Murphy, Eddie

Impact on the world

Emerged as the dominant comedic voice in American film during the 1980s and one of the most powerful Black stars in a predominantly white industry, with his films grossing billions of dollars worldwide; 'Beverly Hills Cop' (1984), his first solo lead, became the highest-grossing film of that year and one of the highest-grossing comedies of its era. His success is widely credited with opening doors for later Black comedians and filmmakers including Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Kevin Hart, and Jordan Peele. He earned an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for 'Dreamgirls' (2006), won a Primetime Emmy for his 2019 return to 'Saturday Night Live,' and received the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2015 and the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2023.

Life & background

Born Edward Regan Murphy on April 3, 1961, in Brooklyn, New York, to a transit police officer who died when Murphy was a boy and a mother who worked as a telephone operator, Murphy began performing stand-up comedy as a teenager, developing his act at Manhattan's Comic Strip, whose owners became his managers. In 1980, at nineteen, he auditioned for 'Saturday Night Live' when the show was seeking an African American comedian, and over the next four seasons he became its breakout star, creating characters such as Buckwheat, Mr. Robinson, Gumby, and Velvet Jones and is widely credited with helping revive the struggling program; he remains the only cast member to have hosted an episode while still a regular, doing so in December 1982. He made his film debut in '48 Hrs.' (1982) opposite Nick Nolte, followed by 'Trading Places' (1983) and his first solo starring vehicle, 'Beverly Hills Cop' (1984), which made him an international superstar, alongside the hit concert films 'Delirious' (1983) and 'Raw' (1987) and a 1984 Grammy Award for his comedy album 'Eddie Murphy: Comedian.' He left 'SNL' in 1984 to focus on film, showcasing his gift for playing multiple characters in a single movie in 'Coming to America' (1988), 'The Nutty Professor' (1996), and others, made his directorial debut with 'Harlem Nights' (1989), and reached a new family audience as the voice of Donkey in the 'Shrek' franchise (2001-2010). His dramatic turn in 'Dreamgirls' (2006) earned a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and he had a late-career resurgence with 'Dolemite Is My Name' (2019), 'Coming 2 America' (2021), and 'Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F' (2024); his celebrated 2019 return to host 'SNL' after 35 years won him a Primetime Emmy. Idolizing Richard Pryor, whom he later cast in 'Harlem Nights,' Murphy became one of the highest-paid actors of his era; his boundary-pushing early stand-up in 'Delirious' and 'Raw' also drew lasting criticism for jokes widely regarded as homophobic. He received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2015 and the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement in 2023.

Sources

1. Britannica (Eddie Murphy); The Kennedy Center (Mark Twain Prize); EBSCO Research Starters; Britannica (Students edition); Broadway World