10 Biggest Movie Douchebags From The 80s

7. William Atherton - Any Movie He Starred In (Ghostbusters, Die Hard, Real Genius)

William Atherton deserves an Honorary Oscar for the number of times he's played a slimy 80s douchebag to detestable perfection. Firstly, there's Walter Peck, the inspector for the Environmental Protection Agency in Ghostbusters, who wants to bring the team up on charges for refusing to co-operate with his investigation into their operations. Then there's Richard "Dick" Thornburg in Die Hard, the irrascible news reporter who hassles John and Holly McClane and gets socked in the face by Holly for it. In Die Hard 2, he ends up on the same plane as Holly, and she ends up tasering him to stop him causing a massive panic both on-board and on the ground. Finally, there's Professor Jerry Hathaway in Real Genius, who in fact turns out to be exploiting his students to help him build a laser weapon he has been contracted to build, while using the funding he was given for the project to remodel his home. At the end, however, the kids re-aim the laser to blast through his house and explode a load of popcorn they filled it with. Justice served.