Walter Peck
3 min read
Walter Peck
Actor Name: William Atherton
Appearances: Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters: The Video Game
Played by William Atherton, Walter Peck is a true odious villain. The original Ghostbusters script describes him simply as, "WALTER PECK, junior E.P.A. administrator". However, when played by Atherton, Walter Peck becomes a scheming, power-hungry, lawyer-like jerk. In fact, according to Harold Ramis, Atherton was so reviled by the public after the movie came out that he claimed people were picking fights with him in bars.
Much of Peck's motivation for destroying the Ghostbusters seems to stem from his belief that they are con artists who "use sense and nerve gasses" to induce hallucination, and when people "think they are seeing ghosts, they call these bozos, who conveniently show up to deal with the problem with a fake, electronic light show!" It seems that there is also a personal vendetta that Peck holds against the Ghostbusters, specifically Dr. Venkman, who attempted to make a fool of Peck during an interview probing for more information about what the Ghostbusters do, trying to diffuse rumors of "wild stories in the media."
Atherton reprises his role in 'Ghostbusters: The Video Game'. Set in 1991, it sees the Ghostbusters working with Peck, who is the head of PCOC (Paranormal Contract Oversight Commission). The larger the amount of damage caused by the player during missions, the more irate Peck becomes in his attitude towards the Ghostbusters, Rookie included.