Actor/comedian, Bill Murray was born on September 21, 1950 in Wilmette, Illinois. Murray started his career with improvisational comedy groups like Second City Chicago and The National Lampoon Comedy Hour, a radio show in which he starred along with John Belushi.
Murray first came to national prominence when he joined the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live in 1976 during its second season, replacing Chevy Chase after he left the show at the end of its first season. Murray remained with SNL until 1980.
Murray initiated his film career in 1979 with a role in the film Meatballs.
Murray has been married twice. First, to Margaret Keely, whom he married in 1981 and divorced in 1996. In 1997 he married Jennifer Butler. In May of 2008, Butler alleged that he was abusive, adulterous, and was addicted to drugs. Murray commented on the divorce in an October 2008 interview, saying, "I was just dead, just broken... [It] was the worst thing that ever happened to me in my entire life."CNN.com: Bill Murray looks for renewal after 'devastating' divorce (October 8, 2008) The former couple have four children together.
Murray the Party Crasher
In a December 2008 article from the New York Post's Page Six, it was revealed that Murray had developed a habit of "crashing" parties across Manhattan. The article recounts moments when Murray would arrive at an otherwise uncelebrated gathering, mingle, dance and have a few drinks with the people in attendance and then leave. These events took place soon after Murray's divorce with Jennifer Butler became finalized in May of 2008.http://www.nypost.com/pagesixmag/issues/20081207/Bill+Murray+NYCs+New+Party+Boy?page=1
Bill Murray the Bar Tender?
In this video, one can hear the first count recollection of a person that witnessed Bill Murray assume bar tending duties at a trendy New York night spot. The details of the story further exemplifies the "party crashing" activities of Murray as first published in the New York Post's page Six.
Film Career
Murray broke into films in 1979, when he starred in Meatballs. Shortly after that, he appeared in other classic comedy films, such as Caddyshack in 1980, Stripes in 1981, and Tootsie in 1982.
In 1984, Murray starred as "Dr. Peter Venkman" in Ghostbusters, alongside Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Ernie Hudson, Rick Moranis and Sigourney Weaver.
In 1988, Murray played a grumpy television producer who is visited by the three ghosts of Christmas Past in the revamped version of A Christmas Carol, Scrooged. In '91, Murray made the sequel to Ghostbusters, and in 1993 appeared in the comedy Groundhog Day, about a man who keeps repeating the same day over and over again in time.
In 1998, Murray connected with the quirky director, Wes Anderson, and made the film Rushmore. The pair worked together on subsequent films, such as The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Darjeeling Limited.
In 2004, Murray received a Best Actor Oscar Nomination for his dramatic turn in the Sofia Coppola film, Lost in Translation.
Bill Murray First Guest on Late Night with David Letterman
In 1982, Bill Murray was the first guest to appear on the NBC late night talk show, Late Night with David Letterman. In this video clip, Murray sings a portion of the Olivia Newton song, Let's Get Physical, during his appearance on that show.
Notable Roles
- "Dr. Peter Venkman" in Ghostbusters
- "Carl Spackler" in Caddyshack
- "Bob Harris" in Lost in Translation
- "John Winger" in Stripes
- "Phil Connors" in Groundhog Day
References
Fast Facts
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Full Name
William James Murray
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DOB
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Oscars
1 nomination
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Emmys
2 nominations, 1 award
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Golden Globes
3 nominations, 1 award
