Appearances Film Ghostbusters (1984) Peter Venkman was a professor working with Egon Spengler and Ray Stantz at Columbia University. The trio were researching the supernatural but, unlike his partners, Peter was not as enthusiastic about the topic. On campus, he attempts to seduce naïve co-eds despite risking his academic career. Despite having a passing interest in ESP, he appears not to have believed in ghosts until witnessing one personally. The team of three discovered the librarian ghost, but were unable to catch and show her off to the public. Subsequently, their funding was cut and they were fired from their university positions, though Peter seemed happy to look for new opportunities. After being fired, the three of them decided to build some advanced paranormal equipment and go into a career of freelance ghost catching. Peter encouraged and prodded Ray to mortgage his house in order to find the capital needed to purchase the firehouse. Whether motivated by the prospect of becoming rich or just the fact that he no longer had to work under the thumb of the board of regents, Dr. Venkman was very motivated to begin a new career. Peter soon became the first to meet the company's first client, Dana Barrett, and formed a romantic interest. Dana had claimed that there were monsters in her fridge even though Peter could not find any such thing. After that incident, Peter, Egon, and Ray were eating dinner at the firehouse when their secretary Janine got a call. Peter and his team came to the Sedgewick Hotel, where Peter came face to face with the ghost that would one day become known as Slimer. Peter was slimed during his first encounter with the ghost, which Ray greatly praised as "actual physical contact." Peter and his team eventually captured the ghost, which soon made them popular and busy around town with other ghosts. Peter had stopped by at one of her orchestra rehearsals. He happened upon her talking to a colleague who played in the orchestra with her, and who was interested her as well. He asked, "Who's the stiff?" and she answers, "The stiff happens to be one of the finest musicians in the world." Peter has found some answers for Dana, but say they can find out more on another night. Peter continues to compliment and flirt in confidence and Dana reluctantly says, trying to keep down a commotion,