Luke Murray Didn't Follow in His Famous Father's Footsteps

Luke Murray is one of the iconic actor and comedian Bill Murray's six children, but he didn't follow in his dad's footsteps into showbiz; his passion is for sports.

Bill Murray's name has been synonymous with comedy for the last half a century. The actor and comedian have starred in over 70 movies and TV series, but fans may not know that he is also the father of six.

Bill Murray's son, Luke Murray, is his second born, and even though he looks a lot like his iconic dad, he had no interest in comedy or show business. Luke Murray has followed his path to success.

Bill Murray is best known for hit movies like "Caddyshack," "Ghostbusters," "Groundhog Day," and "Charlie's Angels" with Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu. He now stars in the forthcoming Marvel feature "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" with Paul Rudd, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Michael Douglas.

Bill was already a famous actor when his son Luke was born in Paris, France, in 1985, his second child with his first wife, Margaret Kelly. Luke did try his hand at acting, first in the film "Naked Frailties" in 1998 and "The Lost World" in 2001, but show biz didn't fascinate him.

Bill recounted that as a kid, Luke would prefer to watch "Ghostbusters" cartoons than go for a walk with his real-life Ghostbuster dad.

Luke set out to make his mark in the world in his way, on his terms, in a highly competitive field in which his father's fame has no influence: Division 1 college basketball, and he doesn't play; he coaches.

Luke Is a Basketball Coach

Luke holds a Master's degree in educational psychology from the University of Arizona, and his career in college basketball started at Wagner University as an assistant coach. He coached at Xavier University, Towson University, and the University of Rhode Island, among others.

Since 2021, he has been an assistant coach at the University of Connecticut and ranks as one of the top 10 coaches under 40 in the country and one of the top 5 recruiters. According to The Athletic, that makes Luke one of the most influential people in college basketball, and he has no intention of pursuing a career similar to his dad's. Luke confessed:

“I was always driven by sports, particularly basketball. That’s been my life since I was a little kid. I have an older brother who didn’t really think about acting or anything along those lines either."

Luke's personal life is as successful as his coaching career. He has been married since 2015 to Kara Cassidy. The couple tied the knot on September 20, 2015, in Philadelphia. Coincidentally, it was the same night of the Primetime Emmy Awards.

However, Bill, who was a nominee and subsequently won the award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie, wasn't present. He was in Philadelphia celebrating Luke and Kara's wedding. The couple has three children: Luke Jr., Cash, and daughter Celine.

Luke Is Close to His Father

College basketball fans have probably spotted Bill Murray in the crowd, cheering whenever Luke's team is playing. The actor is a staunch supporter of his son, and the two are very close.

When Luke was a child, Bill would often take sabbaticals from the movies to spend time with his family and split childcare tasks with his then-wife, Margaret, who had been a talent coordinator for TV programs like ''The Tonight Show,'' and met Bill on the set of his movie, "Stripes."

Bill recounted that as a kid, Luke would prefer to watch "Ghostbusters" cartoons than go for a walk with his real-life Ghostbuster dad, Bill's marriage to Margaret ended in 1996, but he remained close to his sons.

Even though Luke's social media presence is focused on his basketball career, he never fails to shout out to his dad on his birthdays and Father's Day, calling Bill his greatest inspiration.

Luke Is One of Six Siblings

Luke has an older brother, Homer Murray, born in 1982, who is a successful New York restauranteur and celebrity chef. After his father and mother divorced, he married costume designer Jennifer Butler in 1997. Bill and his second wife had four children during their 11-year marriage.

Luke's four half-brothers are Caleb, born in 1993, Jackson, in 1995; Cooper, in 1997; and Lincoln, in 2001. All four were born in Chicago. Like Luke and Homer, one of Bill's sons has dabbled in acting, Cooper.

Cooper worked on two projects with his father: "Moonrise Kingdom" in 2012; and the dark comedy 2021 miniseries "The Now." Caleb is known for his social activism, and Jackson is a worldwide traveler, but very little is known about their younger brother Lincoln, who stays out of the limelight.

None of the Murray brothers share details of their personal lives on social media. Homer and Luke's presence on Instagram and Twitter pertains only to their work, and their four half-brother's accounts are private.