Bill Murray Bio: Age, Height, Wife, Career, SNL, Ghostbusters, Net Worth & Facts
Bill Murray is the most elusive movie star in America — a man with no agent, an unlisted phone number, and a filmography that runs from Caddyshack to Lost in Translation. In November 2026 he is back in the conversation for a very Bill Murray reason: he showed up unannounced at a Massachusetts movie theater, poured Guinness in a New York bar on Halloween, and is promoting a new travel docuseries.
He is 76, has six sons, and has been famous for nearly fifty years. This biography covers his age, family, marriages, his years on Saturday Night Live, the films that made him a legend, the allegations that have followed him, his 2026 projects, net worth, and the quotes that explain why directors keep chasing him.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | William James Murray |
| Nick Name | Bill |
| Profession | Actor, Comedian |
| Birth Date | September 21, 1950 |
| Age | 76 years 1 month old |
| Birth Place | Evanston, Illinois, USA |
| Hometown | Wilmette, Illinois |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White (Irish Catholic descent) |
| Zodiac Sign | Virgo |
| Height | Not publicly disclosed |
| Weight | Not publicly disclosed |
| Hair Color | Gray |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Qualification | Loyola Academy, Wilmette; briefly attended Regis College before leaving for comedy |
| Religion | Raised Catholic |
| Marital Status | Divorced |
| Spouse | Margaret Kelly (m. 1981, div. 1996); Jennifer Butler (m. 1997, div. 2008) |
| Children | Six sons |
| Family Tree | Sons including Luke Murray; brothers Brian Doyle-Murray, Ed, Andy, Joel, and John; parents Lucille and Edward Murray II |
| Hobbies | Baseball, golf, poetry, travel |
| Current Work | Actor; host of A Course Called Ireland (Paramount+, 2026) |
| Years Active | 1973–present |
| Net Worth | Not publicly disclosed |
Searches for Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, Lost in Translation, Brian Doyle-Murray, Luke Murray, and Bill Murray 2026 all lead here. His name also comes up alongside Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, Wes Anderson, and Chevy Chase.
Early Life & Education
William James Murray was born on September 21, 1950, in Evanston, Illinois, and grew up in Wilmette, a wealthy suburb north of Chicago. He was the fifth of nine children. His father, Edward Murray II, was a lumber salesman; his mother, Lucille, worked in a mail room. The family was Irish Catholic and not rich — nine children on a salesman’s income — and several of the Murray brothers went into comedy professionally.
He attended Loyola Academy, an all-boys Jesuit school in Wilmette, where he was not a standout student. He briefly enrolled at Regis College in Denver, intending to study medicine, and dropped out. What he found instead was the Chicago improv scene, where he joined Second City alongside John Belushi and Gilda Radner.
His older brother Brian Doyle-Murray was already working in comedy and helped bring him into the fold. The arrangement stuck: Brian has appeared in dozens of Bill’s films, from Caddyshack to Groundhog Day.
Career Journey
Saturday Night Live and the First Films
Murray joined Saturday Night Live in 1977, replacing Chevy Chase in the show’s third season, and stayed until 1980. He won a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series and turned characters like Nick the Lounge Singer into fixtures of the show’s second golden age.
Hollywood came quickly. Meatballs (1979) made him a lead, Caddyshack (1980) made him a cult figure, and Stripes (1981) made him a star. He played Dustin Hoffman’s friend in Tootsie (1982) and then, in 1984, put on the proton pack.
Ghostbusters and the Comedy Peak
Ghostbusters was the highest-grossing comedy of its era and turned Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis, and Ernie Hudson into a franchise. He returned for Ghostbusters II in 1989 and has reprised Peter Venkman in later projects in the series.
The run that followed is one of the great comedy streaks in American film: Scrooged (1988), What About Bob? (1991), and Groundhog Day (1993), a movie that critics initially treated as a high-concept comedy and now regard as a philosophical classic.
The Dramatic Turn
Murray’s reputation changed with Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation (2003), in which he played an aging actor adrift in Tokyo. The performance won him a Golden Globe and a BAFTA and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor — the only Oscar nomination of his career.
