Before the memes, before he became the world's most lovable wedding crasher, and long before the high-profile drama of his second divorce, there was a different version of Bill Murray. This was the guy finding his footing in the 80s, fresh off the supernova success of Saturday Night Live. At his side during that wild ascent was a woman named Margaret Kelly, or "Mickey" as her friends called her.
They weren't just a couple; they were the foundation of his early career.
Honestly, it's easy to forget that Bill Murray was ever "settled." Most people today see him as this nomadic, eccentric spirit who doesn't even have an agent and answers a 1-800 number for movie roles. But Margaret Kelly was there before the legend was fully formed. They were a team. They had a life. And then, like so many Hollywood stories, it all kinda fell apart in the shadows of a newer, shinier romance.
How Bill Murray and Margaret Kelly Actually Met
It wasn't some fancy red-carpet gala. No, Mickey was a talent coordinator—she worked on The Tonight Show and The Dick Cavett Show. She was a pro. She knew how the industry worked from the inside. They actually met on the set of Stripes, that classic 1981 army comedy that basically cemented Bill as a leading man.
You've gotta love the way they got hitched. It wasn't planned.
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On Super Bowl Sunday in 1981, Bill took Mickey for a drive through the San Fernando Valley. He was supposedly looking for a Mexican restaurant. They didn't find tacos; they found a 24-hour wedding chapel in Las Vegas at 4:30 in the morning. They eloped right then and there. It’s the most "Bill Murray" thing imaginable. Of course, they eventually did a "real" ceremony back in Chicago later that year to satisfy the families, with a priest and plenty of Irish relatives drinking heavily.
The Quiet Life Behind the Chaos
For the next decade and a half, they built a life that stayed remarkably out of the tabloids. They had two sons together:
- Homer Murray: Born in 1982, now a successful chef and restaurateur in Brooklyn.
- Luke Murray: Born in 1985, who carved out a huge name for himself as a high-level college basketball coach.
Mickey wasn't just "the wife." She was a graduate of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College with a degree in theatre arts. While Bill was out filming Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day, she was running a home goods store and eventually moved into residential real estate. She was the anchor. While Bill’s fame grew to a level that was almost impossible to manage, Margaret Kelly was the one keeping the family unit somewhat normal.
But then, 1996 happened.
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The Divorce and the Shadow of "Scrooged"
Their marriage lasted about 15 years, which is an eternity in Hollywood years. It ended because Bill fell for Jennifer Butler, a costume designer he met on the set of Scrooged.
The split wasn't nearly as explosive in the press as Bill's second divorce would eventually be, but it was the end of an era. Mickey filed for divorce in 1994, and it was finalized in 1996. While Bill has rarely spoken about the gritty details of why things ended, he did tell Howard Stern years later that his "priorities" were a mess. He admitted he wasn't always present.
"I got great press that I was dating her, which really raised my cred," Murray once said of a later relationship, but regarding his marriages, he's often noted that he needed to work on himself before he could ever be a good partner.
Mickey didn't go the "tell-all book" route. She stayed classy. She raised her boys.
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Where is Margaret Kelly Now?
Mickey mostly stays out of the limelight these days, but her influence is still visible. If you go to her son Homer’s restaurant, 21 Greenpoint, you’ll find a salad on the menu named after her. It’s a quiet tribute to the woman who was there for the "SNL" years, the "Caddyshack" years, and the birth of a comedy icon.
She didn't get the $7 million settlement or the restraining order headlines that Jennifer Butler did later on. She just got on with her life. There’s something deeply respectable about that.
Key Takeaways for the Curious
If you're looking for the "why" behind the Bill Murray we see today—the slightly detached, philosophical guy—it's worth looking at this first chapter.
- Impulse is a double-edged sword: The same spontaneity that led to a 4 AM Vegas wedding often leads to long-term instability.
- The "Anchor" is vital: Margaret Kelly provided the stability during Bill's most formative professional years.
- Growth takes time: Murray has spent much of the last decade talking about being "more connected to himself." It’s clear the end of his marriage to Mickey was a catalyst for a lot of that reflection.
If you're following the trajectory of Bill Murray’s family, the best way to see the legacy of this era is to look at his sons, Homer and Luke. They’ve both built careers entirely separate from their father’s shadow, which says a lot about the way Margaret Kelly raised them.
Next time you watch Stripes, remember it wasn't just a movie for Bill. It was where he met the woman who would spend 15 years trying to keep him grounded.
To better understand the family dynamic today, research the career of Luke Murray at UConn or visit Homer’s 21 Greenpoint in Brooklyn to see the "Mickey" salad for yourself.