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William James "Bill" Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-, Golden Globe-, and BAFTA-winning American comedian and actor. Of all the writers and performers associated with the glory days of NBC's "Saturday Night Live", Bill Murray made the most enduringly successful transition to feature films, and though his big-screen career has had its ups and downs, mega-hits like "Ghostbusters" (1984) and "Groundhog Day" (1993) have more than made up for his misses, and he also successfully established himself as a dramatic actor as well. He first gained national exposure on Saturday Night Live, following that with roles in films such as Stripes, Caddyshack, The Razor's Edge, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, Space Jam, and Rushmore. He has gained acclaim for recent dramatic roles, in films such as Lost in Translation, The Lost City, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Broken Flowers and The Royal Tenenbaums. Murray, the fifth of nine children, was born and raised in Wilmette, Illinois (metro Chicago), the son of Lucille (née Collins), a mail room clerk, and Edward J. Murray II, a lumber salesman. Murray and his family are Irish Catholic Americans. Three of Murray's siblings are also actors: John Murray, Joel Murray, and Brian Doyle-Murray. A sister, Nancy, is an Adrian Dominican Sister in Michigan who travels around the country portraying St. Catherine of Siena. He and most of his siblings worked as caddies, which paid his tuition to Loyola Academy, a Jesuit school. He played sports and did some acting while in that school, but in his words, mostly "screwed off". He enrolled at Regis College in Denver to study pre-med, but dropped out after being arrested for marijuana possession. He then joined the National Lampoon Radio Hour with fellow members Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, and John Belushi. However, while those three became the original members of "Saturday Night Live" (1975), he joined "Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell" (1975), which premiered that same year. After that show failed, he later got the opportunity to join SNL. Growing up, Murray's family had little money and his mother pressured her children to get jobs. As a child, Murray read biographies for children of American heroes like Kit Carson, Wild Bill Hickok and Davy Crockett. He attended Loyola Academy. As a teenager, he worked alongside his brothers as a caddy to pay for his tuition in a Roman Catholic High School. The 1960s were tough on Murray and his family. His father had diabetes, one of his sisters had polio and his mother had several miscarriages. During his teen years he was the lead singer of a rock band called the Dutch Masters and took part in high school and community theater. After graduation, he attended Regis University in Denver, Colorado where he took pre-med courses. He later dropped out after being arrested for possession of marijuana at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. He worked numerous jobs including a stint at a Little Caesar's alongside future chef Kerry Simon. During the filming of Stripes, Murray wed Margaret "Mickey" Kelly on Super Bowl Sunday in Las Vegas on January 24, 1981. They married again in Chicago in a church for their families. They had two sons, Homer (born 1982) and Luke (born 1985), before divorcing in 1994. In 1997, he married Jennifer Butler. They have four sons together: Caleb (born 1993), Jackson (born 1995), Cooper (born 1996), and Lincoln (born 2001). Butler filed for divorce on May 12, 2008, citing spousal abuse along with drug and alcohol addiction. Very detached from the Hollywood scene, Murray does not have an agent or manager and reportedly only fields offers for scripts and roles using a personal telephone number with a voice mailbox that he checks infrequently. This practice has the downside of sometimes preventing him from taking parts that he had auditioned for and was interested in, such as that of Sulley in Monsters, Inc, Bernard Berkman in The Squid and the Whale, Frank Ginsburg in Little Miss Sunshine and Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Murray has homes in Los Angeles, Martha's Vineyard, MA , Charleston, SC, and Rockland County, New York, just outside of New York City. During the 2000 presidential campaign, Murray stumped for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader. Murray is a huge fan of Chicago pro sports teams, especially the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Bears. He also is a big Michael Jordan fan and has made cameo appearances in Space Jam and Jordan documentaries. He also cheered courtside for the Illinois Fighting Illini's game versus the University of North Carolina in the NCAA Basketball Tournament's championship game in 2005. He is a fixture at home games of those teams when in his native Chicago. After traveling to Florida during the Cubs playoff run to help "inspire" the team (Murray told Cubs slugger Aramis Ramirez he was very ill and needed two home runs to give him the hope to live), he was invited to the champagne party in the Cubs' clubhouse when the team clinched the NL Central in late September of 2007, along with fellow actors John Cusack, Bernie Mac, James Belushi, and former Cubs legend Ron Santo. Murray also appeared in Santo's documentary, This Old Cub. With an invitation from his older brother, Brian, Murray got his start at Second City Chicago studying under Del Close. The improvisational comedy troupe was a perfect fit for Murray's clever, dry humor and ad libbing. In 1975, he moved to