Bill Murray Net Worth: 40 Years of Greatness

The Bill Murray net worth total of $93.8 million comes mostly from $158 million in pre-tax earnings from acting and $8 million from business ventures. Murray is a beloved entertainer who started his career back in 1973 and enjoyed a stint on Saturday Night Live. He also landed roles in the popular movies Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day.

At an age when many actors would be throwing in the towel, Murray continues to push his boundaries. He scored a huge hit with younger fans in 2009’s Zombieland and has appeared in recent indie films like Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel. He also starred as lovable bear Baloo in the 2016 billion dollar blockbuster The Jungle Book, for which he earned an estimated $48 million.

Not content to stick to one career path, Murray has branched out into several business ventures. He is part owner of four baseball teams, a restaurant called Murray Bros. Caddy Shack and a golf-related clothing business.

Singing a winning tune.

A few world-champion @Cubs joined Bill Murray on his old set Saturday night. (via @nbcsnl) pic.twitter.com/GsV1jNaAGC

— ESPN (@espn) November 6, 2016

Bill Murray Net Worth Facts

The Bill Murray net worth sum of $93.8 million is high for an actor, if not for a celebrity in general. Murray’s net worth is 10% bigger than fellow funnyman Dan Aykroyd’s net worth of $85 million. It’s half as big as Harrison Ford’s net worth of $197 million. Then again Ford’s career spans 50 years vs Murray’s 43. Ford has also starred in several blockbuster films compared to Murray’s handful.

Murray’s wealth doesn’t stack up quite as well next to popular contemporary musicians. Drake’s net worth is 7% bigger than Murray’s at $101 million. Beyonce has five times more money with $419 million. Her rapper husband Jay Z has six times more with $553 million. Pop Diva Taylor Swift’s net worth is four times bigger at $310 million. Murray’s net worth is 40% bigger than rapper Kanye West’s net worth of $67 million. Then again West’s wife Kim Kardashian has stockpiled $150 million. That’s 37% more money than Bill Murray.

Timeline of Bill Murray Net Worth

The Bill Murray net worth story started back in 1973 with a role in the short film The Hat Act. The movie was about an impoverished young man, a subject close to Murray’s heart. Murray grew up in a Chicago suburb in a large family. His mother was a clerk in a mail room and his father was a lumber salesman. These elements later found their way into the hit film Caddyshack, which Murray starred in and which his brother Brian Doyle-Murray co-wrote.

Big Break

Murray’s first big break came in 1975 when he appeared for the first time on Saturday Night Live. Two years later he was a regular on the show. The first uptick in the Murray net worth graph above, however, comes in 1984 with his starring role in the summer blockbuster Ghostbusters. Murray’s wealth steadily climbed through the 80’s and 90’s with a series of roles in high-profile movies including Scrooged, What About Bob, Groundhog Day and Kingpin. The big jump near the end of the graph comes from his role in the hugely popular The Jungle Book in 2016. With base pay plus a percentage share of the movie’s billion-dollar box office gross, Murray earned an estimated $48 million from the film.

Bill Murray Net Worth Sources: Acting, Baseball

Acting income of $158 million pre-tax makes up the largest slice of the Bill Murray net worth pie. Murray has also earned $1.6 million from producing and another estimated $8 million from various business ventures. These include a restaurant, four baseball teams and a clothing company. His total lifetime earnings come to $167.7 million. That gives him an average salary of $3.8 million and a salary in 2016 of a much higher $49 million. The star has paid about $78 million in taxes over the course of his career. Adding to that are $25 million in expenses, though investments add back $29 million.

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Acting and Bill Murray Net Worth

Acting contributes $158 million to the Bill Murray net worth figures. Murray’s first big acting job was of course as a regular on Saturday Night Live. Murray appeared on 72 episodes of the show between 1975 and 1993. His first big film role came as a misguided summer camp counselor in 1979’s Meatballs. Murray earned an estimated $240,000 for the role.

The actor made similar money for the 1980 hit comedy Caddyshack. It is rumored that his role in that film was intended to be much smaller, but his ad-libbed performances were so funny that the director felt he had to leave them intact. In 1981, Murray scored big with an $880,000 payout for the army spoof Stripes. His first acting payout over $1 million came from his role in the 1982 movie Tootsie at $1.8 million.

Big Payouts, Long Career

1984’s Ghostbusters earned $295 million at the worldwide box office. At the time that amount of money for a film was incredibly high. Murray earned an estimated $6 million for that work and put himself firmly in the public mind as the film funnyman of choice. Later movies Ghostbusters II, Groundhog Day and Space Jam all made millions for the actor. It was his determination to push on into quirky pieces like The Royal Tennenbaums, Broken Flowers, Zombieland, Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel that have kept his career firing on all cylinders well past its 40 year mark. His $48 million payout from 2016’s The Jungle Book comes from a high base pay and his estiamted percentage share of the film’s $965 million box office take.

Bill Murray Net Worth from Baseball, Restaurants, Producing

Acting isn’t the only source of the Bill Murray net worth engine. The star has invested some of his money into part-ownerships in four baseball teams, a restaurant and a golf-related clothing business. Murray has earned an estimated $8 million from these businesses. That’s based on earnings of $50,000 to $100,000 a year from each of the five businesses below.

• Murray Bros. Caddy Shack (restaurant, part owner since 2001)
• St. Paul Saints (baseball team, part owner since 2001)
• Charleston RiverDogs (baseball team, part owner since 2001)
• Hudson Valley Renegades (baseball team, part owner since 2001)
• Brockton Rox (baseball team, part owner since 2001)
• William Murray Golf (Golf clothing business, part owner since 2016)

Murray has also earned some money as a producer for a few small projects. The most notable of these is the Netflix special A Very Murray Christmas, for which Murray made an estimated $500,000 a producer.

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Bill Murray Net Worth Calculations

Adjustments for taxes, expenses and investments are an important part of the Bill Murray net worth calculations. Murray has earned an impressive $167.7 million from all sources since 1973. Taxes come to $78 million from the top U.S. federal income tax bracket of 39.6% and the top Illinois State tax rate of 7%. Expenses are figured at 15% of earnings per year for cost of living, agent fees and other payouts. Investments are figured at 6% of net worth per year.

If you liked reading about Bill Murray’s net worth, try this post about Kanye West’s net worth or this one about Hillary Clinton’s net worth. All Bill Murray net worth data in this article are based on our analysis of income streams, tax, expense and investment calculations. Estimates and media reports are also included. All data here are provided here for entertainment purposes only. Want to boost your own net worth? Check out this article about how to make extra money for the holidays.

Sources:

IMBD.com