Meet the 2016 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Presenters
By Jasmine Lee
Miley Cyrus
In a throwback to traditional holiday specials, Bill Murray gathered celebrities for the Netflix special A Very Murray Christmas. Cyrus performed multiple songs including a duet of Sleigh Ride with Murray.
Bill Hader
Everyone starts somewhere. For many, including Bill Murray and Bill Hader, that start was right at Studio 8H as a member of the cast of Saturday Night Live. Bill Murray once said Hader, “did the best work anyone ever did on that show”.
Aziz Ansari
The best Bill Murray moments are sometimes a complete surprise. When the much discussed but rarely seen Mayor Gunderson appeared on Ansari’s Parks and Recreation, no one was expecting Bill Murray to be the leader of Pawnee.
Roy Blount, Jr.
Humorist Roy Blount, Jr. has worked with Bill Murray on and off screen. He wrote the screenplay for Murray’s 1996 film Larger Than Life.
David Letterman
Bill Murray was both the first and final guest on Late Night with David Letterman. Over the span of 22 seasons, Murray would become a frequent guest — 43 appearances! — and the two comedians delivered memorable moment after memorable moment.
Brian Doyle-Murray
Inspired by his older brother, Bill followed Brian into acting, similarly beginning at The Second City in their hometown of Chicago. Brian and Bill have worked on numerous projects together throughout their careers in comedy, including Caddyshack, Ghostbusters II, and Saturday Night Live. Their love for golf is legendary; along with their three brothers, the two have even opened a Caddyshack themed restaurant.
Paul Shaffer
As the leader of David Letterman’s house band for over 30 years, Shaffer saw a lot of Murray as a guest. Before Late Show visits however, these two were already collaborating in comedy. Murray’s famed Nick the Lounge Singer on SNL needed a pianist and it was pianist Shaffer who would provide the music for the sketches.
Sigourney Weaver
Already known for her work in sci-fi and fantasy, Weaver co-starred in Ghostbusters as Murray’s love interest, Dana Barrett. The two would reprise their roles in Ghostbusters II.
Jimmy Kimmel
Bill Murray has been a frequent guest of Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show over the years. He has participated in sketches, read poetry, and even joined Kimmel in traveling editions of his program.
Emma Stone
After first appearing in a cameo in Stone’s Zombieland, Murray and Stone starred in the Hawaii based film Aloha together.
Jane Curtin
As one of the original “Not Ready for Primetime Players”, Curtin was defining figure in the beginning of Saturday Night Live comedy. After the arrival of Murray in 1977, the two played off of each other in sketches in addition to being an anchor team on Weekend Update from 1978–1980.
Ivan Reitman
Reitman has been directing comedies since the 1970’s with familiar titles including Ghostbusters, Dave, and Junior. In addition to Ghostbusters, Reitman collaborated with Murray three other times for the films Meatballs, Stripes, and Ghostbusters II.
Enjoy even more Mark Twain Prize content with our countdown of Bill Murray’s Top 10 Characters and join us on Facebook Live for our coverage of the star-studded red carpet with host Mario Armstrong, Sunday, October 23 at 7:30 PM EST.
