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==Biography==
==Biography==
===Early life===
===Early life===
[[Murphy]] was born in a brothel in the Bronx. His mother was a common prostitute that i used to visit on a daily basis. she had an explosive case of gonnorea.
[[Murphy]] was born in [[Brooklyn]], [[New York]]. His [[mother]], Lillian, was a [[telephone]] [[operator]], and his [[father]], [[Charles Edward Murphy]], was a [[transit police officer]] and [[amateur comedian]].<ref>[http://www.filmreference.com/film/23/Eddie-Murphy.html [[Eddie Murphy]] Biography (1961-)<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref name="actors">Stated in interview on ''[[Inside the Actors Studio]]''</ref> [[Murphy's]] [[father]] [[left]] the [[family]] when [[Murphy]] was [[three]] and was [[stabbed]] to [[death]] when [[Murphy]] was [[eight]].<ref>[http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800011536/bio Eddie Murphy Biography - Yahoo! Movies<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Murphy and his brother [[Charlie Murphy|Charlie]] were raised in [[Roosevelt, New York]] by his mother and stepfather Vernon Lynch, a foreman at an ice cream plant.<ref name="actors"/> Around the age of 19, Murphy was writing and performing his own routines, which were heavily influenced by [[Bill Cosby]] and [[Richard Pryor]].<ref name="actors"/>

===Stand-up comedy routines===
Murphy performed stand-up comedy at the same Bay Area Comedy Club as [[Robin Williams]] and [[Whoopi Goldberg]]. His early comedy was racy, akin to [[Richard Pryor]], whom Murphy has credited as his inspiration to enter comedy.<ref name="actors"/> Characterized by frequent swearing and sketches lampooning a diverse group of people (including African Americans, Italian Americans, over weight people, and gays). Pryor wrote in his autobiography, ''[[Pryor Convictions]]'', that he thought Murphy's comedy could be excessively insensitive. Murphy later apologized for insensitive jokes about gays and HIV.

===''Saturday Night Live''===
In 1980, the then unknown Murphy badgered talent coordinator Neil Levy to give him a shot on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''. Levy repeatedly rejected him, saying that the show already had a full cast. But Murphy continued pleading with Levy, saying that he had several siblings banking on him getting a spot on the show. Levy finally conceded and allowed him an audition. On the basis of the audition performance, Levy then began advocating to new executive producer [[Jean Doumanian]] to let Murphy on the show. After seeing Murphy's audition for herself, she too began pleading with the network to allow Murphy on the show. [[NBC]] only agreed after it was determined that [[Robert Townsend]] had not yet signed a contract, at which point Murphy was cast as a featured player.{{Fact|date=September 2007}}

Murphy made his debut in the second episode of the 1980-1981 season, hosted by [[Malcolm McDowell]], as an extra in a skit called "In Search of the Negro Republican". Two weeks later, Murphy had his first speaking role as Raheem Abdul Muhummad on ''[[Weekend Update]]''. He was then called on for more work in later episodes, and was soon raised to the status of full cast member.

Despite Murphy's participation, the 1980-1981 season was considered such a disaster that NBC fired Doumanian and everybody in the cast, with the exception of Murphy and [[Joe Piscopo]]. Whereas Murphy had rarely been featured during Doumanian's tenure, he became a break-out star under Doumanian's replacement, [[Dick Ebersol]]. His well-known character creations include the former child movie star [[Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas|Buckwheat]], a life-size version of the [[Gumby]] toy character and an inner-city black version of [[Fred Rogers|Mr. Rogers]] known as "Mr. Robinson".<ref name="actors"/> Murphy also performed celebrity impressions, such as [[Stevie Wonder]] and [[James Brown]]. Murphy left the show midway through the 1983–1984 season, appearing in filmed sketches for the remainder of that season.