New York City and was recruited by John Belushi as a featured player on The National Lampoon Radio Hour, which aired on some 600 stations from 1973 to 1974. In 1975, an Off Broadway version of a Lampoon show led to his first television role as a cast member of the ABC variety show Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell that featured animal acts and little kids with loud voices. That same season, another variety show titled NBC's Saturday Night premiered. Cosell's show lasted just one season, cancelled in early 1976. After working in Los Angeles with the "guerrilla video" commune TVTV on a number of projects, Murray rose to prominence in 1976. He joined the cast of NBC's Saturday Night Live for the show's second season, following the departure of Chevy Chase. Murray landed his first starring role with the film Meatballs in 1979. He followed this up with his portrayal of famed writer Hunter S. Thompson in 1980's Where the Buffalo Roam. In the early 1980s, he starred in a string of box-office hits including Caddyshack, Stripes and Tootsie. Murray began work on a film adaptation of the novel The Razor's Edge. The film, which Murray also co-wrote, was his first starring role in a dramatic film. He later agreed to star in Ghostbusters in a role originally written for John Belushi. This was a deal Murray made with Columbia Pictures in order to gain financing for his film. Ghostbusters became the highest-grossing film of 1984. But The Razor's Edge, which was filmed before Ghostbusters but not released until after, was a box-office flop. Upset over the failure of Razor's Edge, Murray took four years off from acting to study philosophy and history at the Sorbonne, frequent the Cinematheque in Paris, and spend time with his family in their Hudson River Valley home. During that time, his second son, Luke, was born. With the exception of a cameo appearance in the 1986 movie Little Shop of Horrors, he did not make any appearances in films, though he did participate in several public readings in Manhattan organized by playwright/director Timothy Mayer and in a production of Bertolt Brecht's A Man's Man. Murray returned to films in 1988 with Scrooged and the sequel Ghostbusters II in 1989. In 1990, Murray made his first and only attempt at directing when he co-helmed Quick Change with producer Howard Franklin. His subsequent films What About Bob? (1991) and Groundhog Day (1993) were box-office hits and critically acclaimed. After a string of films that did not do well with audiences, he received much critical acclaim for Wes Anderson's Rushmore for which he won several awards. Murray then experienced a resurgence in his career as a dramatic actor. After dramatic roles in Wild Things, Cradle Will Rock, Hamlet (as Polonius), and The Royal Tenenbaums, he garnered considerable acclaim for the 2003 film Lost in Translation. He received a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA award. He was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, in what was considered to be a two-horse race between him and Sean Penn for Mystic River, who eventually prevailed. In an interview included on the Lost in Translation DVD, Murray states that this is his favorite movie in which he has appeared. During this time, Murray still appeared in comedic roles such as Charlie's Angels and Osmosis Jones. In 2004, he provided the voice of Garfield in Garfield: The Movie, again for Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties in 2006 (it should be noted that there's a common link between Murray and Lorenzo Music, the former voice of Garfield, and the voice of Dr. Peter Venkman in the TV series, The Real Ghostbusters). and marked his third collaboration with Wes Anderson in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. His dramatic role in Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers was also well received. In 2005, Murray announced that he would take a break from acting , as he had not had the time since his new breakthrough in the late-1990s. He did return to the big screen, however, in a small role in Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited. Murray will also lend his voice for the upcoming game Ghostbusters: The Video Game, due out Fall 08. Murray is an avid golfer who often plays in celebrity tournaments. His 1999 book Cinderella Story: My Life in Golf, part autobiography and part essay, expounds on his love of golf. In 2002, he and his brothers starred in the Comedy Central series, The Sweet Spot, which chronicled their adventures playing golf. While at a golf tournament with British golfer Ian Poulter in St Andrews, Scotland, Murray was invited by a student of the university to a house party. Murray went with him and the student reported in Scottish papers that he acted just like he had in the karaoke scene of Lost in Translation, being incredibly fun and energetic. Upon realizing that there were no clean glasses in the house for him to have a drink from, Murray volunteered to do the dishes and was said to be very amiable and unpretentious. In Space Jam Bill Murray plays himself and plays upon his love for golf. He is a partner with his brothers in Murray Bros. Caddy Shack, a restaurant chain with locations near Jacksonville and in Myrtle Beach and St. Augustine. He is a part-owner of the St. Paul Saints independent minor-league baseball team and occasionally travels to Saint Paul, Minnesota to watch the team's games. He also owns part of the Charleston RiverDogs, Hudson Valley Renegades, and the Brockton Rox. He invested in a number of other minor league teams in the past, including the Utica Blue Sox, Fort Myers