Bill Murray - Biography, Trivia, Filmography

Actor, born in Wilmette, Illinois, USA. He began his career on the 1970s US television comedy show Saturday Night Live, and after a number of small film parts became known for his role in Ghostbusters (1984). Later films include Little Shop of Horrors (1986), Groundhog Day (1993), The Royal Tenenbaums (2001), Lost in Translation (2003, Best Actor BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Oscar nomination), and Broken Flowers (2005).

Bill Murray
Birth name	William James Murray
Born	21 September 1950 Wilmette, Illinois, USA
Notable roles	Carl Spackler in Caddyshack, Dr. Peter Venkman in Ghostbusters, Phil Connors in Groundhog Day, Bob Harris in Lost in Translation
Academy  Awards	Nominated: Academy Award for Best Actor (2004) for Lost in Translation

William James "Bill" Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-winning and Golden Globe-winning American comedian and actor.

Biography

Early life

Murray was born and raised in Wilmette, Illinois, the fifth of nine children of Edward J. Murray II, a lumber salesman, and Lucille Collins, both Irish American Catholics. Three of Murray's siblings are also actors: John Murray, Joel Murray, and Brian Doyle-Murray. Murray graduated from Loyola Academy.

Early career

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. While in Chicago, Murray worked at Little Caesar's alongside now-celebrity chef Kerry Simon.

Murray rose to prominence when he joined the cast of NBC's newly-titled Saturday Night Live the following season, replacing Chevy Chase. Chase had been the most popular cast member and some fans sent Murray hate mail stating he was a poor replacement. But by the end of Murray's first season, he had begun to display his witty, laid-back persona. With the departure of Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi in 1979, Murray became the most popular member of the ensemble cast.

Murray later revisited the troupe he started with in the TV special Bill Murray Live From the Second City in 1980.

Film career

Murray landed his first starring role with the film Meatballs in 1979.

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. This was a deal Murray made with Columbia Pictures in order to gain financing for his film. Upset over the failure of Razor's Edge, Murray took four years off from acting to study French at the Sorbonne.

Murray returned to films in 1988 with Scrooged and followed up with the long-awaited sequel Ghostbusters II in 1989.

After a string of films that did not do well with audiences (besides Kingpin, in which he played a supporting role), he received much critical acclaim for Wes Anderson's Rushmore for which he won a slew of awards. Murray then experienced a resurgence in his career as a dramatic actor. 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. Murray also garnered acclaim for his dramatic role in Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers.

Personal life

Murray wed Margaret Kelly in 1980.

He is a partner with his brothers in Murray Bros. Murray is an avid golfer who often plays in celebrity tournaments.

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 which 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 and Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Murray has homes in Los Angeles, Charleston, SC, and upstate New York.

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.

Trivia

Height: 6'1" (1.85 meters) Lorenzo Music voiced Murray's character, Venkman, in the "Ghostbusters" cartoon series. Murray would go on to be the voice of Garfield in the 2004 film and 2006 film. Murray is said to have a policy of not doing a third version of anything, which is one of the reasons Ghostbusters III has been reported to be in development hell. Murray is part owner of the Fort Myers Miracle, a minor league baseball Class - A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, as well as the Hudson Valley Renegades, a minor league Class - SSA Affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The Miracle and the Renegades have honored their part owner by celebrating him in the form of a Bill Murray bobblehead giveaway. Murray is an avid golfer and frequently plays in celebrity golf tournaments, where he is known for mugging to the crowd. In 2006, Murray played in the Herbert Corey Leeds Tournament at the historic Myopia Hunt Club in South Hamilton, Massachusetts.

Filmography

Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle (1975) (voice in English dubbed version) Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976) All You Need Is Cash (1978) (cameo) Fear and Loathing in Gonzovision (1978) (cameo) Meatballs (1979) Mr. Mike's Mondo Video (1979) Where the Buffalo Roam (1980) The Missing Link (1980) (voice in English dubbed version) Caddyshack (1980) Loose Shoes (1980) Stripes (1981) Tootsie (1982) Ghostbusters (1984) Nothing Lasts Forever (1984) The Razor's Edge (1984) (also screenwriter) Little Shop of Horrors (1986) She's Having a Baby (1988) (cameo) Scrooged (1988) Ghostbusters II (1989) Quick Change (1990) (also director and producer) What About Bob? (1991) Groundhog Day (1993) Mad Dog and Glory (1993) Ed Wood (1994) Kingpin (1996) Larger Than Life (1996) Space Jam (1996) The Man Who Knew Too Little (1997) Wild Things (1998) With Friends Like These... (1998) Rushmore (1998) Cradle Will Rock (1999) Scout's Honor (1999) (short subject) Hamlet (2000) Michael Jordan to the Max (2000) (documentary) Charlie's Angels (2000) Speaking of Sex (2001) Osmosis Jones (2001) The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) Lost in Translation (2003);