William James “Bill” Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-winning and Golden Globe-winning American comedian and actor.

He’s 57!

He is perhaps most famous for his work in Saturday Night Live, as well as for his comedic roles in films such as Stripes, Groundhog Day, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters and Rushmore, among many others. He has gained further acclaim for recent dramatic roles, such as in the acclaimed films Lost In Translation, Broken Flowers and The Royal Tenenbaums.

Murray was born and raised in Wilmette, Illinois (metro Chicago), the fifth of nine children of Edward J. Murray II, a lumber salesman, and Lucille Collins, both Irish American Catholics. Three of Murray’s siblings are also actors: John Murray, Joel Murray, and Brian Doyle-Murray. A sister, Nancy, is an Adrian Dominican Sister in Michigan.

Murray attended Loyola Academy. As a teenager, he worked alongside his brothers as a caddy to pay for school. After graduation, he attended Regis University in Denver, Colorado where he took pre-med courses. He later dropped out after being arrested for possession of marijuana at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. He worked numerous jobs including a stint at a Little Caesar’s alongside future chef Kerry Simon.

With an invitation from his older brother, Brian, Murray got his start at Second City Chicago studying under Del Close. The improvisational comedy troupe was a perfect fit for Murray’s clever, dry humor and ad libbing. He eventually became a featured player on The National Lampoon Radio Hour, aired on some 600 stations from 1973 to 1974.

In 1975, he landed his first television role as a cast member of the ABC variety show Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. That same season, another variety show titled NBC’s Saturday Night premiered. Cosell’s show lasted just one season.

After working in Los Angeles with the “guerrilla video” commune TVTV on a number of projects, Murray rose to prominence when he joined the cast of NBC’s newly-titled Saturday Night Live the following season, replacing Chevy Chase. This was initially a turbulent experience for Murray. He often flubbed his lines and seemed awkward on camera. Chase had been the most popular cast member and some fans sent Murray hate mail stating he was a poor replacement. When Chase appeared as a guest host that season, they got into a fist fight backstage. But by the end of Murray’s first season, he had begun to display his witty, laid-back persona. His characters, such as Nick the Lounge Singer and nerd Todd DiLamuca, became very popular with viewers. With the departure of Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi in 1979, Murray became the most popular member of the ensemble cast. In 1980, the entire cast left the show. Another scandal surrounding Murray was that he had had a relationship with co-star Gilda Radner, which ended badly.

Very detached from the Hollywood scene, Murray does not have an agent or manager and reportedly only fields offers for scripts and roles using a personal telephone number with a voice mailbox that he checks infrequently. This practice has the downside of sometimes preventing him from taking parts that he had auditioned for and was interested in, such as that of Sulley in Monsters, Inc and Willy Wonka in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Murray has homes in Los Angeles, Charleston, SC, and New York.

Other September 21st Birthdays:

Larry Hagman-Actor -76
Henry Gibson-Actor/Comedian -72
Fannie Flagg-Author/Comedian -63
Stephen King-Author -63
Dave Coulier-Actor/Comedian -48
David James Elliott-Actor -47
Nancy Travis-Actress -46
Rob Morrow-Actor -45
Cheryl Hines-Actress -42
Faith Hill-Country Singer -40
Ricki Lake-Actress/Talk Show Host -39
Luke Wilson-Actor -36
Nicole Richie-Actress -26
Maggie Grace-Actress -24