Miracle, and Salt Lake Trappers. He was also a part-owner of the Auburn Astros (now the Auburn Doubledays) in Auburn, NY. Accidently broke Robert De Niro's nose during the filming of Mad Dog and Glory (1993). Ranked #82 in Empire (UK) magazine's "The Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time" list. 1997 Recipient of the Sons of the Desert Annual Comedy Performer Award on April 19th, 1997. Appeared in Scrooged (1988) with all three of his brothers. Father, with Mickey Kelly, of sons Homer Murray (b. 1982) and Luke (b. 1985). Father, with Jennifer Butler, of sons Jackson (b. 1993), Cal (b. 1995) and Cooper (b. 1996) and Lincoln (b. 2001). He owns a minor league baseball team in Charleston, SC, called the Riverdogs. Related through marriage to guitar player, lyricist and singer Chris Luxem. Set to become part-owner of his third minor league baseball team, the new Brockton Rox, in Mass., with friend Van Schley. Has become the unofficial patron saint of the forums of the Football Manager website, home to one of the biggest selling PC games of all time. He is part of The Goldklang Group that includes Van Schley, baseball marketing guru Mike Veeck, and "Saturday Night Live" (1975) comedian Jimmy Fallon. The group owns minor league baseball teams the St. Paul Saints and the Brockton Rox of the Northern League, the Charleston RiverDogs, the Fort Myers Miracle, the Hudson Valley Renegades, the Evansville Otters and they run the Portland Beavers. Was bitten by the groundhog twice on the Groundhog Day (1993) set in 1992. He is a diehard Chicago Cubs fan. During the Cubs playoff run in 2003, he was on location in Italy, but he had it written into his contract that he'd get a satellite feed of the playoffs. His role in Ghost Busters (1984) was originally intended for fellow SNL star John Belushi. Shares two characters with the late Lorenzo Music. He played Peter Venkman in the film Ghost Busters (1984), while Lorenzo played Venkman in the animated series, "The Real Ghost Busters" (1986). Lorenzo was also the voice of Garfield in numerous cartoons, while Bill provides Garfield's voice in Garfield (2004). He was rated number 1 in Comedy Central's newest show 'Mouthing Off: 51 Greatest Smartasses.'. His home is in upstate New York, although he is more frequently working elsewhere during the year. Performed the vocals for the song "The Best Thing" in the John Waters film Polyester (1981). His father Edward was a lumber salesman. He died in 1967. Siblings include Brian Doyle-Murray, Nancy, Edward, Andy, John Murray, Joel Murray, Peggy, and Laura. Attended Loyola Academy in Wilmette, Illinois. Attended Regis College in Denver. He dropped out his sophomore year. His mother died in 1988. Doesn't have a publicist. His sister Nancy is a Dominican nun. In 2001, he starred with Sigourney Weaver in an Off-Off-Broadway play called "The Guys," in which he played a fire captain who lost eight of his men on 9/11. In the movie version, Murray's role was played by Anthony LaPaglia. Is an avid golfer and has appeared at many pro-am golf tournaments. Co-owner, with brothers Brian, Joel and John, of the Murray Brothers Caddyshack restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida (actually, in St. Augustine, Florida, inside the 'World Golf Village' complex). He often works with the directors Harold Ramis, Ivan Reitman, Wes Anderson, and Jim Jarmusch. Sofia Coppola wrote the lead role of Bob Harris in Lost in Translation (2003), with Murray specifically in mind. She did not know the actor and even enlisted the help of her famous father, Francis Ford Coppola, to track down the sometimes quite elusive Murray. Once he finally read the script, though, he agreed to do it on the spot. Murray and Sofia Coppola are now good friends. He has rubbed some collaborators the wrong way because he has a tendency to re-write and improvise his way through scripts until many of his scenes barely resembles the original versions. Most collaborators ultimately find, though, it's to the improvement of the films. Is a fan of the Illini men's basketball team. Captivated by the story of "Press Your Luck" (1983) contestant Michael Larson who memorized the sequence of the game show's big board and racked up over $110,000 in winnings, Murray commissioned a screenplay for a biopic about Larson. Several studios expressed an interest but didn't follow through. The Game Show Network's 2003 TV documentary Big Bucks: The Press Your Luck Scandal (2003) (TV) told the same story with interviews, dramatic recreations and archival video, and may have diminished interest in the film even more. The part of Boon in National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) was originally written with him in mind, but due to a scheduling conflict, he had to turn it down. Announced that after his next three productions, he will be taking a break from acting to relax. He cites the productions of The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) and Broken Flowers (2005) as having exhausted him. Has said that "Oklahoma!" is his favorite musical. Has no agent, no business manager, no lawyer, or favorite hair and make-up artist. He travels without an entourage. He was considered for the role of Detective John Kimble in Kindergarten Cop (1990). The part eventually went to Arnold Schwarzenegger. With The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) and Broken Flowers (2005), Murray did two films back-to-back in which he plays a long-childless man who discovers that someone who may be his grown son has been searching for him. His performance as Phil Connors in Groundhog Day (1993) is ranked #48 