Around the same time he began his long collaboration with Wes Anderson, starting with Rushmore (1998) and continuing through The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Isle of Dogs — ten Anderson films in all. He is the godfather of Anderson’s daughter.
Later credits include Broken Flowers (2005), Zombieland (2009), Get Low (2010), Hyde Park on Hudson (2012), St. Vincent (2014), On the Rocks (2020), and The Friend (2024).
2026: A Course Called Ireland and the Accidental Appearances
In 2026 Murray is promoting A Course Called Ireland, a six-part Paramount+ docuseries built around golf and travel. He discussed it on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, where he also explained how he ended up walking out on stage after a screening of What About Bob? at the Zeiterion Theater in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in August.
Then, on Halloween, he turned up at Rory Dolan’s Restaurant & Bar in Yonkers, New York, and poured Guinness for customers. The owner told Fox News Digital that Murray did a proper three-part pour: “It wasn’t his first time to do it.”
Career Stats
- 1977–1980: Saturday Night Live cast member; Emmy for writing
- 1979–1981: Meatballs, Caddyshack, Stripes
- 1984: Ghostbusters becomes a global franchise
- 1993: Groundhog Day released
- 2003: Lost in Translation; Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe nominations and wins
- 2016: Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
- 2026: A Course Called Ireland on Paramount+
Personal Life
Murray married Margaret Kelly in January 1981, during the filming of Stripes. They had two sons, including Luke Murray, who became a college basketball coach. The marriage ended in divorce in 1996 after Murray’s affair with Jennifer Butler, whom he married in 1997. He and Butler had four sons.
Butler filed for divorce in May 2008, alleging domestic violence, infidelity, and addictions to sex, marijuana, and alcohol. The divorce was finalized on June 13, 2008. Murray has generally declined to discuss the allegations publicly. Butler died on January 19, 2021.
He lives primarily on Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, near Charleston, and also has homes in Los Angeles, Rancho Santa Fe, and Martha’s Vineyard. He is famously detached from Hollywood: no agent, no manager, and a voicemail box he checks rarely.
- First wife: Margaret Kelly (m. 1981, div. 1996)
- Second wife: Jennifer Butler (m. 1997, div. 2008; died 2021)
- Children: Six sons, including Luke Murray
- Residence: Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina
- Faith: Raised Catholic; has studied the teachings of George Gurdjieff
Dating History and Affairs
Murray’s romantic history is short and public. He married Margaret Kelly in 1981 and had two sons with her. His affair with Jennifer Butler ended that marriage; he married Butler in 1997 and had four more sons before that marriage collapsed in 2008 amid her allegations.
Since then he has been linked to companions in the tabloids but has not remarried or confirmed a long-term relationship. For a star of his magnitude, the record is unusually thin — a consequence of living outside Hollywood and not employing a publicist.
Controversies
The 2022 set complaint. Production on Being Mortal was suspended in April 2022 after a complaint about Murray’s behavior on set. He later told CNBC he had a “difference of opinion” with a woman working on the film and that he was trying to make peace. The movie was never released. The episode revived a long-running conversation about how he treats people on set.
The 2008 divorce filing. Jennifer Butler’s court filing alleged domestic violence and addictions. Murray did not litigate the claims in public, and the divorce was finalized quickly. The allegations remain the most serious in his record, and he has never given a detailed account of them.
The Chevy Chase feud. The bad blood dates to 1978, when Chase returned to host SNL and the two had a physical confrontation backstage before air. Both men have told versions of the story for decades, and neither has softened it much.
The 2007 golf cart arrest. Swedish police stopped Murray in Stockholm on suspicion of driving a golf cart under the influence. The incident became a running joke in his interviews rather than a lasting scandal.
On-set behavior stories. Murray has a long reputation for being difficult to reach at all and, when reached, difficult to predict. Directors describe long waits and improvised disappearances; his defenders describe an actor who will do anything for a take if he trusts the room.
Awards & Achievements
- Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, 2016
- BAFTA Award and Golden Globe for Lost in Translation
- Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for Lost in Translation
- Two Primetime Emmy Awards, including writing for Saturday Night Live
- Ten films with director Wes Anderson
- Star of one of the highest-grossing comedies ever made, Ghostbusters
Physical Statistics
- Height: Not publicly disclosed
- Weight: Not publicly disclosed
- Hair Color: Gray
- Eye Color: Blue
- Build: Lean
- Style: Deliberately unglamorous — polo shirts, fishing caps, and whatever he wore to the airport
Quotes
“The town’s really happening, really happening. Once it was a famous whaling town.”
