Biography of Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy born 3 April 1961 in Brooklyn, New York City

A handsome, dashing comedy star, Eddie Murphy began as a stand-up performer at age 15 and four years later had become a cornerstone of NBC's Saturday Night Live (from 1980-84) with his dead-on parodies of Bill Cosby, Fred Rogers, and cartoon character Gumby, as well as his original comic creations Little Richard Simmons, a grown-up Buckwheat, and oily huckster Velvet Jones.

Murphy made his feature debut as a wisecracking con opposite Nick Nolte in 48HRS. (1982), a huge commercial success which established him as Hollywood's most bankable black leading man.

Less successful were the Dudley Moore comedy Best Defense (1984) and the fantasy The Golden Child (1986). Murphy made a less-than-auspicious directorial debut with the violent, profanity-riddled Harlem Nights (1989), which, though profitable, did not match the huge grosses of his earlier starring vehicles. Only Coming to America (1988), with Murphy as a bride-hunting prince, effectively showcased his boyish star quality.

Through Eddie Murphy Productions, the star became increasing involved during the late 1980s in overseeing productions for both the large and small screens. He produced several unsuccessful TV sitcom pilots as well as the 1990 TV movie, The Kid Who Loved Christmas.

Murphy also created and executive-produced the CBS sitcom The Royal Family (1991-92), which prematurely ended with the death of series star Redd Foxx.

Murphy's film career stalled in the early '90s as inevitable sequels seemed to exhaust the freshness and energy of his bad boy persona: Another 48 HRS (1990) and two Beverly Hills Cop follow-ups in 1987 and 1994 failed to ignite interest.

He re-emerged in 1992 with two fairly profitable if not smash starring vehicles, Boomerang, as a playboy who meets his match, and The Distinguished Gentleman, a revamp of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, which attempted to reconfigure his star image.

The street-smart/casual and rock-star leather wardrobes were replaced with expensive Euro-tailoring, and the manic energy and honking laugh of yore were toned down to a complacent sleekness. Critics were unimpressed with the scripts, though, and the promising comedy thriller Vampire in Brooklyn (1995) was also deemed a waste of Murphy's still considerable talents. He next returned to broader comedy by updating the Jerry Lewis "classic," The Nutty Professor (1996).

Murphy's personal life has had its ups and downs as well: he has been hit with several lawsuits for paternity, sexual harassment, and filming delays; writer Art Buchwald successfully proved that Coming to America had been based on a Buchwald storyline. Murphy has settled down considerably since his 1993 marriage to model Nichol Mitchell

Filmography of Eddie Murphy

All movies with Eddie Murphy

• Untitled Eddie Murphy Project (2006) (announced)
• Daddy Day Camp (2005) (announced) .... Charlie Hinton
• Shrek 3 (2006) (pre-production) .... Donkey
• Shrek 2 (2004) (voice) .... Donkey
• Haunted Mansion, The (2003) .... Jim Evers ... aka Disney's The Haunted Mansion (2003) (USA: complete title) - A workaholic visits a haunted house with his family during a job interview, when he meets a ghost who teaches him about life, including a valuable lesson about the importance of the family that he has too long neglected.
• Shrek 4-D (2003) (voice) .... Donkey ... aka Shrek 3-D (2003) (USA: DVD title)
• Daddy Day Care (2003) .... Charlie Hinton - While floundering aimlessly in search of employment and tending to his four-year-old son Ben during the day while his wife Kim is at work, Charlie has an idea. If he and Phil can handle taking care of two kids, how much harder can it be to supervise ten?
• I Spy (2002) .... Kelly Robinson ... aka I-Spy (2002) (USA: promotional title)
• Adventures of Pluto Nash, The (2002) .... Pluto Nash ... aka Pluto Nash (2002) (UK) (USA: working title)
• Showtime (2002) .... Officer Trey Sellars
• Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001) .... Dr. John Dolittle ... aka DR.2 (2001) (USA: promotional abbreviation) ... aka DR2 (2001) (USA: promotional abbreviation)
• Shrek (2001) (voice) .... Donkey
• Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000) .... Professor Sherman Klump/Buddy Love/Cletus 'Papa' Klump/Young Cletus Klump/Anna Pearl 'Mama' Jensen Klump/Ida Mae 'Granny' Jensen/Ernie Klump, Sr./Lance Perkins ... aka Klumps, The (2000) (Australia)
• "PJs, The" (1999) TV Series (voice) .... Thurgoode Orenthal Stubbs (1999)
• Bowfinger (1999) .... Kit Ramsey/Jiffernson 'Jiff' Ramsey
• Life (1999) .... Rayford Gibson
• Holy Man (1998) .... G
• Doctor Dolittle (1998) .... Dr. John Dolittle
• Mulan (1998) (voice) .... Mushu the Demoted One
• Metro (1997) .... Insp. Scott Roper
• Nutty Professor, The (1996) .... Professor Sherman Klump/Buddy Love/Lance Perkins/Cletus 'Papa' Klump/Anna Pearl 'Mama' Jensen Klump/Ida Mae 'Granny' Jensen/Ernie Klump, Sr.
• Vampire in Brooklyn (1995) .... Maximillian/Preacher Pauly/Guido ... aka Wes Craven's Vampire In Brooklyn (1995) (USA: complete title)
• Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) .... Det. Axel Foley
• Dangerous: The Short Films (1993) (V) .... Pharaoh ('Remember The Time' video) ... aka Michael Jackson - Dangerous: The Short Films (1993) (V) (USA)
• Distinguished Gentleman, The (1992) .... Thomas Jefferson Johnson
• Boomerang (1992) .... Marcus Graham
• Another 48 Hrs. (1990) .... Reggie Hammond
• Harlem Nights (1989) .... Quick
• What's Alan Watching? (1989) (TV)
• Coming to America (1988) .... Prince Akeem/Clarence/Randy Watson/Saul ... aka Prince in New York (1988) (Europe: English title: video title)
• Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) .... Det. Axel Foley
• Golden Child, The (1986) .... Chandler Jarrell
• Beverly Hills Cop (1984) .... Det. Axel Foley
• Best Defense (1984) .... Lieutenant T.M. Landry
• Trading Places (1983) .... Billy Ray Valentine
• 48 Hrs. (1982) .... Reggie Hammond
• "Saturday Night Live" (1975) TV Series .

Photo gallery of Eddie Murphy

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