Bill Murray

What does a guy need to do to get recognition and respect in Hollywood? Starring in a string of hit movies would seem to do the trick, but why then does Bill Murray remain one of Hollywood's most under-appreciated talents?

Murray was born September 21st, 1950 in Wilmette, Illinois. His father, Edward, and mother, Lucille, had an impressive nine children. It was a close, warm upbringing of which Bill seems to have fond memories. As a young man he thought that his sense of humor came from his father's side. Not that his dad was a funny man, indeed he was notoriously hard to crack up, but Murray figured it must have skipped a generation. It wasn't until later that he realized that it had been his hardworking devoted mom all along who had instilled in him his humor - and in all the other children as well for that matter. Of the Murray throng, four have tried their hand at show businesses.

The sport of golf has always been of central importance to Bill and his brothers. They all grew up working as caddies on local greens. Bill recalls in his autobiographical book, Cinderella Story: My Life in Golf many happy times as a child, and credits the hard work with instilling in him a sense of propriety and respect for others. As a youngster, Bill saved his golf course earnings in order to fund his education at Loyola Academy, a Jesuit high school - not content to attend the public school. While in high school, Bill showed an early interest in acting, but his wild sense of humor and inability to hold his mouth in check usually had him relegated to the rafters.

At one point, this comedian was going to be a doctor, but an arrest of possession of pot changed those plans. He therefore dropped out of Ed school and headed off to be a funny man. One of his brothers was a member of Chicago's famed Second City improv troupe, and Bill soon signed up as well. While there, he worked with some of American's rising comedic talents. Murray was soon working on The National Lampoon Radio Show with Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi and Gilda Radner. In 1977, Murray landed a spot on Saturday Night Live, the widely successful sketch comedy show, where he became an audience favorite.

Leaving the show in 1980, he moved on to pursue a career in film. Murray soon began appearing in some of the biggest comedic hits of the 80s. Caddyshack and Stripes were foremost, but Bill also gave a great performance as the straight man in the Dustin Hoffman vehicle, Tootsie. It was a brief glimpse at the serious potential of Bill Murray.

Murray continued to give entertaining performances one after the other, with only a few misses in the mix (Quick Change). But gladly, the successes far outnumber the failures. Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors, Scrooged, and others, finished off the decade. Murray was on a roll.

The 90s have seen that roll continue, but Murray still does not seem to be given the respect he deserves. He is a multi-talented comedian, a master of hard, biting humor which has not been popular in the decade of Jim Carrey and Mike Myers. Ironically, Murray seems to be getting even better with age. His movies have become more intelligent while retaining their humor. Groundhog Day is a vastly underrated film and a perfect example of Murray's style.

Kingpin, the Farrelly Brothers ode to bowling, helped to bring back Murray's popularity in 1996. Roles in Ed Wood and Wild Things helped to bring back some of the critics. Finally, as the year 2000 nears, Bill Murray is finally commanding some respect.

The film which has really got people talking though, was Rushmore. In it, Bill starred as Herman Blume, a lonely rich entrepreneur who befriends an awkward young boy. Well, all is fair in love and war and after the two fall for the same woman they become the most dire enemies - with the most comical results. The role even garnered Oscar talk.

Despite his usually predilection for biting, sarcastic wit, in Cinderella Story Murray betrays a much softer side. Bill it seems has managed to find equilibrium and peace in his life and box office success has become a much more secondary notion (not that he minds the money...) He credits golf for the temperance he has found for life. Murray has been playing his entire life and is a regular fixture both in charity events and in open tournaments. He has played along side some of the sports legendary greats and has made them all laugh. Murray is known to entertain the crowds and keep the sport fun, while maintaining a profound respect for the game. He definitely seems to have transposed this ideology to life in general.

With a role as Polonius in Shakespeare's Hamlet (and several other films on the way), not to mention a successful book. Bill Murray appears to be coming into his own. He has managed to retain his charm and satirical wit, while stretching his range to incorporate more cerebral and intelligent drama. It must be nice to finally be appreciated.