Bill Murray

William James Murray, born September 21, 1950, is an American actor and comedian recognized for his deadpan delivery in roles ranging from studio comedies to independent dramas. He first gained widespread public attention as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1977 to 1980 before establishing himself as a major film star. Over his career, Murray has received a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards, alongside a nomination for an Academy Award. In 2016, he was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Murray was raised in an Irish Catholic family with eight siblings in Wilmette, Illinois. His mother worked as a mail room clerk, and his father was a lumber salesman. During his youth, Murray attended St. Joseph's grade school and Loyola Academy, worked as a golf caddy to fund his education, performed in theater, and served as the lead singer of a rock band called the Dutch Masters. After graduating from high school, he briefly took pre-medical courses at Regis University in Denver, Colorado, before returning to Illinois.

Murray began his comedy career with Chicago's improvisational troupe The Second City. Moving to New York City in 1974, he joined The National Lampoon Radio Hour, which led to his television debut on Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell in 1975. He joined NBC's Saturday Night Live in 1976 for its second season, winning a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. He earned his first starring film role in the 1979 comedy Meatballs.

Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, Murray starred in a series of popular comedies, including Caddyshack, Stripes, Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, Scrooged, What About Bob?, and Groundhog Day. He co-wrote and starred in his first dramatic role in The Razor's Edge, after which he took a four-year hiatus from acting to study philosophy and history at Sorbonne University in Paris and spend time with his family. In 1990, he made his co-directing debut with the film Quick Change.

In the late 1990s, Murray shifted toward more dramatic roles and established a frequent collaboration with director Wes Anderson, beginning with Rushmore in 1998. He went on to appear in numerous Anderson films, including The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Isle of Dogs. In 2003, Murray starred in Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation, earning a BAFTA Award, a Golden Globe Award, and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

Murray has also provided voice acting for animated and feature films, including Garfield, Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, and The Jungle Book. His other film credits include Broken Flowers, City of Ember, Get Low, Zombieland, Hyde Park on Hudson, St. Vincent, On the Rocks, and The Friend.