Bill Murray is an interesting case study – He's enjoyed an incredibly successful film career that's spanned over three decades, and yet like so many comedic film actors of his generation (such as Steve Martin and Dan Akyroyd), he would never be considered to be your traditional "leading man" type. He's not classically good-looking (unless you're into that Edward James Olmos "I could eat soup out of your pockmarks" kind of thing) and more often than not, his onscreen persona is defined by dark sarcasm and misanthropy.

But nonetheless, there is definitely something charismatic about Bill Murray, and he brings something unique to all the roles he plays. I couldn't picture anyone nailing Peter Venkman from Ghostbusters or Phil Connors from Groundhog Day quite the way Murray did – with such snarky bravado and charming dislike for humanity.

What are roles Bill Murray turned down?

That being said, Bill Murray is not right for every role that is out there. He's a very picky actor and has turned down a slew of projects over the years. Here's a list of films that Murray almost starred in, but either passed on or was passed over for....

[And if you like this list, check out this guide to The Greatest True Bill Murray Stories .]