American actor and comedian Bill Murray has been known for not having an agent or manager. The only way he accepts role offers is by responding at random to messages from an unlisted toll-free telephone number which he created. This arrangement has made it difficult for filmmakers to contact Murray and cast him in their films.[1] As a result, Murray has gained a reputation for missing out on a number of opportunities to portray certain characters in films he was considered to appear in.[2] [3] The following is a list of films Murray turned down or missed out on.
| Name | Year | Offered role | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Star Wars | 1977 | Han Solo | [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] | Role went to Harrison Ford. | |
| Animal House | 1978 | Donald "Boon" Schoenstein | Role went to Peter Riegert. | ||
| The Jerk | 1979 | Cameo | |||
| Airplane! | 1980 | Ted Striker | [9] [10] [11] | Role went to Robert Hays. | |
| Raiders of the Lost Ark | 1981 | Indiana Jones | [12] | Role went to Harrison Ford. | |
| The Dead Zone | 1983 | Johnny Smith | Role went to Christopher Walken. | ||
| Splash | 1984 | Allen Bauer | [13] | Role went to Tom Hanks. | |
| Lost in America | 1985 | David Howard | Role went to Albert Brooks. | ||
| About Last Night | 1986 | Danny Martin | Role went to Rob Lowe. | ||
| Club Paradise | 1986 | Jack Moniker | Role went to Robin Williams. | ||
| Gung Ho | 1986 | Hunt Stevenson | Role went to Michael Keaton. | ||
| Legal Eagles | 1986 | Laura Kelly | |||
| Three Amigos | 1986 | Dusty Bottoms | Role went to Chevy Chase. | ||
| The Witches of Eastwick | 1987 | Daryl Van Horne | Role went to Jack Nicholson. | ||
| Rain Man | 1988 | Raymond Babbitt or Charlie Babbitt | |||
| Who Framed Roger Rabbit | 1988 | Eddie Valiant | Role went to Bob Hoskins. | ||
| Batman | 1989 | Bruce Wayne/Batman | Role went to Michael Keaton. | ||
| Air America | 1990 | Billy Covington | Role went to Robert Downey Jr.. | ||
| Kindergarten Cop | 1990 | Detective John Kimble | Role went to Arnold Schwarzenegger. | ||
| Cape Fear | 1991 | Max Cady | Role went to Robert De Niro. | ||
| King Ralph | 1991 | Ralph Jones | Role went to John Goodman. | ||
| Philadelphia | 1993 | Joe Miller | Role went to Denzel Washington. | ||
| Forrest Gump | 1994 | Forrest Gump | Role went to Tom Hanks. | ||
| The Santa Clause | 1994 | Scott Calvin/Santa Claus | Role went to Tim Allen. | ||
| Toy Story | 1995 | Buzz Lightyear | Role went to Tim Allen. | ||
| Bottle Rocket | 1996 | Mr. Abe Henry | Role went to James Caan. | ||
| The People vs. Larry Flynt | 1996 | Larry Flynt | Role went to Woody Harrelson. | ||
| Boogie Nights | 1997 | Jack Horner | Role went to Burt Reynolds. | ||
| Primary Colors | 1998 | Jack Stanton | Role went to John Travolta. | ||
| There's Something About Mary | 1998 | Pat Healy | Role went to Matt Dillon. | ||
| American Pie | 1999 | Noah Levenstein | Role went to Eugene Levy. | ||
| Finding Forrester | 2000 | William Forrester | Role went to Sean Connery. | ||
| The Man Who Wasn't There | 2001 | Ed Crane | Role went to Billy Bob Thornton. | ||
| Monsters, Inc. | 2001 | Sulley | Role went to John Goodman. | ||
| Shrek | 2001 | Shrek | Role went to Mike Myers. | ||
| About Schmidt | 2002 | Warren R. Schmidt | Role went to Jack Nicholson. | ||
| Bad Santa | 2003 | Willie T. Soke | Role went to Billy Bob Thornton. | ||
| 2003 | Jimmy Bosley | ||||
| Charlie and the Chocolate Factory | 2005 | Willy Wonka | Role went to Johnny Depp. | ||
| The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy | 2005 | Ford Prefect | Role went to Mos Def. | ||
| The Ice Harvest | 2005 | Bill Guerrard or Pete Van Heuten | |||
| The Squid and the Whale | 2005 | Bernard Berkman | Role went to Jeff Daniels. | ||
| Little Miss Sunshine | 2006 | Frank Ginsberg | Role went to Steve Carell. | ||
| Over the Hedge | 2006 | RJ | [14] | Role went to Bruce Willis. | |
| Alvin and the Chipmunks | 2007 | David Seville | Role went to Jason Lee. | ||
| Iron Man | 2008 | Unspecified role | |||
| How Do You Know | 2010 | Charles Madison | Role went to Jack Nicholson. |
Murray did a cameo in the film The Jerk (1979) in which he portrayed a "flamboyantly gay decorator" but the scene was cut from the final film.[4] [5]
The film Legal Eagles (1986) was initially intended as a two-man vehicle for Murray and Dustin Hoffman. After both actors turned down the project, the character Murray was considered to play was then rewritten as a woman which ended up being portrayed by Debra Winger.[4]
According to several sources, Murray was considered to play Charlie Babbitt in the film Rain Man (1988).[13] [4] [5] However, a source from Business Insider claimed that Murray was considered for the part of Raymond Babbitt.[9]
After Murray declined to reprise his role in (2003), the character Jimmy Bosley, portrayed by Bernie Mac, was then created as a replacement for John Bosley.[12]
It is known that Murray declined a supporting role in the film The Ice Harvest (2005), but sources differ as to which role he was offered. A source from Vulture.com claimed he was considered for the part of Bill Guerrard[4] whereas a source from Mental Floss claimed he was considered for that of Pete Van Hueten.[5]
Robert Downey Jr. claimed that Murray was considered for a part in the film Iron Man (2008) but did not specify which role he was offered to play.[5]