Before he made it big in Hollywood with movies like “Ghostbusters” and “Stripes” — footage of which was filmed in Kentucky and Louisville — Bill Murray found success with NBC’s popular sketch comedy show, “Saturday Night Live.”

Murray recently made a return to SNL as part of its star-studded 50th anniversary special. Here’s what we know about Murray’s appearance as well as his ties to Kentucky.

When was Bill Murray a cast member of SNL?

Murray joined SNL for its second season in 1977, according to NBC, until departing the show in 1980. He would later return five times to host.

Was Bill Murray a ‘Weekend Update’ anchor?

Yes, among other sketch work, Murray helmed the popular “Weekend Update” segment in seasons four and five of SNL alongside fellow cast member Jane Curtain.

Was Bill Murray on SNL 50?

On Sunday, Murray made a special appearance on SNL’s 50th anniversary special. Seated beside current “Weekend Update” co-anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che, Murray ranked eleven of its hosts.

Story continues after photo gallery.

“These are in no particular order, so I’ve listed them from worst to best,” Murray joked. “First off, I have to disqualify myself because my entire time here I was on performance-enhancing drugs. It’s what we called an eight shaker, Quaaludes, cocaine and nighttime Theraflu.”

In honor of Black History Month, Che received a special nod from Murray as the show’s best Black anchor, which Che won by default being SNL’s only Black anchor in its 50-year run. Murray went on to list other famous anchors of “Weekend Update,” names that included Dennis Miller, Seth Meyers, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

Watch Bill Murray rank the Weekend Update anchors

What did Bill Murray do after SNL?

SNL helped launch Murray’s career into meteoric success. The actor starred in comedies such as “Caddyshack,” “Scrooged,” and “Groundhog Day.” Also among his beloved filmography is “Stripes,” which brought the actor to the Louisville area for six weeks in 1980.

Where did ‘Stripes’ film in Louisville?

Scenes that appeared in the film “Stripes” were shot around Louisville on Washington Street and W. Main Street, a barbershop on W. Market Street, as well as the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, known locally as the Second Street Bridge.

Murray returned several times to Kentucky in later years where he hobnobbed with regular people while visiting his son, Luke Murray, who served under Chris Mack during his tenure as head coach of the Louisville Cardinals men’s basketball team beginning in 2018.

Bill Murray, center right, waits for the start of a scene shooting on The Clark Memorial Bridge for the movie Stripes in November 1980.

More about Bill Murray in Kentucky: ‘Stripes’ starring Bill Murray was shot in Kentucky 40 years ago. See photos from the set.

Bill Murray met with Louisville basketball team

On Oct. 30, 2018, members of the Louisville Cardinals basketball team tweeted out a photo of Murray visiting a practice session. The actor stayed in Louisville long enough to hand out Halloween candy to surprised trick-or-treaters.

Is Bill Murray coming back to Louisville in 2025?

Murray is scheduled to return to Louisville in October 2025 as part of his band, Bill Murray and His Blood Brothers, featuring Mike Zito, Albert Castiglia and Jimmy Vivino. According to LiveNation, Murray is slated to appear in concert at the Louisville Palace, 625 S. 4th Street. Tickets to see Murray perform as of Monday were running from $53 – $294 on Ticketmaster.

More in entertainment: From King Cake to beads, here are 9 places to celebrate Mardi Gras in Louisville.

Louisville Courier-Journal reporters Kirby Adams and Jeffrey Lee Puckett contributed to this article.

John Tufts covers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip at [email protected]. Find him on BlueSky at JohnWritesStuff.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Bill Murray ranks ‘Weekend Update’ anchors. In Louisville, he’s No. 1