===Early acting career===
[[Image:EddieMurphy.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Eddie Murphy's star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].]]
In 1982, Murphy made his big screen debut in the ''[[48 Hours (film)|48 Hrs.]]'' alongside [[Nick Nolte]].<ref name="actors"/> The movie was perhaps most notable for two scenes: 1) a scene involving Murphy (on a bet with Nolte) terrorizing a [[Redneck (stereotype)|redneck]] bar,<ref name="actors"/> and 2) a scene in which Murphy, in a jail cell, sings "[[Roxanne (song)|Roxanne]]" by [[The Police]] loudly and out of key while listening to the song on headphones. ''48 Hrs.'' proved to be a smash hit when it was released in the Christmas season of 1982. Nolte was scheduled to host the [[December 11]], [[1982]] Christmas episode of ''Saturday Night Live'', but became too ill to host, so Murphy took over. He became the only cast member to host while still a regular. Murphy opened the show with the phrase, "Live from New York, It's the Eddie Murphy Show!"

The following year, Murphy co-starred with fellow alumnus [[Dan Aykroyd]] in ''[[Trading Places]]''.<ref name="actors"/> The movie marked the first of Murphy's collaborations with director [[John Landis]] (who also directed Murphy in ''[[Coming to America]]'' and ''[[Beverly Hills Cop III]]'') and proved to be an even greater box office success than ''48 Hrs''. In 1984, Murphy starred in the successful action film ''[[Beverly Hills Cop]]''.<ref name="actors"/> The film was Murphy's first full-fledged starring vehicle, originally intended to star [[Sylvester Stallone]].<ref name="actors"/> ''Beverly Hills Cop'' grossed over $200 million at the box office and is the 38th highest-grossing film of all time [[as of 2008]], and is the third highest grossing "R" rated film of all-time (after ''[[The Exorcist]]'' and ''[[The Godfather]]''), when both figures are adjusted for ticket price inflation.<ref>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm All Time Box Office Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

Also in 1984, Murphy appeared in ''[[Best Defense]]'', co-starring [[Dudley Moore]]. Murphy, who was credited as a "Strategic Guest Star", was added to the film after an original version was completed but tested poorly with audiences. ''Best Defense'' was a major financial and critical disappointment. When he hosted ''SNL'', Murphy joined the chorus of those bashing ''Best Defense'', calling it "the worst movie in the history of everything". Murphy has also been rumored to be initially a part of hits such as ''[[Ghostbusters]]'' (featuring his ''[[Trading Places]]'' co-star Dan Aykroyd and fellow ''SNL'' alumnus [[Bill Murray]]). The part that was originally written with Murphy in mind ultimately went to [[Ernie Hudson]]. Murphy was also offered a part in 1986's ''[[Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home]]'', a role that, after being heavily re-written from comic relief to love interest, ultimately went to future ''[[7th Heaven]]'' star [[Catherine Hicks]]. By this point<ref>according to the autobiography of the film's director and co-star, [[Leonard Nimoy]]</ref> Murphy's near-exclusive contract with [[Paramount Pictures]] rivaled ''[[Star Trek]]'' as Paramount's most lucrative franchise.

Also in 1986, Murphy starred in the [[supernatural]] comedy, ''[[The Golden Child]]''.<ref name="actors"/> ''The Golden Child'' was originally intended to be a serious adventure picture starring [[Mel Gibson]]. After Gibson turned the role down, the project was offered to Murphy as it was subsequently rewritten as a partial comedy. Although ''The Golden Child'' (featuring Murphy's "I want the knife!" routine) performed well at the box office, the movie was not as critically acclaimed as ''[[48 Hrs]].'', ''[[Trading Places]]'', and ''[[Beverly Hills Cop]]''. ''[[The Golden Child]]'' was considered a change of pace for Murphy because of the [[supernatural]] setting as opposed to the more "street smart" settings of Murphy's previous efforts. A year later, Murphy reprised his role of Axel Foley in the [[Tony Scott]]-directed ''[[Beverly Hills Cop II]]''. Although the film was panned by critics, it was still a box office smash, grossing over [[United States dollar|$]]150 million. Producers reportedly wanted to turn the ''Beverly Hills Cop'' [[media franchise|franchise]] into a weekly television series. Murphy declined the television offer, but was willing to do a film sequel instead.

Murphy was one of the last movie actors to sign an exclusive contract with a studio. In this case, it was [[Paramount Pictures]], which released all of his early films.

