Bill Murray

**William James "Bill" Murray** is an American actor, voice actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter, known for his deadpan speech delivery. He is perhaps best known for portraying Peter Venkman in the *Ghostbusters* films (along with playing Dr. Martin Heiss in the 2016 film reboot), as well as voicing the titular character of the live-action *Garfield* films and Clive Badger in the 2009 stop-motion adaptation of *Fantastic Mr. Fox*. He is also well-known for starring in various comedy films, such as *Meatballs*, *Caddyshack*, *Stripes*, *Little Shop of Horrors*, *Scrooged*, and *Groundhog Day*. Additionally, he is known as a member of The Not Ready for Prime Time Players on NBC's *Saturday Night Live* (1975–1979).

His Disney roles include playing Bob Wiley in the 1991 Touchstone Pictures film *What About Bob?*, Bunny Breckinridge in *Ed Wood*, Herman Blume in *Rushmore*, Tommy Crickshaw in *Cradle Will Rock*, and the titular character of *The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou*. He also voiced Baloo in the 2016 live-action adaptation of *The Jungle Book* with a new performance of "The Bare Necessities" song, and was mentioned in *The Muppets* episode "A Tail of Two Piggies". Additionally, he portrayed Arthur Howitzer Jr. in the 2021 Searchlight Pictures film *The French Dispatch* and Krylar in the 2023 Marvel film *Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania*. He will reprise his role as Baloo in the upcoming live-action sequel *The Jungle Book 2*.

## Bill Murray

### Born

William James "Bill" Murray
September 21, 1950 (age 72)
Wilmette, Illinois, United States

### Occupation

Actor, voice actor, comedian, director, screenwriter

## Trivia

* Murray was considered for the roles of Indiana Jones and Han Solo, but both roles went to Harrison Ford.
* He was also considered for the role of Wayne Szalinski in *Honey, I Shrunk the Kids*. Amusingly enough, it was his idea to cast his fellow *Ghostbusters* alumni Rick Moranis for the role instead.[*citation needed*]
* He was also considered for the role of Allen Bauer in *Splash*. However, after reading the script, Murray showed his disgust by throwing it across the room. The role later went to Tom Hanks.
* He was also one of several actors considered for the voice role of Buzz Lightyear in *Toy Story*, along with Billy Crystal, Jim Carrey, Chevy Chase, Bruce Willis, and Phil Hartman. However, Tim Allen was cast in the end.
* He was also considered for the role of Scott Calvin in *The Santa Clause*. However, because he didn't enjoy the filming of *Scrooged* (1988) and didn't want to be cast in another Christmas movie, he turned down the role which later went to Tim Allen.
* He was also considered for the voice roles of Pacha and James P. Sullivan in *The Emperor's New Groove* and *Monsters, Inc.* (respectively). However, John Goodman was cast in the end.
* He was originally considered for the role of Eddie Valiant in *Who Framed Roger Rabbit*, along with several other actors, but he missed out on it due to his method of receiving offers for roles. The regret he felt from missing the opportunity led to him taking on a cameo role in the Warner Bros. hybrid film *Space Jam*.[*citation needed*]
* He was also considered for the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in *Star Wars: The Phantom Menace*. However, the role was ultimately given to Ewan McGregor.[*citation needed*]
* He was also considered for the role of Captain Jack Sparrow in *Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl* before the role went to Johnny Depp.[*citation needed*]
* He is the second member of his family to voice Baloo after his brother Brian Doyle-Murray voiced Baloo in *The Jungle Book: Mowgli's Story*.
* He was also set to star in the cancelled Searchlight Pictures film *Being Mortal*.

## References

1. ↑ Jump up to:1.0 1.1 1.2 "33 Movies That Almost Starred Bill Murray". *Mental Floss* (Dec 4, 2015).
2. ↑ Jump up to:2.0 2.1 "The Lost Roles of Bill Murray". *Vulture* (Dec 6, 2017).
3. ↑ Jump up to:3.0 3.1 "Bill Murray and the Roles That Got Away". *HuffPost* (Feb 17, 2011).