The People vs. Larry Flynt,' 'Tomorrow Never Dies,' 'Man on the Moon' and 'Death to Smoochy.' In a tragic coincidence, Schiavelli, like Swayze, also passed away in 2005 at the age of 57 due to cancer.