Which actor plays Phil Connors in the romantic comedy "Groundhog Day"?

Bill Murray plays television weatherman Phil Connors in the romantic comedy Groundhog Day. Phil is sent to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, to cover the annual Groundhog Day celebration and becomes trapped reliving February 2 over and over.

Released in 1993, Groundhog Day was directed by Harold Ramis, who co-wrote the screenplay with Danny Rubin. Murray’s performance combines sarcasm, selfishness, despair, and gradual personal growth as Phil learns to use the repeated day to understand other people and change himself.

The role is sometimes associated with actors who were considered for it, including Chevy Chase, Tom Hanks, and Michael Keaton. None of them played Phil Connors; Murray’s casting became one of the film’s defining achievements. Andie MacDowell plays producer Rita Hanson, while Chris Elliott plays cameraman Larry.

Groundhog Day is more than a standard romantic comedy because its time-loop premise gives the romance a philosophical structure. Phil’s relationship with Rita develops only after he stops treating the repeating day as a tool for manipulation and begins acting generously without expecting a reward.