Bill Murray, on New Bedford, Massachusetts, on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, November 2026, via Yahoo News
“It was just kind of fun to walk out at the end of the movie. They had a standee in case I didn’t show up. They had like a cardboard me.”
Bill Murray, November 2026, via Yahoo News
“It’s not that hard. If you have a good script, that’s what gets you involved. People say they can’t find me. Well, if you can write a good script, that’s a lot harder than finding someone. I don’t worry about it; it’s not my problem.”
Bill Murray, on working without an agent, 2011 interview
Favorites
- Favorite sport: Baseball — he is a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan
- Favorite city: Charleston, South Carolina, near his home on Sullivan’s Island
- Favorite collaborator: Wes Anderson, who has cast him in ten films
- Favorite drink: Guinness, apparently, given the Halloween bartending shift
- Favorite way to travel: Without a publicist, a plan, or an agent
Earnings
Bill Murray’s net worth has not been publicly disclosed. Estimates online vary and are not based on verified records. His income has come from five decades of film work, including profit participation in Ghostbusters, and from the steady stream of Wes Anderson and indie roles he takes for reasons other than money.
He has no agent, which means he negotiates — or ignores — deals himself. That has cost him roles over the years, including parts in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Monsters, Inc., and Little Miss Sunshine, but it has also given him the freedom to say yes only when he wants to.
Interesting Facts
- He has no agent or manager and screens scripts through a rarely checked voicemail.
- He is the fifth of nine children.
- His brother Brian Doyle-Murray has appeared in many of his films.
- He was the godfather of Wes Anderson’s daughter.
- He has been nominated for exactly one Academy Award.
- He poured Guinness at a Yonkers bar on Halloween 2026.
- He studied the teachings of George Gurdjieff.
Did You Know Already?
- He replaced Chevy Chase on Saturday Night Live.
- He won an Emmy for writing, not acting.
- Groundhog Day was a comedy that became a philosophy text.
- He has six sons.
- He lives in South Carolina, not Los Angeles.
- He has a new travel docuseries, A Course Called Ireland.
Social Media Links
- IMDb: imdb.com/name/nm0000195
- Paramount+: A Course Called Ireland on Paramount+
Note: Bill Murray does not maintain verified public social media accounts. Fan, parody, or unverified pages are intentionally left out.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Bill Murray?
Bill Murray was born on September 21, 1950, which makes him 76 years old in November 2026. He is a Virgo.
Is Bill Murray married?
No. He was married twice — to Margaret Kelly from 1981 to 1996 and to Jennifer Butler from 1997 to 2008 — and has not remarried.
How many children does Bill Murray have?
Six sons: two with Margaret Kelly, including college basketball coach Luke Murray, and four with Jennifer Butler.
What is Bill Murray’s most famous movie?
Ghostbusters (1984) is his most famous, but Groundhog Day and Lost in Translation are the films critics cite most often. Lost in Translation earned him his only Oscar nomination.
Why does Bill Murray not have an agent?
He has said he prefers to be reached only when a script is good enough to justify it. The arrangement has cost him roles but given him unusual control over his career.
What happened with Being Mortal?
Production was suspended in April 2022 after a complaint about Murray’s behavior on set. He described it as a difference of opinion and said he was trying to make peace. The film was never released.
What is Bill Murray’s net worth?
It has not been publicly disclosed. Online figures are estimates rather than verified totals.
How tall is Bill Murray?
His exact height has not been published, so we list it as private rather than guessing.
Conclusion
Bill Murray has spent his career refusing to behave like a movie star, and the refusal is the reason he remains interesting. He has one Oscar nomination, ten Wes Anderson films, a Mark Twain Prize, a haunted-firehouse franchise, and a phone number almost nobody has. At 76 he is still turning up in bars and movie theaters unannounced — which is either the last honest form of fame or the best publicity strategy in Hollywood.
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