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Christopher Wynkoop (December 7, 1943, Long Branch, New Jersey -- May 4, 2020)1 was an American actor with a career spanning film, television, and stage. He is best known to Ghostbusters fans for his brief appearance as a TV Reporter in the news montage sequence of Ghostbusters (1984), and he accumulated a notable body of work in New York theater alongside supporting roles in several prominent films and television series.
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Wynkoop was born on December 7, 1943 in Long Branch, New Jersey.1 He trained formally at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, graduating in 1965.1
Wynkoop built a substantial career in New York theater, appearing in four Broadway productions over more than a decade.23 He took part in the original Broadway run of the musical City of Angels (December 1989 to January 1992), serving in replacement and understudy capacities for several roles including Commissioner Gaines, Shoeshine, Dr. Mandril, Big Six, Luther Kingsley, and Werner Kriegler.2 In 1993 he appeared in the Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway revival of Eugene O'Neill's Anna Christie, playing Johnny-the-Priest and understudying the role of Chris Christopherson.2 He returned to Broadway in 1996 as understudy for the roles of Dodge and Father Dewis in Sam Shepard's Buried Child,2 and in 2003 he understudied the role of James Tyrone in a revival of O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night.2
Outside Broadway, Wynkoop appeared in a Paper Mill Playhouse production of Annie Get Your Gun in Millburn, New Jersey in 1987.2
Wynkoop accumulated over two dozen screen credits across a career stretching from the late 1970s through the mid-2000s.4 His film highlights include:
His recurring work with Spike Lee over the course of the 1990s and early 2000s made him a familiar face in that director's ensemble of supporting players.4
On television, Wynkoop made guest appearances on several prominent series. He appeared in multiple episodes of Law & Order between 1990 and 1999,4 as well as on Sex and the City (1998) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2000).4
In Ghostbusters (1984), Wynkoop portrayed a TV Reporter who appears briefly during the montage sequence showing the Ghostbusters' rise to public fame.1 The montage uses a series of news-style clips to compress the team's growing celebrity into a short sequence; Wynkoop's reporter is one of the news figures delivering coverage of their success.
Christopher Wynkoop died on May 4, 2020, at the age of 76.1 No cause of death was reported publicly.
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
IMDb, "Christopher Wynkoop," accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0943942/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6
BroadwayWorld, "Christopher Wynkoop," accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Christopher-Wynkoop/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6
Internet Broadway Database, "Christopher Wynkoop," accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/christopher-wynkoop-65775 ↩
The Movie Database, "Christopher Wynkoop," accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/65924-christopher-wynkoop ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9 ↩10 ↩11
