Of all the comics working today, few command the respect–or popularity–as Bill Murray. One of the most influential cast members to exit Saturday Night Live, Murray forged a career for himself as one of the breakout comics of the 1980s, gaining an iconic reputation by the ’90s and 2000s.

More than a simple comedy actor, his diverse range as a performer has defined Murray’s career. In addition to performing in more outright humorous projects like Ghostbusters, Stripes, and Caddyshack, Murray displayed his more dramatic side with roles in Rushmore, Groundhog Dog, and Lost in Translation, demonstrating his multi-faceted abilities.

From his earliest commercial films of the 1980s to his celebrated performances of the 2000s, here are some of the greatest Bill Murray movies.

Lost in Translation (2003)

In addition to his extensive career in comedy, Murray has also embarked on a number of more grounded drama films as well, including Sofia Coppola’s 2003 romantic comedy, Lost in Translation. A romcom like no other, Lost in Translation focuses on the bizarre yet heartfelt connection between a recent college graduate (Scarlett Johansson) and a washed-up movie star (Murray) who meet, by chance, in Tokyo.

In a role containing little to any humor, Murray relies on a subtle portrayal of his lead character in Lost in Translation, expressing emotion through mere facial expressions and a more even-handed delivery of his character’s dialogue. The results give way to Murray’s single best dramatic performance, one that earned the actor an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

Ghostbusters (1984)

If Caddyshack and Stripes ensured Murray’s smooth transition into the film industry, Ghostbusters established him as a legitimate leading man in Hollywood. Partnering with Harold Ramis, Dan Aykroyd, and Ernie Hudson as a quartet of paranormal researchers in New York City, Murray’s performance as the smart-mouthed Peter Venkman is a definitive high point in his early career. Quick-witted, immature, and never taking any situation–no matter how dire–with a degree of seriousness, Venkman established the unique breed of characters Bill Murray movies specialized in for the next four decades.

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

As many films as Murray has worked on with Wes Anderson, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou ranks, without a doubt, as the best of the bunch. Casting Murray in one of his overall best-written characters, Anderson focuses on the complex emotions facing Murray’s Zissou throughout the film.

A world-famous oceanographer by trade, Zissou nevertheless harbors an abundance of emotional issues, from his self-aggrandizing egotism to crippling fears over his age and status as a “has-been.” Learning to accept himself–flaws and all–through his interaction swith his supposedly estranged son (Owen Wilson), Zissou grows and changes on his mission of self-discovery, making him one of the most layered protagonists Anderson has ever depicted on-screen.

Caddyshack (1980)

While one can argue that Meatballs served as the breakthrough film for Murray, the role that gained him widespread attention from worldwide audiences is none other than 1980’s sports classic, Caddyshack. An ensemble comedy that also featured Rodney Dangerfield and Chevy Chase, Murray appears in the supporting role of Carl Spangler, the eccentric greenskeeper charged with protecting Bushwood Country Club from a menacing gopher.

Improvising his way through many of his scenes, Murray provides Caddyshack with many of its most well-known quotes and individual segments, like his strange tirades about caddying for the Dalai Lama or commentating on his own “Cinderella story” while pretending to win the U.S. Masters.

Rushmore (1998)

In 1998, Murray agreed to star in the first of what later became several lucrative collaborations with up-and-coming director Wes Anderson, appearing in Anderson’s second feature-length film, Rushmore. Within the movie, Murray plays Herman Blume, a depressed industrialist with an unhappy home life, a wealthy yet unsatisfying career, and someone in desperate need of a new lease on life. Meeting and befriending Rushmore Academy student Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman), Blume is able to cut back and have fun with his newfound 15-year-old acquaintance, enjoying life for the first time in what feels like many, many years.

Broken Flowers (2005)

In his second film with Jim Jarmusch, Murray is granted a far more substantial role in the 2005 comedic drama, Broken Flowers. As the aging womanizer Don Johnston, Murray lives out his days of retirement while realizing how shallow and limited his previous bachelor lifestyle had been. Regretting his life decisions and seizing upon the opportunity of meeting his estranged son, Johnston comes to terms with his past romances in life, pondering what might have been and the sobering reminder of his previous mistakes in life. An impressive straight-laced performance from Murray, it’s his single best work with Jarmusch yet.

Quick Change (1990)

An overlooked crime caper from Bill Murray in his co-directorial debut, Quick Change is a hilarious offshoot of the heist film. In it, a trio of bank robbers (Murray, Geena Davis, and Randy Quaid) attempt to flee New York City after cleaning out a large bank, only to run into coincidental roadblocks preventing their escape from the city. Relying on a deadpan delivery throughout, Murray creates one of his most fascinating characters with Quick Change’s Grimm, a disdainful New Yorker looking for a fresh start. With Davis as his romantic interest and Quaid as his cartoonish sidekick, Murray outfits Quick Change with an inherent hilarity that will leave viewers guffawing with laughter.

