People
Bill Murray
Acting · follow into films and chains
Biography
William James "Bill" Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He is known for his deadpan delivery in roles ranging from studio comedies to independent dramas. He has frequently collaborated with directors Ivan Reitman, Harold Ramis, Wes Anderson, Sofia Coppola, and Jim Jarmusch. He has earned numerous accolades including a BAFTA Award, two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and two Independent Spirit Awards, as well as a nomination for an Academy Award. In 2016, Murray was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Murray was born in Evanston, Illinois, to Lucille (1921–1988), a mail-room clerk, and Edward Joseph Murray II (1921–1967), a lumber salesman. He was raised in Wilmette, Illinois, a northern suburb of Chicago. Murray and his eight siblings grew up in an Irish Catholic family. His paternal grandfather was from County Cork, while his maternal ancestors were from County Galway. Three of his siblings, John Murray, Joel Murray, and Brian Doyle-Murray, are also actors. Murray attended Regis University in Denver, Colorado, where he studied pre-med for a year. He dropped out after being arrested for marijuana possession. In 1973, he moved to New York City to pursue a career in comedy. He joined the National Lampoon Radio Hour, and later appeared in the National Lampoon stage show Lemmings. In 1977, Murray joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. He quickly became one of the show's most popular cast members, known for his deadpan delivery and his ability to improvise. He left the show in 1980 to pursue a film career. Murray's first major film role was in the 1979 comedy Meatballs. He went on to star in a number of successful comedies, including Caddyshack (1980), Stripes (1981), Ghostbusters (1984), and Groundhog Day (1993). He has also starred in a number of critically acclaimed dramas, such as Lost in Translation (2003) and Broken Flowers (2005). Murray is known for his eccentric and unpredictable behavior. He has been known to disappear from sets and film projects, and he has often been quoted as saying that he doesn't like to work. However, he is also known for his generosity and his willingness to help out his fellow actors.
Notable films
Where to start
Highlights from credits and KinoChain journeys.
Groundhog Day
Appears in a KinoChain journey
Space Jam
Appears in a KinoChain journey
Ed Wood
Appears in a KinoChain journey
Lost in Translation
Appears in a KinoChain journey
Tootsie
Appears in a KinoChain journey
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
As Peter Venkman
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
As Lord Krylar
The Grand Budapest Hotel
As M. Ivan
Chains
KinoChain journeys
Public chains that pass through their films — or name them as a bridge.
Double Trouble
From the Academy's rare double nods to the performances that earned them, this chain celebrates actors who competed against themselves in a single awards season...
8 films
The Threshold of Nowhere
From a furniture store's hidden door to the endless corridors of the mind, this chain maps the liminal spaces where dread and wonder collide.
8 films
The Perfect Needledrop: Ten Moments That Own the Screen
From sudden silences to euphoric choruses, these are the film moments where a song doesn't just score the scene, it becomes the scene.
10 films
The Art of the Fall
From viral infamy to quiet vindication: a chain of films about bold artists whose audacity is mistaken for failure, tracing the same arc that turned Raygun from...
8 films
Pure-Hearted Heroes
Sixty years after Batman '66 taught us that heroism can be bright, sincere, and utterly without irony, this chain celebrates films whose protagonists believe, s...
7 films
When Worlds Collide: The Magic of Live-Action Animation
From Disney's pioneering blend to modern masterpieces, explore films that seamlessly merge reality and animation, celebrating the creative spark when two worlds...
8 films
Topics
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Related people
Collaborators & neighbours
Directed
Acted
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
2024 · Peter Venkman
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania
2023 · Lord Krylar
Ghostbusters: Afterlife
2021 · Peter Venkman
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
2021 · Arthur Howitzer, Jr.
On the Rocks
2020 · Felix
Zombieland: Double Tap
2019 · Bill Murray
The Dead Don't Die
2019 · Chief Cliff Robertson
Isle of Dogs
2018 · Boss (voice)
Ghostbusters
2016 · Martin Heiss
The Jungle Book
2016 · Baloo (voice)
Aloha
2015 · Carson Welch
Olive Kitteridge
2014 · Jack Kennison
The Grand Budapest Hotel
2014 · M. Ivan
The Monuments Men
2014 · Sgt. Richard Campbell
Moonrise Kingdom
2012 · Mr. Bishop
Fantastic Mr. Fox
2009 · Clive Badger (voice)
Zombieland
2009 · Bill Murray
Get Smart
2008 · Agent 13
The Darjeeling Limited
2007 · The Businessman
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties
2006 · Garfield (voice)
Broken Flowers
2005 · Don Johnston
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
2004 · Steve Zissou
Lost in Translation
2003 · Bob Harris
The Royal Tenenbaums
2001 · Raleigh St. Clair
Charlie's Angels
2000 · John Bosley
Cradle Will Rock
1999 · Tommy Crickshaw
Rushmore
1998 · Herman Blume
Wild Things
1998 · Kenneth Bowden
Space Jam
1996 · Bill Murray
Ed Wood
1994 · Bunny Breckinridge
Mad Dog and Glory
1993 · Frank Milo
Groundhog Day
1993 · Phil Connors
Quick Change
1990 · Grimm
Ghostbusters II
1989 · Dr. Peter Venkman
Scrooged
1988 · Francis Cross
Little Shop of Horrors
1986 · Arthur Denton
Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary
1986 · Self
Ghostbusters
1984 · Dr. Peter Venkman
Tootsie
1982 · Jeff Slater
Steve Martin's Best Show Ever
1981 · Bytes
Stripes
1981 · John Winger
Caddyshack
1980 · Carl Spackler
Mr. Mike's Mondo Video
1979 · Man on the Street
Meatballs
1979 · Tripper Harrison
The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash
1978 · Bill Murray the K.