Bill Murray to receive Mark Twain Prize for American Humour
David Letterman, Emma Stone and Sigourney Weaver will be among those on hand to celebrate his career
Bill Murray will get the sort of attention he doesn’t usually seek out when he’s honoured with the nation’s top prize for humour.
The actor will be at the Kennedy Center on Sunday to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. David Letterman, Emma Stone and Sigourney Weaver will be among those on hand to celebrate his career.
Murray got his break on Saturday Night Live and starred in some of the most successful comedies of the 1980s and 1990s before transitioning into more dramatic roles. He was nominated for an Oscar for his soulful turn as a washed-up actor in Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation.
He’s become a folk hero in the social-media era by turning up unannounced at wedding receptions, kickball games and house parties. He’s also a regular at Chicago Cubs games and celebrity golf tournaments.
But he doesn’t have an agent or a publicist and rarely does in-depth interviews. He declined to speak to reporters ahead of Sunday’s event, save for a brief conversation with The Washington Post that occurred only after the newspaper published a lengthy profile of him.
Murray, 66, joins several other Saturday Night Live alumni who’ve received the prize, including Tina Fey, Will Ferrell and last year’s winner, Eddie Murphy.
