TORONTO (Reuters) - If there was ever a good reason to skip school, it might just be "Bill Murray Day."
The Toronto International Film Festival declared Friday "Bill Murray Day" and called on fans of the quirky comedic actor to dress up as his beloved characters in a costume contest and see screenings of films "Stripes," "Groundhog Day" and "Ghostbusters."
And although Murray is famously elusive and unpredictable, organizers announced late Thursday that he will be here for his own day, taking questions from fans after "Ghostbusters" and the world premiere of his film "St. Vincent."
"Toronto's celebration dedicated to the man is well-deserved and we are immensely excited that he'll be there in the flesh to celebrate with us and his huge legion of fans," Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, executive producer of "St. Vincent", said in a statement.
The 63-year-old actor from the Chicago suburb of Wilmette got his foothold in American comedy on "Saturday Night Live" and went on to star in films "Meatballs," "Caddyshack," "Stripes," "Ghostbusters" and "Groundhog Day" in offbeat roles that earned him a following of hard-core fans.
Murray later moved toward more dramatic roles, usually inflected with his trademark humor, like the fading actor in "Lost in Translation." In "St. Vincent," Murray plays a cantankerous retiree with a few vices who becomes the unlikely mentor to a 12-year-old neighbor.
(Reporting by Mary Milliken; Editing by Jeffrey Hodgson and Grant McCool)