THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Groundhog Day' 28 years later

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Max KalnitzJan 29, 2021, 20:59 IST
THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'Groundhog Day' 28 years later

Bill Murray starred as Phil Connors in the 1993 film "Groundhog Day."Columbia Pictures; Rocco Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images

  • Groundhog Day is Tuesday, February 2.
  • In celebration of the holiday, we looked at where the cast members of the film "Groundhog Day" are nearly 30 years since its premiere in 1993.
  • Bill Muray has acted in numerous films from "Lost in Translation" to "The Life Aquatic."

"Groundhog Day" hit theaters in February 1993, shortly following the holiday it shares a name with, and immediately became a hit.

The film follows weatherman Phil Connors (Bill Murray) as he reluctantly travels to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to cover the small town's Groundhog Day celebrations. When he awakes the next day, Phil finds himself stuck in a time loop and is forced to live the holiday over and over again.

The film grossed $70.9 million worldwide and was one of the most successful films of the year. So much so that over the years the term "Groundhog Day" has been adopted into our everyday language as a term synonymous with monotonous.

Since Groundhog Day is on Tuesday, we decided to see where the cast of the hit movie is 28 years later.

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Bill Murray plays Phil, a weatherman in Pittsburgh who gets stuck in a time loop after begrudgingly traveling to Punxsutawney to cover Groundhog Day.

Bill Murray plays Phil, a weatherman in Pittsburgh who gets stuck in a time loop after begrudgingly traveling to Punxsutawney to cover Groundhog Day.
Bill Murray runs through the snow in a scene from the 1993 film "Groundhog Day." Columbia Pictures/Getty Images

Ahead of his annual coverage of Groundhog Day, Phil makes no effort to hide his frustration covering the weather forecasting "rat" or traveling to Punxsutawney and interacting with its residents. When he wakes up the next morning and it's still February 2, Phil realizes he's trapped in an endless time loop and is being forced to relive Groundhog Day over and over again.

Thanks to his producer and love interest, Rita, Phil eventually realizes the only way to end the loop is by changing his perspective and doing good deeds for the people of Punxsutawney. Along the way, he hopes he can convince Rita that his love is genuine.

Murray continued his already successful career and starred in numerous hit movies like "Lost in Translation" and "The Life Aquatic."

Murray continued his already successful career and starred in numerous hit movies like "Lost in Translation" and "The Life Aquatic."
Bill Murray in 2019. Rocco Spaziani/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images

In the nearly 30 years since Murray starred in "Groundhog Day," the actor has cemented his place as one of the greatest in Hollywood, thanks in no small part to his signature deadpan style.

Murray has starred in a number of Wes Anderson's films, including the forthcoming "French Dispatch." He's also returned to TV, most recently in the 2020 series "On The Rocks," spearheaded by "Lost in Translation" director Sofia Coppola.

Murray's performances have earned him numerous awards, including the prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2016.

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Andie MacDowell played Phil's producer and love interest, Rita.

Andie MacDowell played Phil's producer and love interest, Rita.
Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell in a scene from the film "Groundhog Day." Columbia Pictures/Getty Images

Rita is the news producer who encourages Phil to think of the time loop as a blessing in disguise, explaining that he can use his newfound immortality to learn new skills or try new activities. Phil then learns French and how to play the piano in order to woo Rita. Along the way, he learns to appreciate his life realizes how to ultimately break the time loop.

Read more: THEN AND NOW: 25 child actors all grown up

Andie MacDowell is known for her performances in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Love After Love," and is a longtime spokesperson for L'Oréal.

Andie MacDowell is known for her performances in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Love After Love," and is a longtime spokesperson for L'Oréal.
Andie MacDowell in 2019. Rachel Luna/Getty Images

MacDowell also co-starred in the 2011 "Footloose" remake and the 2019 film "Ready or Not." Since 1986, she has worked as a spokesperson for the beauty and personal care company L'Oréal Paris.

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Chris Elliot stars as Phil's cameraman, Larry.

