'Irrationally mean' Bill Murray thrown at wall by Groundhog Day pal sparking 20-year feud

For a time, Groundhog Day duo Bill Murray and Harold Ramis were the godfathers of US comedy, creating some of the funniest films the world had ever seen.

From Caddyshack to Ghostbusters, the Hollywood stars had been close pals and collaborators since the early 1970s.

But their friendship brutally fell apart on the set of Groundhog Day – one of the duo’s best movies.

A violent bust-up sent the pair to the point of no return – until leading man Murray visited his estranged best bud on his deathbed.

READ MORE: Ghostbusters II baby Oscar star met tragic end years after famous uncle’s death crash

The shocking revelation came to light as the director’s daughter Violet Ramis Stiel penned her memoir called Ghostbuster’s Daughter: Life With My Dad.

When Ghostbusters 2 burst onto screens in 1989, it seemed like the friendship between the two was unbreakable.

Murray and Ramis’ next smash hit Groundhog Day was released four years later in 1993. And enthusiasts were excited for years more of films from the pair.

The fan favourite sees weatherman Phil (Bill Murray), gets caught in a Groundhog Day blizzard and finds himself trapped in a time warp.

He is doomed to relive the same day over and over again until he gets it right – with film buffs speculating it to be 34-years later.

But disaster struck on set after the duo shared creative differences about the film.

Murray even went so far as to do his own rewrites of Ramis’ already rewritten script.

The Groundhog Day director said in an interview that: “At times, Bill was just really irrationally mean and unavailable. He was constantly late on set.

“What I’d want to say to him is just what we tell our children – ‘You don’t have to throw tantrums to get what you want. Just say what you want.’”

Things hit rock bottom for the pair the day Ramis grabbed Murray by the shirt collar and threw him against a wall.

Their friendship was so broken that the two would not even speak to one another and relayed messages through an assistant.

Murray didn’t speak to Ramis for over 20 years after the brutal events.

But the Groundhog Day star was reportedly going through a bitter divorce and midlife crisis at the time of filming.

Many speculate that Murray’s personal troubles leaked into the filming of Groundhog Day and caused the rift between the duo.

Ramis’ daughter said that the falling out got under her dad’s skin, leaving him “heartbroken, confused, and yet unsurprised by the rejection”.

She added: “Eventually, Bill just completely shut my dad out…for the next twenty‑plus years.”

Just before Ramis died at the age of 69 in 2014 after a battle with autoimmune inflammatory vasculitis, Murray showed up unannounced at his old friend’s house at 7am with a box of doughnuts and a police escort.

Murray at the 2014 Oscars after his death, said: “He was always very kind to me, always gracious.

“He always treated me as my brother’s little brother.

“He never was mean to me, especially on this hard one. This was a hard movie to make.”

The events from the Groundhog Day set were dropped, choosing instead to hang out for a couple of hours, laugh, and make amends.

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk