Bill Murray

Photo of Bill Murray

Biography

A droll, iconoclastic comedic actor who enjoyed existing outside of Hollywood while thriving in it, Bill Murray carved a unique career that moved successfully from slapstick comedy to subtly complex seriocomic roles that earned him several awards and untold critical praise. After a stint in Chicago's famed comedy troupe, The Second City, Murray took over the space left behind by Chevy Chase on "Saturday Night Live" (NBC, 1975- ), where he made …
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Job Title

Actor, Director, Producer, Writer, Music

Born

William James Murray on September 21, 1950 in Wilmette, Illinois, USA

Career Milestones

2012

Portrayed Franklin D. Roosevelt in "Hyde Park on Hudson"

2012

Re-teamed with writer and director Wes Anderson to play the father of preteen runaway in "Moonrise Kingdom"

2011

Nominated for the 2011 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male

2011

Nominated for the 2011 Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male ("Get Low")

2009

Starred opposite Robert Duvall and Sissy Spacek in the indie dramedy "Get Low"

2009

Voiced Mr. Fox's (George Clooney) lawyer and advisor in Wes Anderson's animated adaptation of the Roald Dahl book "Fantastic Mr. Fox"

2008

Starred in the screen adaptaion of "City of Ember"

2006

Returned to voice Garfield in the sequel "Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties"

2005

Co-starred with an ensemble of actresses in Jim Jarmusch's "Broken Flowers"

2004

Voiced Garfield in the live action film "Garfield" based on the comic strip

2004

Starred as an oceanographer in Wes Anderson's "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou"

2004

Cast in Jim Jarmusch's "Coffee and Cigarettes," a collection of stories that all have coffee and cigarettes in common

2003

Played an aging movie star opposite Scarlett Johansson in Sofia Coppola's "Lost in Translation"; earned Academy Award and SAG nominations for Best Actor

2002

Appeared on stage opposite Sigourney Weaver in the off-off-Broadway play "The Guys"

2001

Starred in the live-action sequences of "Osmosis Jones"

2000

Played Polonius in Michael Almereyda's film version of "Hamlet"

1999

Portrayed a ventriloquist in Tim Robbins' "Cradle Will Rock"

1998

Received critical acclaim as a wealthy tycoon in Wes Anderson's "Rushmore"

1998

Delivered another tiny gem as a low-life lawyer in "Wild Things"

1996

Appeared opposite an elephant in "Larger Than Life"

1996

Teamed with Michael Jordan and Larry Bird in the live-action film "Space Jam"

1994

Executive produced "Confessions of a Hit Man"

1994

Turned in small gem as aspiring transsexual Bunny Breckinridge in Tim Burton's "Ed Wood"

1993

Portrayed Chicago hood to Robert De Niro's nerdy cop in John McNaughton's oddly endearing "Mad Dog and Glory"

1993

Scored big hit with "Groundhog Day," written and directed by Ramis

1991

Re-teamed with Frank Oz as a patient who drove his therapist (Richard Dreyfuss) crazy by following him on vacation in "What About Bob?"

1990

First credit as producer, "Quick Change"; also starred in and co-directed with Howard Franklin

1989

Re-teamed with Reitman, Ramis, Aykroyd and others for the sequel "Ghostbusters II"

1988

First starring role in more than four years, "Scrooged"

1986

Played small comic role as the masochistic dental patient (first made famous by Jack Nicholson in the original Roger Corman film) in the Frank OZ directed musical "Little Shop of Horrors"

1984

First lead in a dramatic role, "The Razor's Edge"; also co-scripted with director John Byrum

1984

Became firmly established as comic star in Reitman's "Ghostbusters"; Ramis and Dan Aykroyd both co-starred and co-wrote

1982

Cast as Dustin Hoffman's actor roommate in Sydney Pollack's "Tootsie"

1981

Re-teamed with Ramis to co-star in the comedy film "Stripes"; also re-teamed with Reitman, who co-wrote and directed

1980

Portrayed famed writer Hunter S. Thompson in "Where the Buffalo Roam"

1980

Played the gopher-obsessed groundskeeper in Harold Ramis' "Caddyshack"

1979

First leading role in a feature film, "Meatballs"; directed by Ivan Reitman and scripted by Harold Ramis

1977

Joined the cast of "Saturday Night Live" (NBC) for the show's second season; replaced a departing Chevy Chase

1975

Feature acting debut, "Jungle Burger"

Appeared on "National Lampoon Radio Hour" and in the off-Broadway production of "National Lampoon Show"

Left college to join the improv troupe Second City in Chicago, IL

Awards

2012

Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical in Hyde Park On Hudson

2011

Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male in Get Low

2010

MTV Movie Award for Best WTF Moment in Zombieland

2004

Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead in Lost In Translation

2004

MTV Movie Award for Best Male Performance in Lost In Translation

2004

Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role in Lost In Translation

2004

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing For a Miniseries, Movie or a Special in The 76th Annual Academy Awards

2003

Academy Award for Actor In a Leading Role in Lost In Translation

2003

BAFTA Award for Actor In a Leading Role in Lost In Translation

2003

National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor in Lost In Translation

2003

Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor in Lost In Translation

2003

Toronto Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor in Lost In Translation

2003

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actor in Lost In Translation

2003

Critics' Choice Award for Best Actor in Lost In Translation

2003

San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in Lost In Translation

2003

New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor in Lost In Translation

2003

Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical in Lost In Translation

1999

Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male in Rushmore

1998

Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture in Rushmore

1998

National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor in Rushmore

1998

New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor in Rushmore

1998

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor in Rushmore

1993

MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance in Groundhog Day

1992

MTV Movie Award for Best Comedic Performance in What About Bob?

1984

Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical in Ghostbusters

1979

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Program in Saturday Night Live

1977

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing In a Comedy-Variety or Music Series in Saturday Night Live