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Kevin Mangold is an American actor, stunt performer, creature performer, director, writer, and editor whose career spans more than four decades across stage, television, film, and professional horse racing.1 He is best known to Ghostbusters fans as the character performer inside the Slimer suit in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024), and also operated the Library Ghost's left arm as a puppeteer in the same film.2
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Mangold grew up in Colorado Springs, Colorado and Susanville, California. His mother died of a brain aneurysm when he was seven years old. In high school he competed in the California State Wrestling Championships, studied acting and martial arts, and held a student body office every year, including serving as student body president. He moved to Los Angeles the day after high school graduation to enroll at the University of Southern California Film School, where he completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theatre.1
Mangold began accumulating screen credits while still in college, including an early guest appearance on Silver Spoons (1986).3 Stage work followed: he toured with the Broadway production of Peter Pan.1 He appeared in more than fifty television commercials and music videos alongside episodic television roles. Early television credits include Saved by the Bell, Silver Spoons, and Ellen.1 While at USC he also ran a computer consulting business serving faculty and students, and he later worked as a production assistant and script supervisor before founding his own post-production company, Dogpile Productions, which offers editing, visual effects, sound mixing, and delivery services primarily to independent filmmakers.4
At age 35, Mangold stepped away from entertainment to pursue professional Thoroughbred horse racing.1 He graduated quickly to top-tier competition, riding at prestigious venues including Santa Anita Park and Hollywood Park against leading jockeys of the era. The career came at considerable physical cost: he survived several life-threatening falls requiring multiple neck and back surgeries.4 After nine years on the track, he briefly returned to racing before concluding that stunt performance was the safer vocation.1
The 2003 film Seabiscuit served as the pivot back to Hollywood. Mangold appeared in the film as a Saratoga Jockey (also credited as Stunt Jockey), drawing on his real-world experience.3 From there he transitioned into stunt doubling, creature performance, and puppetry. Television stunt credits include Grimm (2015), American Horror Story (2015-2019), Everybody Hates Chris (2009), Zeke and Luther, Fresh Off the Boat (2018), and The Rookie (2021). Film stunt credits include Captain Fantastic (2016) and Brightburn (2019).3
Mangold's background in physical discipline from nine years of Thoroughbred racing translated directly into the precise body control required for creature and suit performance. Notable creature credits include:
Mangold holds more than 70 IMDb credits spanning acting, stunt coordination, directing, producing, visual effects supervision, and editing.1
Beyond performance, Mangold has worked as a writer and director. He wrote a collection of short stories titled There Are No Grown-Ups8 and three screenplays: Conflict, Putz, and The Track (based on the world of professional horse racing).1 His directorial debut was The Apprentice Jockey, a documentary following four jockey hopefuls through the process of becoming professional race riders.1
Creature designer Arjen Tuiten and creature effects supervisor Kevin McTurk approached Mangold about a role on Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire but deliberately withheld the character's identity to prevent spoiler leaks. Mangold accepted without knowing which role he would be playing.2
Mangold served as the character performer inside the Slimer suit for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024). The practical suit was fabricated by Billy Bryan, who has deep Ghostbusters history as the maker of the original Stay Puft Marshmallow Man costume. Sculptor credits include Leland Stewart, Danny Wagner, and Tanner White, with foam work by Bill Fesh.2 The production team's stated goal was for Slimer to "stay true to the original recipe of the 1984 film," making Bryan's involvement particularly meaningful.2 Mangold's combination of precise physical control developed over nine years as a professional jockey and his accumulated background in creature performance made him a strong fit for a character whose whole personality is expressed through body movement.
In addition to performing inside the Slimer suit, Mangold served as a puppeteer on the Library Ghost sequences, specifically operating the Library Ghost's left arm. Other puppeteers on the film's creature sequences included Geoff Redknap and Robin Guiver.2
Some content on this page was researched using the Ghostbusters Wiki on Fandom.
Kevin Mangold, "Bio," kevinmangold.com, accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.kevinmangold.com/BIO.html ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6 ↩7 ↩8 ↩9
Ghostbusters News, "Behind-the-scenes look at Slimer's return in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire" (March 10, 2024), https://ghostbustersnews.com/2024/03/10/behind-the-scenes-look-at-slimers-return-in-ghostbusters-frozen-empire/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5 ↩6
"Kevin Mangold," IMDb, accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1077299/ ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4
SHOUTOUT LA, "Meet Kevin Mangold: Producer & Stuntman" (December 14, 2020), https://shoutoutla.com/meet-kevin-mangold-producer-stuntman/ ↩ ↩2
"The Primevals," Wikipedia, accessed 2026-06-13, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Primevals ↩
Moose Media Inc, "Kevin Mangold: Ghostbusters & The Primevals" (December 13, 2024), https://moosemedianc.home.blog/2024/12/13/kevin-mangold-ghostbusters-the-primevals-1st-day-of-christmas/ ↩
Countdown City Geeks, "Discussion with creature actor and stuntman Kevin Mangold" (August 26, 2024), https://countdowncitygeeks.com/2024/08/26/discussion-with-creature-actor-and-stuntman-kevin-mangold-interview/ ↩
Kevin Mangold author profile, Smashwords, accessed 2026-06-13, https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/kevinmangold ↩
