What is Bill Murray's net worth and salary?
Bill Murray is an American comedian, actor, writer, and producer who has a net worth of $180 million.
Bill Murray, an iconic figure in American cinema, has forged a career marked by both critical acclaim and popular success. His journey in the entertainment industry began in the mid-1970s with his foray into comedy through the National Lampoon Radio Hour. This experience paved the way for his participation in the inaugural season of "Saturday Night Live" (SNL) in 1977, a show that has been instrumental in showcasing comedic talent. His tenure at SNL not only earned him an Emmy Award but also set the stage for his transition to film.
Murray's film career blossomed in the 1980s, starting with "Meatballs" (1979) and the cult classic "Caddyshack" (1980). His ability to blend deadpan humor with a touch of melancholy became his signature style, making him a household name. His role in "Ghostbusters" (1984), a blend of comedy and supernatural elements, further solidified his status as a comedy legend. This film was a massive commercial success and remains a cultural touchstone.
Throughout the 1990s, Murray continued to display his versatile acting skills. His performances in "Groundhog Day" (1993) and "Rushmore" (1998) demonstrated a shift towards more complex and nuanced characters, earning him critical acclaim. These roles showcased his ability to handle both comedic and dramatic elements with equal finesse.
Entering the new millennium, Murray's career took a more dramatic turn with films like "Lost in Translation" (2003), for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. This film marked a significant point in his career, highlighting his capacity for profound and introspective performances.
Murray's career is also notable for his collaborations with renowned directors like Wes Anderson, starring in multiple Anderson films, including "The Royal Tenenbaums" (2001) and "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" (2004). These films are celebrated for their unique storytelling and visual style, complementing Murray's eclectic acting range.
In recent years, Murray has continued to balance both mainstream and independent projects, maintaining his status as an endearing and versatile actor.
Ghostbusters Salary
In order to secure the rights to the highly-coveted "Ghostbusters" script, Columbia Pictures agreed to some very generous salary terms as negotiated by Michael Ovitz, the principal partner at talent agency CAA. All three principal actors (Aykroyd, Murray, Ramis) plus the film's director, Ivan Reitman, would split 30% of the movie's gross revenues at the box office, home video sales, and network licensing deals. In the end, this turned into a $300 million split four ways. That's $75 million per person. After adjusting for inflation, that's the same as $200 million PER PERSON!
For the sequel, the four principals got an even sweeter deal. They each received a $6 million upfront salary and then split 35% of the gross. "Ghostbusters II" was slightly less successful, earning around $215 million at the box office. One could conservatively assume that between salary and backend points, each of the four earned $50 million for the sequel. That's the same as $110 million after adjusting for inflation.
So, in total, without adjusting for inflation, Bill Murray earned approximately $125 million from the first two Ghostbusters. After adjusting for inflation, he earned $310 million in today's dollars.
Other Bill Murray Salaries
Below is a list of other film salaries earned by Bill Murray during his career:
- Scrooged – $6 million
- Rushmore – $9,000
- Zombieland – $3 million
- Ghostbusters Afterlife – $15 million
- Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania – $1 million
Early Life
William James Murray was born on September 21st, 1950, in Evanston, Illinois, and was raised in a suburb of Chicago alongside eight siblings in a large Irish-Catholic family. Three of his siblings would go on to be actors, although his father died when Murray was 17 – too early to witness his children's success. Bill appeared in many of his high school's theater productions during his youth.
After high school, things didn't go well for Murray. He attended pre-medical school but quickly dropped out and returned home. At age 20, he was caught at Chicago's O'Hare airport with 10 pounds of marijuana that he allegedly intended to sell. He was convicted but was given probation instead of serving jail time.
Early Comedy Career
After his run-in with the law, Bill Murray was invited by his brother to join a comedy troupe in Chicago. After achieving success as a comedian, he traveled to New York and joined "The National Lampoon Radio Hour." This eventually led to Murray appearing in an off-Broadway adaptation of a "National Lampoon" show, which in turn caught the attention of the producers of "Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell."
Saturday Night Live
Although the first iteration of "Saturday Night Live" was canceled in 1976, it was picked up by NBC, who booked Bill Murray on the show. This marked the first real, mainstream breakthrough for Bill Murray, who appeared on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" From 1977 to 1980.
Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images
Film Career
Although Murray had starred in 1979's "Meatballs," it was only after he departed from "Saturday Night Live" that he started to experience mainstream success in film. In 1980, he starred in "Where Buffalos Roam." This proved to be the beginning of a long string of successful roles for Bill Murray in the 1980s, and he appeared in films like "Tootsie," "Stripes," and "Caddyshack." In particular, the last film won Bill Murray considerable praise. In his youth, Bill Murray had worked as a caddie in real life.
Murray's next big role was in "Ghostbusters" – another '80s classic. However, this marked the beginning of a long hiatus from acting for Murray, as he was frustrated at the failure of "The Razor's Edge" at the box office. He had co-written the film and starred in the leading role. When it bombed, he retreated to Sorbonne University in Paris to study philosophy and history.
In 1988, Bill Murray returned to acting with the release of "Scrooge." Next year, he reprised his earlier role with the sequel of "Ghostbusters II." Perhaps his most successful role of the early '90s was in "Groundhog Day." "Space Jam" was another memorable role for Murray in 1996. He would build on his earlier success with the release of "Rushmore" in 1998, his first collaboration with Wes Anderson. The film received stellar reviews, and Murray was singled out for his contribution.
"Rushmore" allowed Bill Murray to pursue dramatic roles with greater success, and he teamed up with Wes Anderson once again for "The Royal Tenenbaums." The role that won him the greatest critical acclaim was perhaps "Lost in Translation," which was released in 2003 and starred a young Scarlett Johansson.
Murray continued to take on comedic roles, starring in "Charlie's Angels" and voice acting for several "Garfield" movies. That being said, his most prominent role of this period was in another Wes Anderson flick – this time playing the lead in "The Life Aquatic."
Murray had experienced enormous success during the last few decades and took another break from acting after the release of "The Life Aquatic." In 2009, he returned for yet another Wes Anderson movie, this time providing the voice for Mr. Badger in the animated film "Fantastic Mr. Fox." He followed this up with another voice acting role in 2016's "The Jungle Book," playing Baloo. Counting his salary and potential earnings from his share of the film's profits, it's been reported that Murray earned $48 million for "The Jungle Book." Voice acting roles continued to be a source of success for Murray going forward, as he appeared in Wes Anderson's next animated movie, "Isle of Dogs." In 2019, it was announced that Murray would appear in Anderson's next film, "The French Dispatch."
Murray reprised his role as Dr. Peter Venkman in 2021's "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" and is expected to appear in the untitled "Afterlife" sequel. Lately, he also had roles in 2022's "The Greatest Beer Run Ever" and 2023's "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."
Personal Life
Bill Murray has been married twice. In 1981, he married Margaret Kelly, whom he had met during the filming of "Stripes." The couple had two children together before they divorced in 1996. The reason behind their divorce was that Murray was having an affair with Jennifer Butler, whom he married in 1997. Bill Murray had four children with Butler before they divorced in 2008. Among other things, Jennifer Butler accused Bill Murray of addiction issues and domestic abuse. In June 2023, it was revealed that Murray is dating singer Kelis.
Bill Murray is incredibly involved in minor league baseball, having owned shares in countless teams over the years.
Bill Murray has a reputation for being incredibly hard to contact and difficult to work with at times. In regard to the first point, Murray does not have an agent or a manager – a rarity in the film industry among actors. Instead, those interested in working with him typically call one of his phone numbers and leave a message on an answering machine. Murray doesn't check his messages regularly, and he only displays an interest in roles when he feels the script is worth his time. This approach has resulted in Murray "missing out" on various roles, although he doesn't see it this way for the most part. The fact that he's only willing to work with select directors generally only makes him more sought-after.
As for his reputation of being difficult to work with on set, this is largely due to the fact that he has a select group of directors that he "gels" with. These include Wes Anderson, James Jarmusch, and Sofia Coppola. Working with other directors who have a less harmonious relationship with the actor can prompt Murray to undergo mood swings on set.
Real Estate
Bill Murray owns homes in Los Angeles and Rancho Santa Fe, California, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, and Charleston, South Carolina. Between 2008 and 2013, he also owned a property in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Lower Manhattan. In the 1980s, Bill Murray lived in a palatial estate in Palisades, New York. The 8-acre property features a 15,000-square-foot mansion with ten bedrooms and 12 bathrooms. Most famously, Bill installed a pool at this house that features the Chicago Cubs logo. Bill sold the home in the 1990s, but the Cubs logo pool remains to this day!