On the Rocks (2020)

Seventeen years after Lost in Translation’s release, Murray rejoined Sofia Coppola for the 2020 comedy drama, On the Rocks. A film along the same lines as Broken Flowers, On the Rocks focuses on a woman’s (Rashida Jones) suspicions about her husband (Marlon Wayans), whom she believes might be cheating on her. Sharing her misgivings with her father (Murray), the two decide to get to the bottom of the husband’s “business trips,” confronting their own tense relationship along the way.

As Felix, Murray again portrays an aging heartthrob with a fatalistic view of adult relationships. Projecting his own past infidelity onto his son-in-law, Felix’s suspicions illustrate his own fractured take on monogamy, allowing for a fascinating dynamic between Murray and Jones’ father-daughter pairing in On the Rocks.

Meatballs (1979)

While appearing as a cast member on SNL, Murray also set his sights on starting a movie career, his cinematic debut coming with 1979’s Meatballs. A cult classic by today’s standards, Meatballs spells out the first of many films between Murray, Harold Ramis, and Ivan Reitman, as well as underscoring Murray’s imminent star-power outside the realms of sketch comedy.

With Meatballs’ Tripper Harrison, Murray hands in a performance that laid the prototypical role he specialized in playing for the next several decades: the sarcastic, fun-loving, rebellious couch potato more interested in practical jokes than engaging in work. A little-known gem among Bill Murray movies today, it helped Murray get his foot in the door of the film industry, leading to larger roles in Caddyshack, Stripes, and Ghostbusters a few short years later.

Stripes (1981)

Garnering attention for his appearance in 1980’s sensational Caddyshack, Murray went on to star in his first mainstream comedy with 1981’s Stripes, working alongside his recurring collaborator, Harold Ramis. An unconventional war comedy, Stripes traces the idiosyncratic journey of former New York cab driver John Winger (Murray) and his best friend (Ramis) as they join the U.S. Army. Winding their way through basic training, Murray’s Winger flouts the rules when it comes to military etiquette and protocol, undermining his authoritarian drill sergeant (Warren Oates) and enlivening his ragtag platoon of fellow troops.

Groundhog Day (1993)

No Bill Murray movie combines the range as both a dramatic and comedic actor quite like Groundhog Dog. A time-bending masterpiece of comedy, drama, fantasy, and romance, the film stars Murray as a cynical TV news anchor trapped in a time loop, reliving the same day over and over again without any hope of escape.

Discussed, debated, and analyzed by general audiences, critics, and film scholars alike, it shines as the crowning achievement of Murray and director Harold Ramis’s work together. Boasting the finest performance Murray has ever given, Groundhog Day’s Phil Connors calls for every aspect of Murray’s strengths as an actor, from sharp-edged cynicism and pessimistic despair to renewed optimism and a lasting desire to change for the better.

Scrooged (1988)

Nobody plays mean-spirited quite like Bill Murray. Featuring perhaps Murray’s most underrated performance, Scrooged casts Murray in the role of Frank Cross, a ruthless New York TV executive forced to learn the true nature of the holidays. A modern day Ebenezer Scrooge, Murray plays both sides of Frank’s personality with remarkable nuance, transitioning from avid cynicism into doe-eyed optimism about life and all its abundant possibilities. A cult classic fans flock to every December, it’s one the best Bill Murray movies from the 1980s.

Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

The problem with having a comedian as gifted as Bill Murray make a small cameo in a film is the potential for him to outshine the more prominent cast members involved. This trait directly applies to 1986’s horror comedy musical, Little Shop of Horrors, which finds Murray in the bit role of a pain-loving patient of the sadistic Dr. Scrivello (Steve Martin).

Showing up and almost stealing the entire film, Murray ad-libs his entire scene as the masochistic Arthur Denton. Despite being on-screen for all of four minutes, Murray’s over-the-top delivery, his non-stop babbling, and his perverse giddiness at Scrivello’s viciousness equips Little Shop of Horrors with one of its funniest scenes.

What About Bob? (1991)

Like any comedian, Murray has given audiences his fair share of more outlandish performances–something viewers can spot in the 1991 comedy, What About Bob? A gifted comic actor on his own or alongside a prospective co-star, What About Bob? sees Murray maintain some buoyant chemistry with an addled Richard Dreyfuss. Though the pair had an off-screen adversarial relationship, Murray and Dreyfuss’s comedic timing in What About Bob? make it the feel-good comedy it is.

St. Vincent (2014)

After a prolonged period working in drama, Murray made his grand return to the comedic field with 2014’s St. Vincent. A role tailor made for Murray’s acting sensibilities, St. Vincent’s Vincent MacKenna is a raunchy, misanthropic Brooklyn resident prone to frequent tirades against anyone who annoys him (which is just about everyone). Connecting with his next-door neighbors (Melissa McCarthy and Jaeden Martell), Murray forms his first meaningful relationship with an individual in years. The role owes plenty to Rushmore’s Herman Blume and Stripes’ John Winger, suiting Murray’s foremost strengths as a performer.