===Singing career===
Murphy is also a singer and musician, having frequently provided background vocals to songs released by the [[The Bus Boys]]. As a solo artist, Murphy had two hit singles, "[[Party All the Time]]" (which was produced by [[Rick James]]) and "Put Your Mouth on Me" in the mid-1980s (although he actually started singing earlier in his career, with the songs "Boogie In Your Butt" and "Enough Is Enough", the latter being a parody of [[Barbra Streisand]] and [[Donna Summer]]'s 1979 song, "[[No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)]]". They both appear on his 1982 self-titled comedy album.) "Party All the Time" was featured on Murphy's 1985 debut album ''[[How Could It Be]]'', which also included a minor follow-up [[R&B]] hit in the title track, a duet with vocalist [[Crystal Blake]]. This track was written by [[Rusty Hamilton]] and was produced by Stevie Wonder's cousin [[Aquil Fudge]] after a brief falling out and bet with Rick James. In 2004, [[VH-1]] and ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'' voted "Party All the Time" number seven among the "50 Worst Songs of All-Time." [[Sharam Tayebi|Sharam]] used a [[Sampling (music)|sample]] of the song for the UK #8 hit "PATT (Party All The Time)" in 2006.

Murphy recorded the album ''[[Love's Alright]]'' in the early 1990s. He performed in a [[music video]] of the single "Whatzupwitu", featuring [[Michael Jackson]]. In 1999, the "Whatzupwitu" video, which featured Murphy and Jackson in a [[technicolor]]-like dream world, was voted as number three among the 25 worst music videos in the [[MTV]] era.{{Fact|date=June 2008}} He also recorded a duet with [[Shabba Ranks]] called "I Was a King", which was similarly panned. In 1992, Murphy also appeared in Michael Jackson's "[[Remember the Time]]" video alongside [[Magic Johnson]] and [[Iman Abdulmajid|Iman]].

Although uncredited, Murphy provided vocal work on ''SNL'' castmate [[Joe Piscopo]]'s comedy single, "The Honeymooners Rap." Piscopo impersonated [[Jackie Gleason]] on the single, while Murphy provided an imitation of [[Art Carney]].

In ''[[Coming to America]]'', Murphy imitated [[Jackie Wilson]] when he sang "To Be Loved," but because the character he was playing had a thick accent, he had to sing it in character. In later years, Murphy performed several songs in the ''[[Shrek]]'' film franchise. In the first film, he performed a version of "[[I'm a Believer]]" in the film's final scene; in ''[[Shrek 2]]'' he performed [[Ricky Martin]]'s hit "[[Livin' La Vida Loca]]" along with co-star [[Antonio Banderas]].

===Legal woes===
In 1985, King Broder claimed Murphy had signed an "indefinite contract" with him when Murphy was 19 and [[lawsuit|sued]] him for $30 million for [[breach of contract]] when Murphy was worth an estimated $50 million. Broder even claimed Murphy got his 'Buckwheat' character from an idea he had for 'The Identical Triplets.' In court papers filed in State Supreme Court in [[Mineola, New York]], Murphy said he and Broder had verbally agreed to dissolve the relationship before the end of 1980. Murphy stated, at the time, "[He] was working as a shoe salesman and had very limited professional experience when [he] signed the agreement." He also charged that Broder misrepresented himself as the agent for singers [[Tina Turner]], [[Neil Sedaka]] and comedian [[Andy Kaufman]]. As Murphy was in the process of filming ''Beverly Hills Cop II'' at the time of the suit, [[Paramount Pictures]] ended up settling the case out of court and paying Broder an undisclosed amount so that they would not lose any more money in production costs.<ref>Associated Press; The Daily Intelligencer, Doylestown, Pa., May 12, 1985 "Murphy Challenges Former Agent's Suit"</ref><ref>The Capital, Annapolis, Md. Saturday March 14, 1987 pg. 1.</ref>

According to Murphy's childhood friend Harris Haith in his book, ''[[Growing Up Laughing With Eddie]]'', {{cquote|Long before Murphy did any writing for ''Coming to America'', [[Art Buchwald]] had approached Paramount Pictures with the idea for a similar film. His material was rejected, but the information was retained by Paramount. They liked Buchwald's idea but did not see fit to pay him and saved it for use later down the road. Some years later, Paramount presented the idea of ''Coming to America'' to Eddie and gave him the contract. Murphy wrote a screenplay that came to light exactly as it aired on the silver screen. In 1988, Buchwald sued Murphy and Paramount Pictures, but Murphy was not found liable because Paramount had received the material and plagiarized it before giving it to Eddie. He did not know the origins of the piece, he just took the idea and expounded on it to bring about the final version of the movie.}} However, Buchwald and his partner Alain Bernheim did win the suit against Paramount Pictures, were awarded damages, and then accepted a [[legal settlement|settlement]] from Paramount. The case was the subject of a 1992 book, ''Fatal Subtraction: The Inside Story of [[Buchwald v. Paramount]]'' by [[Pierce O'Donnell]] and [[Dennis McDougal]].

