St. Louis Wing Week Returns April 8-15, 2024

The Wes Anderson-Bill Murray Connection

Bill Murray first appeared in a Wes Anderson picture in 1998's Rushmore and since then, he's had a role in every one of the Texan's movies. The Grand Budapest Hotel -- in theaters March 7 -- marks Murray's seventh appearance in an Anderson film. (Bottle Rocket, Anderson's first feature, is his only film not to feature Murray.) To commemorate the occasion, we have compiled images and descriptions of Murray's roles throughout the Anderson canon, from the brief cameos (The Darjeeling Limited) to the inspired leading performances (The Life Acquatic with Steve Zissou). The slideshow presents the roles chronologically, which allows for some fun temporal tracking of Murray's facial hair. Words by Danny King.

Scroll down to view images

Rushmore (1998)

Murray's performance in Rushmore now looks like something of a transitional work for the actor, who would bring a similar melancholy to later independent fare like Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation and Jim Jarmusch's Broken Flowers. Read our Rushmore movie review.

1 of 14

In Rushmore, Murray's turn as wealthy industrialist Herman Bloom is filled with signature gestures: lighting two cigarettes at a time in a cramped elevator, getting drunk at a pool party to the tune of the Kinks' "Nothin' in the World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl." Read our Rushmore movie review.

2 of 14

The Royal Tenenbaums (2001)

Murray plays Raleigh St. Clair, a parody of the famous British neurologist Oliver Sacks. Read our The Royal Tenenbaums movie review.

3 of 14

In The Royal Tenenbaums, Murray's Raleigh is the unloved husband of Margot Tenenbaum (Gwyneth Paltrow). When Margot tells him she may never come home, he famously responds, "Well, I want to die." Read our The Royal Tenenbaums movie review.

4 of 14

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

Murray plays the eponymous Steve Zissou, a daring oceanographer who, in the midst of a period of professional stagnation, vows to document the discovery of the fabled "Jaguar Shark." Read our The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou movie review.

5 of 14

Inspired by the French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, Murray's character in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou dresses his team in an eye-catching wardrobe -- baby-blue suits and bright red caps -- that has since become one of the most iconic items in Anderson's cinema. Read our The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou movie review.

6 of 14

The Darjeeling Limited (2007)

Credited as The Businessman, Murray's brief cameo here begins at the start of the film. Straining to catch an Indian train in the film's opening sequence, his progress is quickly trumped by Adrien Brody's Peter Whitman, one of the film's three brothers. Read our The Darjeeling Limited movie review.

7 of 14

In a typical Anderson touch, Murray's train-platform failure in Darjeeling is accompanied by the sound of the Kinks' "This Time Tomorrow." Read our The Darjeeling Limited movie review.

8 of 14

Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

In a decorated voice cast that includes the likes of Meryl Streep, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, and a host of Anderson regulars, Murray takes on the role of Badger, the lawyer who does his best to keep the ambitions of George Clooney's scheming fox in check. Read our Fantastic Mr. Fox movie review.

9 of 14

In a 2009 interview about Fantastic Mr. Fox, Murray spoke of a desire to make Badger "a Wisconsin guy," saying that "you know, it's time for a Wisconsin accent to make itself known." Read our Fantastic Mr. Fox movie review.

10 of 14

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

As Walt Bishop, the father of wayward lover Suzy (Kara Hayward), Murray's characteristically deadpan performance builds to a dramatic bedroom conversation between Walt and his wife (Frances McDormand). Read our Moonrise Kingdom movie review.

11 of 14

Outside the film, Murray, in Walt's garb, achieved Internet notoriety when he hosted an entertaining, "possibly drunk" three-minute tour of the Moonrise Kingdom set.

12 of 14

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

In her Voice review of The Grand Budapest Hotel from the Berlin Film Festival, Stephanie Zacharek grouped Murray together with Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, and a couple others as actors who "all step forward to get a light dusting of Andersonia" in the director's new film. Read our The Grand Budapest Hotel movie review.

13 of 14

With a cast this large and accomplished, it remains to be seen if Murray's role as M. Ivan will stand out in the crowded shuffle. A wintry pre-release clip titled "The Escape" -- in which Murray, donning a memorable mustache, is seen hatching a plan with Ralph Fiennes and Tony Revolori -- has us hoping he'll do just that. Read our The Grand Budapest Hotel movie review.

14 of 14