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006). Was considered for the role of Batman/Bruce Wayne in the 1989 Batman (1989) film when it was set to be identical to the 1960s TV Series before Tim Burton came along. Was considered for the role of Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). His performance as Carl Spackler in Caddyshack (1980) is ranked #18 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time. Was considered for the role of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story (1995). Murray is one of only three American actors that were nominated for an Oscar for a movie that is set on the territory of Japan. The other two are Marlon Brando and Red Buttons for Sayonara (1957). Turned down Steve Carell's role in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), which became one of the few choices in his career that he regretted. Voiced Johnny Storm/The Human Torch in an early Fantastic Four radio show. Murray is a huge fan of Chicago pro sports teams, especially the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Bears. Was a guest on the very first episode of "Late Night with David Letterman" (1982). Was considered and tested for the voice role of Sulley in Monsters, Inc. (2001), but the director, Pete Docter, said that when the filmmakers decided to offer it to Murray, they were unable to make contact with him and took that to mean "no". Has appeared with both Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie (1982) and Dustin's brother Todd Hoffman in Meatballs (1979). An early promotional reel for The Real Ghostbusters (1986) featured a different character design for the animated version of Murray's character Peter Venkman, a design that bore more of a resemblance to Murray himself as opposed to the final character design, which gave Venkman a slimmer, sleeker, more chiseled "pretty boy" look. Was considered for the role of Han Solo in Star Wars (1977). Murray and Dan Aykroyd reprised their Ghostbusters characters to visit a terminally ill child who was a fan of the film and wanted to meet them. Was a frequent collaborator with Harold Ramis throughout the 1980s, but their working relationship ended during the filming of Ground Hog Day (1993) due to a differing views on what the film should be: Ramis claims that Murray wanted the film to be more philosophical, while Ramis himself simply meant for it to be a comedy. Ramis also cites that Murray's real life personal problems at the time (namely the ending of his first marriage) had a ripple effect into his work ethic, causing him to be uncharacteristically harsh during film, as another reason for the ending of their working relationship. Is portrayed by Mather Zickel in Gilda Radner: It's Always Something (2002). Married his first wife, Mickey Kelley in Las Vegas on Super Bowl Sunday of 1981. They had a second ceremony at a church on March 25, 1981. Murray's transition to full-fledged dramatic actor came to fruition sublimely in "Lost in Translation" (2003), writer-director Sophia Coppola's wonderfully romantic film about an emotionally adrift 50-something Hollywood actor, in Tokyo to film a whiskey commercial, who meets and forms a deep, complex relationship with Charlotte, a young married tourist in her 20s (Scarlett Johansson). Coppola conceived the role and its blend of comedy and tragedy specifically for Murray, going as far as to say she wouldn't make the movie without him. Coppola spent considerable time wooing Murray, pursuing him via their mutual friend, screenwriter Mitch Glazer, for months before finally meeting the actor and winning him over. The results of her quest are well worth it: Murray is never more charming and vulnerable than as Bob Harris, who discovers a kindred spirit in Charlotte even as his lengthy marriage is floundering. Even as the actor demonstrates that his razor-sharp comedic timing has aged impeccibly, he also displays a rare, multilayered chemistry with Johansson despite their age difference. Their rapport, at first tenative, then confident and cozy and then suddenly awkward and sexual, fuels the movie and carries many scenes completely without dialogue. The tour de force performance earned Murray a sea of critical praise and numerous award nominations--including a Best Actor Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globes victory as Best Actor in a musical or comedy--both reinvigorated and redefined his career. Ironically, Murray's very next stint on the big screen was in a very disparate project, providing the sardonic voice of the comic strip cat in the otherwise lackluster big screen adaptation of the enduring "Garfield" (2004). Next was "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" (2004), a project closer to Murray's heart which reteamed with Wes Anderson. Quirky in the extreme but with many bits of comedic brilliance and its share of genuinely moving moments, the film cast Murray as a once brilliant oceanographer/filmmaker a la Jacques Cousteau, who sagging fortunes and sense of ennui are revitalized when he adds his possible son (Owen Wilson) to his crew. Though the film was flawed, the Zissou role allowed Murray to demonstrate his dramatic and comedic gifts as strongly as any he'd played. Next was another acting triumph in writer-director Jim Jarmusch's seriocomic "Broken Flowers" (2005) playing a resolute bachelor who receives an anonymous letter from a former lover revealing that he has a 19-year-old son, prompting him to embark on a cross-country journey to visit a series of his old flames and get to the heart of the mystery. |
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