===Career slump===
From 1989 until the mid-1990s and again in the mid 00's, box office results for Murphy's films dropped, hitting a low point with the critically- panned ''[[Beverly Hills Cop III]]'' (a movie Murphy would ultimately denounce during an appearance on ''[[Inside the Actors Studio]]''),<ref name="actors"/> although he did find minor box office success with ''[[The Distinguished Gentleman]]'', ''[[Boomerang (1992 film)|''Boomerang'']]'', ''[[Another 48 Hrs.]]'' and ''[[Vampire In Brooklyn]]''. His directorial effort, ''[[Harlem Nights]]'', is widely seen as a [[vanity project]] and the first step in Murphy's career slump. ''Harlem Nights'' featured Murphy (who had previously been known only as a performer) as director, producer, star, and co-writer (with his brother, [[Charlie Murphy]]), as well as supporting roles for Murphy's comic idols [[Redd Foxx]] and [[Richard Pryor]].<ref name="actors"/>

During this period Murphy was also criticized by filmmaker [[Spike Lee]] for not using his show business stature to help black actors break into film, despite Murphy's often populating his films (especially those he produces) with predominately black casts (''[[Coming To America]], [[Harlem Nights]], [[Boomerang]], [[Vampire In Brooklyn]], [[Life]], [[Norbit]]''). Many black actors who would later gain wider recognition make early appearances in Murphy films such as [[Damon Wayans]] in ''[[Beverly Hills Cop]]'', [[Halle Berry]] and [[Martin Lawrence]] in ''[[Boomerang (1992 film)|Boomerang]]'', [[Samuel L. Jackson]] and [[Cuba Gooding Jr]] in ''[[Coming to America]]'' and ''[[Eddie Murphy Raw|Raw]]'', [[Dave Chappelle]] in ''[[The Nutty Professor]]'' and [[Chris Rock]] in ''[[Beverly Hills Cop II]]'' and ''[[Boomerang (1992 film)|Boomerang]]''.

Although Murphy has enjoyed commercial success since ''Saturday Night Live'', he has never attended cast reunions, anniversary specials, or participated in the making of the ''Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live'' retrospective book by [[Tom Shales]] and James Andrew Miller (2002).

===Comeback and image makeover===
Murphy's box office results began to recover in 1996, starting with ''[[The Nutty Professor (1996 film)|The Nutty Professor]]''. He followed with a series of very successful family-friendly movies like ''[[Mulan]]'', ''[[Dr. Dolittle (film)|Dr. Dolittle]]'' and [[Dr. Dolittle 2|its sequel]], the ''[[Shrek]]'' series, ''[[Daddy Day Care]]'', and ''[[The Haunted Mansion (movie)|The Haunted Mansion]]'', along with ''[[The Nutty Professor#2000 Sequel|Nutty Professor II]]''. However, most of his movies meant for more adult audiences performed moderately; ''[[Metro (1997 film)|Metro]]'', ''[[I Spy (film)|I Spy]]'', and ''[[Showtime (film)|Showtime]]'' all ended to gross less than $40 million domestically, ''[[Holy Man]]'' performed badly, grossing less than $13 million, and ''[[The Adventures of Pluto Nash]]'' is on record as one of the biggest theatrical money-losers of all time, grossing just $7 million worldwide on a reported $110 million budget. A notable exception to this run of poorly received adult -themed films was the [[Frank Oz]] comedy ''[[Bowfinger]]'', also starring [[Steve Martin]]. The film garnered generally positive critical reviews, and grossed a respectable $66 million at the box office.

