Bill makes Mark on humor history
COMEDIAN BILL Murray took a break from his euphoric baseball celebration Sunday to accept his own win — the nation’s top prize for humor.
The “Saturday Night Live” alum was at Washington’s Kennedy Center to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
After playing a game of catch with a baseball on the red carpet, the quirky Murray went inside to take his bow.
“You are lucky to be in this funny town,” he said on stage. “It’s a goofy, funny town.”
A day earlier, Murray, 66, crashed the White House briefing room dressed in full Chicago Cubs gear to talk about his favorite team advancing to the World Series for the first time in 71 years.
Among Murray’s presenters at the award show was retired talk show host David Letterman. Murray was both the first and final guest on Letterman’s show.
The comic was serenaded by singer Miley Cyrus, as band leader Paul Shafer played a keyboard behind her.
The Evanston, Ill., native joins several other “Saturday Night Live” alumni who’ve received the prize, including Tina Fey, Will Ferrell and last year’s winner, Eddie Murphy.
Murray has become a folk hero in the social media era by turning up unannounced at wedding receptions, kickball games and house parties.
He is also a regular at Chicago Cubs games and celebrity golf tournaments.
Murray got his break on “SNL” 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 washedup actor in “Lost in Translation.”
The event will air on Nov. 28 on PBS.