Exclusive Portraits: Bill Murray Back in Chicago for ‘Groundhog Day’

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CHICAGO – Bill Murray is a son of Chicagoland, born and raised in the area and beginning his career at The Second City. To honor his friend and collaborator Harold Ramis, Murray made an appearance on February 2nd, 2024, on Chicago’s Navy Pier on behalf of Harold Ramis Day and of course his classic film “Groundhog Day.”

Bill Murray Back in his Home Land
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

William James “Bill” Murray was born in Chicago-adjacent Evanston and grew up in nearby Wilmette. After an attempt at college, he followed his brother Brian Doyle Murray to The Second City and found his performance niche. He moved to New York City when fellow Second City vet John Belushi recruited him for “The National Lampoon Radio Hour.” After missing out on the original cast of “Saturday Night Live” in 1975, he did a stint on Howard Cosell’s short-lived variety show also briefly called “Saturday Night Live.” He joined the other SNL cast in its second season and had a legendary sketch and character run for three seasons.

Bill Murray, the Hometown Legend
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

From there he did films, breaking out in 1979 with “Meatballs” and began an unprecedented run of memorable roles from the 1980s to the present, including ‘Caddyshack,” “Tootsie,” “Ghostbusters,” “Scrooged,” “What About Bob,” “Rushmore,””Lost in Translation” and even “Ant-Man and Wasp: Quantumania.” Photographer Joe Arce captured these Exclusive Portraits of Bill Murray during an appearance on behalf of Harold Ramis Day and a celebration of one his most famous films, “Groundhog Day” (1993).

CLICK HERE for the Slideshow of Bill Murray and the film “Groundhog Day” honoring Harold Ramis Day in Chicago on February 2nd, 2024, by Joe Arce of HollywoodChicago.com.

By PATRICK McDONALD Editor and Film Critic/Writer HollywoodChicago.com pat@hollywoodchicago.com