In 2006, he starred in the motion picture version of the [[Broadway musical]] ''[[Dreamgirls (film)|Dreamgirls]]'' as soul singer James "Thunder" Early. Murphy won a [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture|Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor]], as well as a [[Screen Actors Guild Award]] and a [[Broadcast Film Critics Association]] Award in that category. Several reviews for the film highlighted Murphy's performance while he received some pre-release [[Academy Awards]] buzz.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/03/movies/03modd.html?_r=1&ref%3Dmovies&oref=slogin|title=Eddie Murphy Inspires Oscar Buzz. Seriously.|author=Modderno, Craig|date=2006-12-03|publisher=New York Times}}</ref> Murphy was nominated for an [[Academy Award]] for Best Supporting Actor on January 23, 2007, but lost to [[Alan Arkin]] for his performance in ''[[Little Miss Sunshine]]''. ''Dreamgirls'' was the first film distributed by Paramount Pictures to star Murphy (who once was on an exclusive contract with the studio) since ''[[Vampire in Brooklyn]]'' in 1995. As a result of [[Viacom]]'s acquisition of [[Dreamworks SKG]], Paramount distributed his other 2007 releases: ''[[Norbit]]'' and ''[[Shrek the Third]]''. He is currently filming ''[[NowhereLand]]'' for Paramount Pictures.

Murphy is expected to begin work on ''[[Beverly Hills Cop IV]]'' sometime in the near future, and it is expected that producer [[Jerry Bruckheimer]] will not participate in the fourth installment of the series. Murphy recently told ''[[The Sun (newspaper)|The Sun Online]]'' that “the new script is looking good.”<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006200093,00.html|title=Eddie cops film No4|publisher=Sun Online}}</ref><ref name="actors"/>

In 2007, Murphy was invited to join the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]].<ref>[http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=entertainment&id=5400194 abc7.com: Film Academy Invites 115 New Members 6/19/07<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2007/07.06.18.html Academy Invites 115 to Become Members<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

In [[July]] of [[2008]], Murphy announced that he was considering retiring from movies and returning to his stand up career after completing the long-awaited ''Beverly Hills Cop IV''. [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000552/news]

===Personal life===
[[Image:EddieMurphy-KodakTheatre.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Murphy's imprints by the [[Graumans Chinese Theater]]. The inscription reads "Be Free".]]

Murphy began a longtime romantic relationship with Nicole Mitchell after meeting her in 1988 at an [[NAACP Image Awards]] show. They lived together for a year and a half before getting married at the Grand Ballroom of [[The Plaza Hotel]] in [[New York City]] on [[March 18]], [[1993]].<ref> {{cite web|url=http://www.hellomagazine.com/film/2005/08/08/eddiemurphy/|title=Eddie Murphy and wife divorce after 12 years|publisher=Hello!Magazine|date=2005-08-08}}</ref> In [[August 2005]], Mitchell filed for [[divorce]], citing "[[irreconcilable differences]]." The divorce was finalized on [[April 17]], [[2006]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://marriage.about.com/od/entertainmen1/p/eddiemurphy.htm|title=Eddie Murphy and Nicole Mitchell Marriage|publisher=About.com}}</ref>

====Arrest====
In May of 1997, Murphy was stopped by police with a transvestite prostitute his car shortly before the release of ''[[Holy Man]]'', a situation which subsequently caused public relations problems for the star. He was arrested and spent a day in jail.<ref> {{cite web|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/09/movies/09cris.html?_r=1&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/People/G/Gibson,%20Mel&oref=slogin|title=The Mavens Speak|publisher=The New York Times|date=2006-08-09}}</ref> <ref> {{cite web|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2008/mar/20/entertainment/et-word20|title=Owen Wilson Sits Out 'Drillbit Taylor' Promotion|publisher=The Los Angeles Times|date=2008-03-20}}</ref>

===Relationships===
Following his divorce from Mitchell, he dated [[Spice Girl]] [[Melanie B]] or Melanie Brown, who became pregnant and stated that the child was Murphy's. When questioned about the pregnancy in [[December 2006]], Murphy told a reporter, "I don't know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test. You shouldn't jump to conclusions, sir".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/07/people.melaniebrown.ap/index.html|title=Mel B: 'No question' Murphy is baby's father|publisher=CNN.com|date=2006-12-07|author=Associated Press}}</ref> Brown gave birth to a baby girl, Angel Iris Murphy Brown, on Murphy's 46th birthday, [[April 3]], [[2007]]. On [[June 22]], [[2007]], representatives for Brown announced in ''[[People magazine|People]]'' that a [[DNA]] test had confirmed that Murphy was the father.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20043487,00.html|title=Mel B Says DNA Proves Eddie Murphy Fathered Her Baby|publisher=People Magazine}}</ref>. Brown has revealed in an interview that Murphy will have nothing to do with Angel [http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/a101281/mel-b-writes-song-about-eddie-murphy.html?imdb] Brown's daughter is Murphy's eighth child; he has four daughters, Bria, Shane Audra, Zola Ivy, and Bella Zahra and one son, Miles Mitchell from his previous marriage to Nicole Mitchell, and two more sons, Eric Murphy and Christian Murphy from two other previous relationships.

