About Me
People, petty petty people have said many things about me. That I'm ironically insincere and yet somehow soft-hearted.Sure that would be a journalist's snide way as to delve into who I am. Who is Bill Murray you ask? Confused, delicate genius, or 80's washed up comic? Come with me why dont you on a fantastic voyage, as I tell you a little story about my mystique, The Man the Myth and the Legend of Me. William James Murray.I'm a leading man and versatile comedian, and have had a long list of hits and high-grossing comedies to my name, which together have placed me 82nd on the U.K.'s Top 100 List of Movie Stars of All Time. Classic comedy feature films in the early '80s, like Stripes, Meatballs, Caddyshack, and Ghostbusters, put me, yours truely on the map and kept me there. What can I say The English love me.Other notable appearances throughout my career include Phil Conners (a man with a bad case of déjà vu) in Groundhog Day (1993), Bob (a psychotherapist's worst nightmare) in What About Bob? (1991), and Bosley, boss extraordinnaire in the feature film spoof of the '70s TV series Charlie's Angels. In the summer of 2001, I appeared as Frank in the live action and animated feature Osmosis Jones.My ruddy features and oft-noted pock-marked complexion don't seem add up to "what it takes" to be a typical leading man...still I charm the camera and win over viewers with my sharp, cocky, satirical style. That and a knack for picking winning scripts have secured me a unique niche in Hollywood, winning me many accolades to boot. Take Rushmore, for example. I was nominated for and won several awards from film critics, including the Independent Spirit Award, the Lone Star Film & Television Award, and awards from the LAFCA, NYFCC, and the NSFC.I began my long-standing comedy career like many of the greats -- at the Second City. (I differ from most in that my talents easily translated to film.) From Chicago, I then joined the live show National Lampoon's Radio Hour in New York; but while John Belushi and Gilda Radner went on to become original cast members of the instantly successful Saturday Night Live, I opted instead to join the promising but short-lived Howard Cossell Variety Hour. I rejoined my friends in the second season of what had become a hit show, where I developed characters like Todd the nerd and Nick, a sleazy lounge singer. Our cast/show was nominated for an Emmy in 1979.I was born into a large Irish Catholic family. My father was a lumber salesman. I have often worked together with one of my brothers, my brother actor Brian Doyle-Murray, who has had bit parts in numerous movies, including Bedazzled, Stuart Little, As Good As It Gets, and many of my early movies. I have been married twice and have four children.Family Life:
I am the fifth of nine children in a large, Irish Catholic family. Three of my siblings are also actors: John Murray, Joel Murray, and Brian Doyle-Murray. All four of my brothers appeared in the 1988 film Scrooged. I was raised in Wilmette, Illinois and graduated from Loyola Academy.I am a partner with my brothers in Murray Bros. Caddy Shack, a restaurant chain in Florida and South Carolina that is managed by a former chief operating officer of the Hard Rock Cafe. The chain's theme reflects both my memorable performance as Carl the groundskeeper in the 1980 film Caddyshack and my longtime love of golf. I am an avid golfer who often plays in celebrity tournaments.Career:
With an invitation from my older brother, Brian Doyle-Murray, I got my start with Second City Chicago whose cast roster at the time also included John Candy and David Rasche (later of Sledge Hammer fame). The improvisational troupe was a perfect fit for my clever dry wit and ad-libbing, which I later revisited the troupe with the TV special Bill Murray Live From the Second City (1980).I initially rose to prominence as a cast member of and a writer for NBC's Saturday Night Live television series from 1977 to 1980, replacing Chevy Chase, who I got into a fist fight with off camera when Chase did a guest host spot in the late 70s (Chase claims we've long since put the incident behind us). I had previously been a featured player on The National Lampoon Radio Hour, aired nationally on some 600 stations between 1973 and 1975. Other cast members included Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, and my brother Brian Doyle-Murray. Former SNL writer Margaret Oberman has said Myself and Eddie Murphy are the two most talented people in the history of the show.Most of my roles have been comedic, featuring my classical Murray dry wit. However, I have also played serious (or at least semi-serious) roles in films such as Mad Dog and Glory, The Razor's Edge, Rushmore, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, and Broken Flowers. I also garnered considerable acclaim (an Academy Awards nomination, and Golden Globes and BAFTA awards) as the lead in the 2003 film Lost in Translation. One of My most recognised roles is that of Peter Venkman from the Ghostbusters movies, a role originally intended for our friend John Belushi, who died before production began.Most recently I starred in the critically acclaimed, Jim Jarmusch-directed adult comedy Broken Flowers. In 2005 I announced that I would take a break from acting, as I had not had the time since my new breakthrough in the late-1990s. At the height of my fame in the mid-1980s, following Ghostbusters,and my attempt at drama in The Razor's Edge I took off four years to study French at the Sorbonne. During that period from 1985 until 1988, with the exception of a cameo in the 1986 movie Little Shop of Horrors, I did not make appearences in any films.I co-authored the 1999 book Cinderella Story: My Life in Golf, part autobiography and part essay on my love of golf.On a side note, I dont have an agent or manager, and I only field offers for scripts and roles using a personal telephone number with a voice mailbox that I check infrequently, I have homes in Los Angeles and upstate New York.
AS far as you know I'm retired. If anyone ask you "Hey you have Bill Murray on your friends list, ask him if he's going to make another Ghostbusters, or when's my next movie coming out", just tell them I'm retired. I kinda like this Jay-Z thing, where he's retired, but he keeps doing shows. I think I beat him to that. If you say you're retired, people don't bother you so much, and then if you want to do something, you can do it.And last and most importantly I am The Best My Space friend you'll ever have. It's really true. I take my my space friend responsibilites very serious.
