.When Wes Anderson first sent a script of Rushmore to Bill Murray in 1997, he had no idea that the actor would end up in every one of his following movies for the next 25 years. Murray has become a familiar face in the director's universe since that time, fitting in well with Wes Anderson's unique style, whether he appeared for only a few minutes or was a central character.

There was something about Murray's dry humor and deadpan delivery that grabbed Anderson's attention during the filming of Rushmore (1998). The character Herman Blume was even written with Murray in mind, but Anderson, a relatively unknown director at the time, doubted he could get Murray's attention. However, when Bill Murray received and read the script, he was impressed with the precise writing, saying later in an interview with The New York Times that the writing reminded him of "the struggle to retain civility and kindness in the face of extraordinary pain. And I've felt a lot of that in my life."

Since then, Murray has appeared in every single Wes Anderson movie, and has become as iconic a part of Anderson's filmography as the stylish backdrops, wide angle shots, and quirky, deadpan dialogue. So what are some of Bill Murray's best moments in Wes Anderson's movies?

6 The Darjeeling Limited - Missing the Train

Bill Murray missing the train
Fox Searchlight Pictures

The Darjeeling Limited (2007) starts off with Bill Murray in the back seat of a cab, racing through traffic. He runs out of the cab and into a train station, clearly in a hurry and just in time to see the train pulling away. Murray begins to sprint for the train, a suitcase in each hand. Another man appears running alongside Murray, Adrien Brody, who plays one of the main characters.

In an exceptional slow motion sequence with a great needle drop (This Time Tomorrow by The Kinks), Brody runs past Murray, leaping onto the train, and we see Murray fall behind, missing the train and the rest of the film. It's a humorous cameo, giving the audience the impression that Murray will be a part of the movie, only to leave him behind at the station right in the beginning.

5 The Grand Budapest Hotel - The Society of the Crossed Keys

Bill Murray sitting in a car with perfume
Fox Searchlight Pictures

Murray has a small role in The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), but as Anderson tells Rolling Stone, "Even with just a few minutes of screen time, he truly steps right up to it and is someone that I can always rely on." Murray plays one of the members of a secret group known as the Society of the Crossed Keys.

Related: The Grand Budapest Hotel: Hidden Meaning in the Whimsical World of Wes Anderson

Like a brotherhood of concierges, the intrepid Society is called on by the main character, Monsieur Gustave H. (played by Ralph Fiennes), to get assistance with his and his companion Zero's escape from prison. Sporting an impressive mustache, Murray shows up in a car ready to help them along as any great brotherhood would be. He brings, among other things, a most essential bottle of L'Air de Panache.

4 The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - “Let Me Tell You About My Boat”

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - Let me tell you about my boat
Buena Vista Pictures

Orson Welles once said that a movie was "the biggest electric train set a boy ever had!" Wes Anderson seems to take that to heart, often introducing his audience to a wonderful set just as much as to a character. Perhaps the most iconic time he does this is in the movie The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004). Murray, playing the titular Zissou, holds a small toy boat in his hands as he narrates the walkthrough of his boat, the Belafonte, room by room.

Just hearing that line, "Let me tell you about my boat," evokes images of the unique ship and its crew accompanied by a lighthearted tune from Mark Mothersbaugh. The introduction to the boat is almost an introduction to the movie, giving us an idea of the funny, odd, and heartwarming nature of the story that is about to unfold. Bill Murray's tone as he speaks works well to convey the character's combination of dry nonchalance mixed with an undercurrent of warmth.

3 Rushmore - The Revenge Montage

Bee attack
Buena Vista Pictures

Rushmore is the first movie Murray did with Anderson, and definitely one of the most signature roles for him, setting the stage for their partnership (and Murray's future career as a more dramatic actor) in the years to come. “He was the godfather of that film," Anderson would say later in the same Rolling Stone interview. Murray plays Herman J. Blume, who forms a friendship with the main character, 15-year-old Max Fischer, at least until they become rivals. This leads to a hilarious montage of escalating acts of revenge.

After Max reveals Blume’s infidelity to his wife, he is kicked out of his house and moves into a hotel room. While reading the morning paper, he begins to notice bees around him. Murray swats at the bees frantically, then turns to see where they're coming from and spies a clear tube feeding them into the room. As the guitar licks of The Who start, the realization of what happened and who is responsible dawns on his face. Blume grins and begins to laugh, impressed with Max for his method of revenge. When that grin melts into anger, the fun montage really kicks into gear. What Murray best brings to this scene is that mixture of admiration and anger in his expression, showing the complex and interesting relationship between Blume and Fischer, which is at the heart of the movie.

2 Rushmore - Getting a Haircut

Bill Murray getting a haircut
Buena Vista Pictures

As signature as the film Rushmore was for Murray and Anderson, it's no surprise that it would hold two of the three top spots on this list. In this scene, Blume and Max have reconciled, but Blume still seems depressed, speaking low and looking completely disheveled. Max introduces him to his father, who is revealed to be a barber, and not a neurosurgeon as Max had claimed. “So Max tells me you need a haircut,” says the friendly older man. “Why don’t you sit down, and we’ll have a look?”

Related: These Are the Best Bill Murray Movies

“I don’t know Bert,” Blume replies in a defeated tone. So much of where Blume is in his life is in that "I don't know," as if getting a haircut no longer matters, because nothing does anymore. But since he can’t even summon the energy to simply say no, he just goes through the motions. It’s true that a good haircut can feel like a fresh start in many ways, and as Max and Herman leave the barber shop, you can tell that both Blume and the friendship between both characters are looking refreshed. It's a quiet, subtly beautiful scene.

1 The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou - "I Wonder if it Remembers Me"

Everyone in the submarine in The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
Buena Vista Pictures

It is inevitable that The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou would contain some of Murray's best work. Typically, Murray seems to fit best as a side character. But if the role of Steve Zissou feels like it was made for Bill Murray, that's because it was. "Bill and I had been talking about The Life Aquatic before I asked him to be in The Royal Tenenbaums," Anderson said in the Rolling Stone interview, going on to say:

Jacques Cousteau was the model for Steve Zissou, but there was also a lot of Bill in there. The great thing about Bill as a leading man is that he's just a 'guy,' but he's got such a presence in real life - and it translates into what attracts people to him on screen. Most of the time I just try to stand back and let him do what he does.

Murray brings a lot of heart to the role, combined with his signature dry humor and an undercurrent of melancholy, as he plays the intrepid explorer on a quest to find and kill the newly discovered shark that killed his friend. In the climax scene of Life Aquatic, Steve Zissou and the other main characters descend in a tiny submarine to see this shark, the culmination of their journey and of Zissou's character arc.

As the beautiful music of Sigur Ros builds, the jaguar shark slowly swims into view, finally revealed. Zissou's story, constantly in question before now, is proven to the people in his life who matter to him. But more importantly, he comes face to face with the shark and with his own internal grief over the death of both his best friend and his son. "I wonder if it remembers me," he asks quietly. Then the grief of his loss breaks over his face, as each character around him reaches out their hand to touch him. He decides not to kill the shark, and it serenely swims away. The summation of the character and of the movie, this moving and beautiful scene may be Bill Murray's best moment in any Anderson film.