Murphy exchanged marriage vows with film producer [[Tracey Edmonds]], former wife of [[Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds]], on [[January 1]] [[2008]] in a private ceremony on an island off [[Bora Bora]].<ref>[http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20168679,00.html Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds Marry - Weddings, Eddie Murphy : People.com<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> It was announced on January 16, 2008 that they never legally wed, had decided to forgo legalizing their union and had instead chosen to remain friends.<ref>[http://www.imdb.com/news/wenn/2008-01-17/ Movie & TV News @ IMDb.com - WENN - 17 January 2008<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> He has recently been romantically linked to the sister of ''[[CSI: Miami]]'' star [[Eva LaRue]] [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000552/news#ni0241057]

===Charitable work===
Murphy has donated money to the AIDS Foundation, the [[Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site|Martin Luther King Jr. Center]], various cancer charities and $100,000 to the [[Screen Actors' Guild]]'s strike relief fund.<ref>[http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/194-eddie-murphy Eddie Murphy's Charity Work<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>


==Awards/nominations==
==Awards/nominations==

Revision as of 14:18, 12 August 2008

For other people named Eddie Murphy, see Eddie Murphy (disambiguation).
Eddie Murphy
File:Eddie Murphy.jpg
Eddie Murphy at Shrek the Third premiere
Birth nameEdward Regan Murphy
Born (1961-04-03) April 3, 1961 (age 63)
Brooklyn, New York City, New York
MediumStand-up comedy, Film, Television
NationalityAmerican
Years active1980 - present
SpouseNicole Mitchell (1993-2006)

Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an Academy Award-nominated, Golden Globe-, Screen Actors Guild Award-winning American actor, film director, producer and comedian. Murphy ranks as the highest grossing film star in history, having a total of 33 films to date, his films grossing over $3.4 billion in the US alone, averaging $104 million per film.[1] He was a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1980 to 1984, and has worked as a stand-up comedian. He has also enjoyed a minor singing career.

Murphy has received Golden Globe Award nominations for best actor in a comedy or musical for his performances in Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places, and The Nutty Professor. In 2007, he won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of soul singer James "Thunder" Early in Dreamgirls,[2] and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the same role.

Murphy's work as a voice actor includes Thurgood Stubbs in The PJs, Donkey in the Shrek series and the dragon Mushu in Disney's Mulan. In some of his films, he plays multiple roles in addition to his main character, which he calls a tribute to one of his idols Peter Sellers (who is famous for playing multiple roles in one film), films which Murphy has played multiple roles include Coming to America, Wes Craven's Vampire In Brooklyn, the Nutty Professor films, where he played much of the Klumps clan, Bowfinger and 2007's Norbit. Another trademark of Murphy is his deep, infectious, and considerably goofy laugh.

Biography

Early life

Murphy was born in a brothel in the Bronx. His mother was a common prostitute that i used to visit on a daily basis. she had an explosive case of gonnorea.

Awards/nominations

  • Razzie Award
    • 2007: Winner - Worst Actor - Norbit
    • 2007: Winner - Worst Supporting Actor - Norbit
    • 2007: Winner - Worst Supporting Actress - Norbit
    • 2007: Nominee - Worst Screenplay- Norbit
    • 2007: Nominee - Worst Screen Couple - Norbit
  • Emmy Awards
    • 1999: Nominees - Outstanding Animated Programming (One Hour or Less)- The PJ's
    • 1984: Nominee - Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program - Saturday Night Live
    • 1984: Nominee - Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program - Saturday Night Live
    • 1983: Nominee - Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, Variety or Music Series - Saturday Night Live
Template:S-awards
Preceded by National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor
for The Nutty Professor (1996 film)
1996 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture
for Dreamgirls
2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
2007
for Dreamgirls 		Succeeded by
N/A
Preceded by
N/A
 Best Supporting Actor - Central Ohio Film Critics Association
2007
for Dreamgirls 		Succeeded by
N/A
Preceded by Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture
2007
for Dreamgirls 		Succeeded by

Filmography

Television

Films

Year Title Role
1982 48 Hrs. Reggie Hammond
1983 Trading Places Billy Ray Valentine
1983 Eddie Murphy Delirious (producer) Himself
1984 Best Defense Lieutenant T.M. Landry
Beverly Hills Cop Det. Axel Foley
1986 The Golden Child Chandler Jarrell
1987 Beverly Hills Cop II Det. Axel Foley
Eddie Murphy Raw (producer) Himself
1988 Coming to America Prince Akeem/Clarence/Randy Watson/Saul
1989 Harlem Nights (director, producer) Quick (Real Name Vernest Brown)
1990 Another 48 Hrs. Reggie Hammond
1992 Boomerang Marcus Graham
The Distinguished Gentleman Thomas Jefferson Johnson
1994 Beverly Hills Cop III Det. Axel Foley
1995 Vampire in Brooklyn (producer) Maximillian/Preacher Pauly/Guido
1996 The Nutty Professor (producer) Professor Sherman Klump/Buddy Love/Lance Perkins/Cletus 'Papa' Klump/Anna Pearl 'Mama' Jensen Klump/Ida Mae 'Granny' Jensen/Ernie Klump, Sr.
1997 Metro Insp. Scott Roper
1998 Mulan Mushu (voice)
Doctor Dolittle Dr. John Dolittle
Holy Man G
1999 Life (producer) Rayford "Ray" Gibson
Bowfinger Kit Ramsey/Jeffernson 'Jiff' Ramsey
2000 Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (producer) Professor Sherman Klump/Buddy Love/Lance Perkins/Cletus 'Papa' Klump/Anna Pearl 'Mama' Jensen Klump/Ida Mae 'Granny' Jensen/Ernie Klump
2001 Shrek Donkey (voice)
Dr. Dolittle 2 Dr. John Dolittle
2002 Showtime Officer Trey Sellers
The Adventures of Pluto Nash Pluto Nash
I Spy Kelly Robinson
2003 Daddy Day Care Charles "Charlie" Hinton
Shrek 4-D Donkey (voice)
The Haunted Mansion Jim Evers
2004 Shrek 2 Donkey (voice)
2006 Dreamgirls James 'Thunder' Early
2007 Norbit (producer) Norbit Rice/Rasputia Latimore-Rice/Mr. Wong
Shrek the Third Donkey (voice)
2008 Meet Dave Starship Dave (Spacecraft), Captain


Upcoming

Year Title Role Status
2009 NowhereLand Evan Danielson post-production
2010 Beverly Hills Cop IV Det. Axel Foley pre-production
2010 Shrek Goes Fourth Donkey (voice) pre-production
2009 Untitled Romeo & Juliet Project TBA announced
2010 The Incredible Shrinking Man Scott Carey pre-production
2013 Shrek 5 Donkey (voice) announced

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Film Soundtracks

Singles

  • "Boogie In Your Butt/No More Tears" (Columbia, 1982) (comedy/music)
  • "Party All The Time" (featuring Rick James) (Columbia, 1985) (music) US #2, UK #87
  • "How Could It Be" (featuring Crystal Blake) (Columbia, 1985) (music)
  • "Put Your Mouth On Me" (Columbia, 1989) (music) US #27
  • "Til The Money's Gone" (Columbia, 1989) (music)
  • "I Was A King" (Motown, 1993) (music) UK #64
  • "Whatzupwitu" (featuring Michael Jackson) (Motown, 1993) (music)
  • "Desdemona" (Motown, 1993) (music)

References

  1. ^ [1][2]
  2. ^ Kilday, Gregg (2006-12-14). "'Dreamgirls' Snares Multiple Golden Globe Nods". The Hollywood Reporter.

External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to Eddie Murphy.
Preceded by MTV Movie Awards host
1993 		Succeeded by
Preceded by MTV Video Music Awards host
1985 		Succeeded by
MTV VJs

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