Chris Elliot stars as Phil's cameraman, Larry.
Chris Elliot (right) starred as Larry, Phil's cameraman. Columbia Pictures

Larry travels to Punxsutawney with Phil and Rita in order to shoot the Groundhog Day special for their news station.

Chris Elliot starred in "There's Something About Mary" and played the lovable Roland Schitt on the Emmy Award-winning "Schitt's Creek."

Chris Elliot starred in "There's Something About Mary" and played the lovable Roland Schitt on the Emmy Award-winning "Schitt's Creek."
Chris Elliot in 2018. Ray Tamarra/GC Images

Elliot has made guest appearances on many TV shows and frequently appeared on "Everyone Loves Raymond," and "How I Met Your Mother." He also wrote and starred in the 1994 film "Cabin Boy."

Read more: THEN AND NOW: The cast of 'The Matrix' 21 years later

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Stephen Tobolowsky played the insurance salesman Ned.

Stephen Tobolowsky played the insurance salesman Ned.
Stephen Tobolowsky as the pesky insurance salesman Ned. Columbia Pictures

It becomes a running gag throughout the movie that Phil has to run into Ned, the annoying insurance salesman. In the midst of Phil's adventures in the time loop, he becomes so frustrated with Ned that one day he punches him straight in the face.

Stephen Tobolowsky co-starred in the 2000 film "Memento," and has had a successful career as a TV character actor, most recently as Principal Ball on "The Goldbergs" since 2013.

Stephen Tobolowsky co-starred in the 2000 film "Memento," and has had a successful career as a TV character actor, most recently as Principal Ball on "The Goldbergs" since 2013.
Stephen Tobolowsky in 2020. Emma McIntyre/Getty Images

Tobolowsky has appeared in many TV series including "Deadwood," "Glee," and "Silicon Valley."

He also has a podcast, "The Toboloswky Files," which, according to its website, explores "true stories about life, love, and Hollywood."

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Brian Doyle-Murray, Bill Murray's brother, had a small role as Buster, a man who chokes on a piece of steak in a restaurant.

Brian Doyle-Murray, Bill Murray's brother, had a small role as Buster, a man who chokes on a piece of steak in a restaurant.
Brian Doyle-Murray as Buster. Columbia PIctures

During Phil's string of good deeds on the day before he breaks the time loop, he saves Buster from choking on a piece of steak using the Heimlich maneuver.

Doyle-Murray voiced the Flying Dutchman on "Spongebob Squarepants" for nearly 20 years and has appeared in numerous TV shows and movies.

Doyle-Murray voiced the Flying Dutchman on "Spongebob Squarepants" for nearly 20 years and has appeared in numerous TV shows and movies.
Brian Doyle-Murray with his Brother Bill Muray in 2017. Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic/Getty

Prior to "Groundhog Day," Doyle-Murphy had roles in films including "Caddyshack," "Scrooged," and "Ghostbusters II." After the movie, he transitioned to more roles on TV series, guest-starring on shows including "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" and "Adventure Time."

He held down recurring roles as Captain K'nuckles on the cartoon "The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack" and as Don Ehlert on the sitcom "The Middle."

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Marita Geraghty plays Nancy Taylor, a woman Phil pretends to know from high school in order to go on a date with her.

Marita Geraghty plays Nancy Taylor, a woman Phil pretends to know from high school in order to go on a date with her.
Nancy Taylor. Columbia Pictures

In one of the loops, Phil walks into a diner and sits next to a woman named Nancy Taylor. He asks her what her name is, what high school she went to, and what 12th grade English teacher she had.

The next day, he finds her outside and exclaims "Nancy? Nancy Taylor?!" pretending to know her. After some clear confusion on her part, Nancy accepts his invitation to go on a date.

Geraghty hasn't acted in anything since 2009.

Geraghty hasn't acted in anything since 2009.
Marita Geraghty in 2007. Ryan Miller/Getty Images

Geraghty had small roles in numerous TV shows in the late '90s through the 2000s including "CSI," "Frasier," and "Seinfeld." According to her IMDb page, the last time she acted in a TV show was in 2009 as an art professor on "The Ex List."

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