It was in 1976 that Bill Murray hinted at his intention to become one of the biggest acting personalities in the industry. He starred as Nick Kessel in an uncredited role in the Greenwich Village comedy-drama film Next Stop and also had various roles on the popular American late-night TV show Saturday Night Live. Since then, the American actor has taken part in numerous films and more than a handful of television works. Unsurprisingly, her efforts have been rewarded with a number of coveted awards, including an Oscar nomination, a Golden Globe, and two Primetime Emmys. It would be foolish to suggest that this guy hasn’t been wildly successful.
Great Bill Movies and TV Series
1.Zombieland (2009)
This comedic film stars a cast that features heavy hitters like Woody Harrelson, Jesse Rosenberg, Abigail Breaking and Emma Stone as ordinary people trying to cross the country in search of a sanctuary where zombies can neither find them nor contaminate them. While each of these actors brings their best to their characters, it’s one of the film’s brightest and most memorable moments. In his few minutes on screen, he manages to capture our hearts and remind us why he is one of gaming’s biggest stars by giving us the most incredible cameo performance of recent times. We see him not only as a living legend, but also as a vulnerable and relatable legend.
11. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)
Bill Murray re-teams with Wes Anderson in this epic coming of age flick. It follows an orphan played by Jared Gilman who has escaped from the scout camp to seek out his favorite pen pal, played by Kara Hayward, and the small acts of rebellion they undertake to protect their young love. The film is made up of Hollywood veterans such as Tilda Swindon, Bruce Willis, Frances Mc Dormand and Edward Norton. Bill plays a character whose wife cheats on him, and he evokes a wide range of emotions with his performance. Moonrise Kingdom won a ton of awards and was named one of the top 100 movies of the 21st century. If you must watch a Bill Murray movie, this is it.
10. Tootsie (1982)
Besides being one of the greatest, Bill Murray’s Tootsie is also one of the most culturally significant films in history. It tells the story of a talented actor (played by Dustin Hoffman) who has a reputation for being rather difficult and impossible to work with, thus limiting his ability to play roles. He decides to remedy the situation by disguising himself as a middle-aged woman in order to find a job. The film earned ten Oscar nominations among other prestigious awards. Murray gives a gripping performance as Hoffman’s roommate that will have you staring at your screen in amazement.
9. Broken Flowers (2005)
Murray’s character in Broken Flowers is one of the toughest roles he’s had to play. It depicts an aging flamboyant at a turning point in his life. He is forced to find four of his ex-lovers after receiving a letter informing him of the existence of his son. Murray’s expression in the film is a perfect painting containing a lifetime of pain, regret and deep shame. It’s a very emotional story that will probably leave your eyes watery. Nothing is harder or easier to relate than looking back on your life and realizing how many rotten years have been accumulated, and how the actor copes with it makes it one of Bill’s best films. Murray to date.
8. What About Bob (1991)
In this dark comedy, we see Murray play a mentally ill character and he takes us down a winding path depicting how dangerous things can get when obsession takes control of a person. He plays alongside Richard Dreyfuss who plays his therapist. The tension between the cast is palpable and is one of the things that makes the film truly exceptional. All Dreyfuss wants is to have a good time on vacation with his family, but his psychotic patient, Murray, appears and turns their world upside down.
7. St. Vincent (2014)
The iconic actor takes on the role of the titular character and the magnificent quality of his performances sealed the film’s fate as one of Bill Murray’s greatest films of all time. He plays a mean old man and former gamer who dislikes everything and everyone but ends up babysitting for his new neighbor and begins to grow attached to her and his son. The boy and Vincent have a bond that grows into a strong friendship that they both cherish. It’s one of those films that really grabs you, forcing you to submit to it in the way that Murray opens up himself and lets these other characters into his life.
6. Caddyshack (1980)
There are very few actors who can take on comics and transform them the way Bill Murray effortlessly does. His character in Caddyshack is a groundskeeper at a posh golf club who is determined to ruin one of the gophers who insists on destroying the fairways of the course he so diligently tends to lead. Even though this movie is nearly four decades old, it still packs one of Murray’s best acting outings. It’s no surprise that the film garnered a cult following. No matter how many times you see this film, you will always be impressed with its quality as well as the exceptional talent of the cast featured, including Murray. The latter nearly outclassed the original main protagonist with his flawless and irrefutable acting skills, even though he doesn’t
5.Ghostbusters (1984)
It would be impossible to talk about the greatest Bill Murray films without mentioning Ghostbusters. It is arguably his most iconic film. No one expected the film to become as big as it was, considering it was made purely to fund another project (The Razor’s Edge) close to Murray’s heart. It went on to inspire remakes, a cartoon series, action figures, and a plethora of other material. Murray displays the best of his sneaky abilities. His character is hilarious and plays a big role in the film considered a classic. Murray and his team of parapsychologists and their one-of-a-kind venture into ghostly imagery will forever remain an unwavering staple of pop culture. It’s brilliant, magical,
4. Lost in Translation (2003)
After decades of playing distinguished comedic roles and playing them to perfection, Murray’s one and only Oscar nomination comes from his role as an aging movie star who travels to Tokyo to shoot a commercial but ends up tying the knot. friendship with a young woman played by Scarlett Johansson. The two form an unlikely but intense attachment to each other in just a few days. It is a rare and beautiful thing for two adrift and painful souls to comfort each other, free from judgment and responsibility, but bound together by a true understanding of each other’s pain. They confide, trying to make sense of this vast, aimless world while visiting Tokyo.
3. Rushmore (1999)
Rushmore was the first of many fruitful collaborations between director Wes Anderson and Murray. The actor adopts a persona very different from those he had portrayed before. He plays a wealthy businessman who develops an unusual friendship with a teenager, but things get complicated when he and the boy fall in love with the same woman. Rushmore was the film that launched the second phase of Murray’s career as a serious actor in independent cinema. He won numerous awards for his role, including the Golden Globe and Independent Spirit Awards for Best Supporting Actor. It is one of Bill Murray’s finest films and one of his best films released in the last three decades.
2. Stripes (1981)
Imagine your life is so boring and aimless that you decide to join the army just to add some kind of spark to your life. This is the position that Murray and his friend found themselves in. This zany movie cocktail exemplifies just how excellent Murray’s excellent humor can be. By merging improvisational skills and pure hilarity, Murray manages to give us one of the most amazing comedies of all time. It’s impossible not to be seduced by the mess his character imposes on military service and where it all leads him. It carries the movie and entertains it from the first moment it hits the screen until the credits start. It was one of the first movies that showcased his talents as a merit actor, and for that reason,
1. Groundhog Day (1993)
This is perhaps Murray’s ultimate performance, and his most iconic collaboration with Harold Ranks. This comedic fantasy film about a discouraged meteorologist who ends up in a time loop and is subject to reliving the worst day of his life over and over again. This forced existence leads him to contemplate his life and re-examine many things. He soon descends into a hedonistic pit and attempts to end his life numerous times without success until he begins to develop a renewed thirst for life. Murray is at the peak of his career here and it shows just how polished his performance is. If you’re looking to catch some of Bill Murray’s best movies, things don’t get much better than Groundhog Day. Absolute 10/10 and highly recommended.
What we have above are all movies. What about his TV shows? Well, his works on television are not as numerous as his roles on the big screen and it is difficult for any of them to compete with the successes of previous films, except for Olive Kitteridge, the TV movie, A Very Murray Christmas, and of course Saturday Night Live.