Bill Murray has revealed who is favorite Saturday Night Live comedian of all time is, and it might just surprise you who he ended up choosing.
During a rather in-depth discussion on The Howard Stern Show , Murray started to talk about about his experiences on Saturday Night Live, which he starred in during the late 1970s, and while he praised the likes of Eddie Murphy, Dana Carvey, Mike Myers, and Will Ferrell, he saved extra special credit for Bill Hader.
“Bill Hader probably did the best work anybody ever did on that show… It took him a while to get going, but when he got rolling, it was extraordinary.”
Hader appeared on Saturday Night Live between 2005 and 2013, with his eight season run hitting its highest point in 2012 when he received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. He was the first male SNL cast member to receive such an accolade since Eddie Murphy back in 1984.
Unfortunately, though, he ultimately lost out to Eric Stonestreet, who picked up the gong for his efforts on Modern Family . Hader even received the same nomination a year later, but this time he was beaten by Veep’s Tony Hale. Murray admitted that he still tapes SNL every week but he only ever watches it on delay.
Murray’s long chat also saw him confirm that he made peace with Harold Ramis before the legendary writer and director died. They made six films with each other throughout the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, which included Meatballs, Stripes, Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters II, and Groundhog Day. Ramis sadly passed away in February 2013, and Murray admitted that they reconciled “a couple of years” before he died.
The iconic comedian also had a great response to Stern’s question regarding whether he was saddened that he wasn’t the first choice for the role of Pete Venkman in Ghostbusters . Murray went on to become a household name because of his stirring comedic performance as the character, but it was originally intended for John Belushi. Stern noted that it was only after Belushi, who was an old friend of Murray’s and also hailed from Chicago, died that he got it, and he asked, “Did that bother you that they originally wanted to go with Belushi?” to which Murray perfectly declared, “It bothered me more that John died.”
Murray can next be seen in St. Vincent opposite Naomi Watts and Melissa McCarthy, which is scheduled to be released on October 24.
[Image via RPP]
