Bill Murray Headshot
Report a problem with this profile
[email protected]

Bill Murray      

Emmy Award-Winning Comedic Actor; "SNL" and "Ghostbusters"

Actor and comedian Bill Murray was a self-proclaimed troublemaker growing up. In an attempt to find direction in his life, he joined his older brother, Brian Doyle-Murray, in the cast of Chicago's Second City improvisational comedy troupe.

He eventually relocated to New York City where he took his comedic talents on air in National Lampoon Hour. In 1975, both Murray brothers were in an off-Broadway spin-off of the radio show when Bill was spotted by sportscaster Howard Cosell, who recruited him for the cast of his ABC variety program, Saturday Night Live With Howard Cosell. On NBC, a program also named Saturday Night Live was creating a much bigger sensation. A year later producer Lorne Michaels tapped Murray to replace Chevy Chase, who had moved on to pursue a film career.

It was on the set of Saturday Night Live that Murray created the sleazy, insincere comedic character that became his calling card for many films to come. He also earned an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for his work on the show. His first major film role was in the 1979 box office hit Meatballs. This was followed by the biography Where the Buffalo Roam. In 1980, he redeemed himself by going back to his comedic roots with the cult classic Caddyshack. The roll continued with the army farce Stripes in 1981, Tootsie in 1982 and Ghostbusters in 1984. The comedy was one of the decade's biggest hits, spawning a cartoon series, action figures and even a chart-topping theme song.

Murray's next move caught loyal fans off guard. He starred in and co-wrote an adaptation of the W. Somerset Maugham novel The Razor's Edge in 1984, which had been a lifelong dream.

After a hiatus, Murray finally made his comeback in 1988 with Scrooged, a darkly comedic version of Dickens' A Christmas Carol. In 1991, he starred in What About Bob?, which was an unqualified hit followed by the equally acclaimed Groundhog Day in 1993.

In 1998, Murray played what many believed to be one of his finest roles in Wes Anderson's Rushmore. As a business tycoon competing with an eccentric 15-year-old for the affections of a first grade teacher, Murray won Best Supporting Actor from both the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics. The film's success helped put the actor back in the forefront, and he drew further exposure that year from his appearance as a sleazy lawyer in the controversial Wild Things.

Murray garnered additional critical acclaim later in his career, starring in Lost in Translation, which earned him a Golden Globe and a BAFTA Award for Best Actor, as well as an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. He also received Golden Globe nominations for his roles in Ghostbusters, Rushmore, Hyde Park on Hudson, St. Vincent, and the HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge, for which he later won his second Primetime Emmy Award. His comedy is known for its deadpan delivery. Murray received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2016.

Murray appeared as Martin Heiss, a cynical ghost debunker, in the reboot of Ghostbusters, which was released in July of 2016. He continued working with Wes Anderson, appearing in Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel, and voicing a character in the 2018 film Isle of Dogs. He'll work with Anderson again in his next film, The French Dispatch.

He will star in the upcoming Jim Jarmusch film The Dead Don't Die, premiering at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. He will reprise his role from Zombieland in the sequel Zombieland: Double Tap. He will once again work with director and screenwriter Sofia Coppola in On the Rocks.

News


Now On Netflix, 'The Bill Murray Stories' - A Perfect Movie For The ...
For years now, Bill Murray sightings have been the stuff of legend. The time he crashed a bachelor party to offer some unsolicited advice on love. The time he ...
Sofia Coppola and Bill Murray will reunite for Apple and A24 ...
The director and star of “Lost in Translation” are working together again, with Bill Murray starring alongside Rashida Jones in “On the Rocks,” a new film directed ...
'Dead Don't Die' Trailer: Bill Murray, Adam Driver Fight Zombies ...
Bill Murray, Adam Driver and Chloë Sevigny are deputies battling zombies in the first trailer for Jim Jarmusch's "The Dead Don't Die."
Emmys 2015: Bill Murray Wins Outstanding Supporting Actor ...
Bill Murray won the award for outstanding supporting actor in a limited series or movie for his role in the four-part miniseries, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning  ...
Bill Murray Brings Cake And Chaos To David Letterman’s Penultimate Show
Not coincidentally, Murray also was Dave’s very first guest when Letterman made his broadcast TV late-night hosting debut on NBC’s Late Night, back in February of 1982. Murray made good on his threat to Dave back then to “make every second of your life from this moment on a living hell,” smearing Letterman and his snappy suit in a cake-infused hug (Letterman changed suits after Murray headed out to protest).
Bill Murray impersonates Liberace, destroys 'Late Show with David ...
What's the best way to celebrate 20 years of he "Late Show with David Letterman "? By dressing up as Liberace and taking a pickaxe to the set. Comedian Bill ...
Show more news
Bill Murray Is The Best And You Know It
Whether you love him for his early days on "Saturday Night Live," his classic roles in "Ghostbusters" and "Caddyshack," his indie movie comebacks or his ...
Bill Murray appears with black eye, bloody bandage for the 'Late ...
Murray, 62, arrived at the Ed Sullivan Theater on Wednesday looking beat up, sporting a bloody bandage on his forehead and a conspicuous black eye.
The Life And Times Of Bill Murray In One Awesome Infographic
As if being one of "Saturday Night Live's" earliest cast members, starring in a ton of beloved comedies from "Caddyshack" to "Zombieland," and his many notable ...
Bill Murray's excellent adventures: Curious case of the A-list actor ...
One Saturday afternoon the summer I was 16, a couple of friends and I were sitting on a bench in our hometown of Kilkenny, smoking cigarettes and enduring  ...
Show less news

Related Speakers View all


More like Bill