Eddie Murphy

Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer,
director, and musician.

Box-office takes from Murphy's films make him the second-highest grossing actor in the United
States.[2][3] He was a regular cast member onSaturday Night Live from 1980 to 1984 and has worked as a
stand-up comedian. He was ranked no. 10 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All
Time.[4]

He has received Golden Globe Award nominations for his performances in 48 Hrs., Beverly Hills
Cop series, Trading Places, and The Nutty Professor. In 2007, he won the Golden Globe for Best
Supporting Actor and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his
portrayal of soul singer James "Thunder" Early in Dreamgirls.[5]

Eddie Murphy's work as a voice actor includes Thurgood Stubbs in The PJs, Donkey in the Shrek series
and the Chinese dragon Mushu in Disney'sMulan. In some of his films, he plays multiple roles in addition to
his main character, intended as a tribute to one of his idols Peter Sellers, who played multiple roles in Dr.
Strangelove and elsewhere. Murphy has played multiple roles in Coming to America, Wes
Craven's Vampire in Brooklyn, theNutty Professor films (where he played the title role in two incarnations,
plus his father, brother, mother, and grandmother), Bowfinger, Norbit, andMeet Dave.

Early life

Murphy grew up in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick.[6] His mother, Lillian, was a telephone operator,
and his father, Charles Edward Murphy, was a transit police officer and an amateur actor and
comedian.[1][7][8][9] His father died when he was young. When Murphy's single mom became ill, the eight-
year-old Eddie Murphy and his older brother lived in foster care for one year.[10] In interviews, the actor and
comedian says that his time in foster care was influential in developing his sense of humour. Later Murphy
and his older brother Charlie were raised in Roosevelt, New York by his mother and stepfather Vernon
Lynch, a foreman at an ice cream plant.[1] Around the age of 15, Murphy was writing and performing his own
routines, which were heavily influenced by Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor.[1]

Career
Stand-up comedy
His early comedy was characterized by frequent swearing and sketches lampooning a diverse group of
people (including White Anglo-Saxon Protestants (WASPs), African Americans, Italian Americans,
overweight people, and gay people). Eddie also released three stand-up specials. Eddie Murphy was his
first album, released in 1982. Delirious was filmed in 1983 in Washington, D.C. Due to the popularity of this,
he then released Raw in 1987 which was filmed in the Felt Forum section of Madison Square Garden in
New York.[11] [12]

1980s acting career

Murphy in 1988

Murphy first earned attention as a regular actor at Saturday Night Live (SNL), and was credited with helping
revitalize the series during the early 1980s.[13] Some of his notable characters included a grown version of
the Little Rascals character Buckwheat,[14] impoverished but street-wise children's show host Mr. Robinson
(a spoof of Fred Rogers, who found it amusing),[15] and Gumby,[14] a harshly cynical version of the animated
character; Murphy's take on the latter character spawned one of SNL's many catchphrases, "I'm Gumby,
dammit!" Although Buckwheat was his most popular character, Murphy asked that he be retired because
the actor grew tired of people asking him to "Do Buckwheat! Do Buckwheat!"; the character was
assassinated on camera in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.[16]

In 1982, Murphy made his big screen debut in the film 48 Hrs. with Nick Nolte.[1] 48 Hrs. proved to be a 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 starred in Trading Places with
fellow SNL alumnus Dan Aykroyd.[1] The movie marked the first of Murphy's collaborations with directorJohn
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 comedy
film Beverly Hills Cop.[1] The film was Murphy's first starring role.[1] Beverly Hills Cop grossed over
$230 million at the box office and is 41st in the list of all-time total U.S. box office grosses (4th-highest
amongst "R" rated films), after adjusting for inflation, as of August 2012.[17]

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's Trading Places co-star Dan Aykroyd had originally written the character ofWinston
Zeddemore in Ghostbusters specifically for Murphy, but he was unable to commit at the time due to
the Beverly Hills Cop shooting schedule. The part 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 starCatherine Hicks. By this point[18] Murphy's near-
exclusive contract with Paramount Pictures rivaled Star Trek as Paramount's most lucrative franchise.

In 1986, Murphy starred in the supernatural comedy, The Golden Child.[1] The Golden Child was originally
intended to be a serious adventure picture starring Mel Gibson.[citation needed] After Gibson turned the role
down, the project was offered to Murphy as it was subsequently rewritten as a partial comedy.[citation
needed]
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.[citation needed] A year later, Murphy reprised his
role of Axel Foley in theTony Scott-directed Beverly Hills Cop II. It was a box office success, grossing over
$150 million.[citation needed] Producers reportedly wanted to turn the Beverly Hills Cop franchise into a weekly
television series.[citation needed] Murphy declined the television offer, but was willing to do a film sequel
instead.[citation needed]

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

Singing career
Murphy is also a singer and musician, having frequently provided background vocals to songs released
by The Bus Boys, which their song "The Boys Are Back in Town" was featured in 48 Hrs.and Murphy's
comedy special Eddie Murphy Delirious. 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 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 voted "Party All the Time" number seven among the "50 Worst Songs of All-
Time." Sharam used a sample of the song for the UK No. 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. He recorded a duet with Shabba Ranks called "I Was a King". In
1992, Murphy appeared in Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" alongside Magic Johnson and Iman.
Though uncredited, Murphy provided vocal work on SNL castmate Joe Piscopo's comedy single, "The
Honeymooners Rap."[citation needed] Piscopo impersonated Jackie Gleason on the single, while Murphy
provided an imitation of Art Carney.

In Coming to America, he 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.

1990s career

One of the last movies by Redd Foxx & Richard Pryor, a comedy-drama Harlem Nights that also starred Eddie Murphy.

From 1989 and through most of the early 1990s, box office results and reviews for Murphy's films were
strong, but by 1992 results for both dropped, hitting a low point with the critically panned Beverly Hills Cop
III (1994),[19] a movie Murphy would ultimately denounce during an appearance on Inside the Actors
Studio,[1] although he did find box office success with Boomerang and Another 48 Hrs. 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.[1]

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

Although Murphy has enjoyed commercial success since Saturday Night Live, he has never attended cast
reunions or anniversary specials, nor did he participate 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). Murphy's box office results began to recover in 1996, starting with The Nutty Professor.

1998 to present
He followed with a series of very successful family-friendly movies like Mulan, Dr. Dolittle and its sequel,
the Shrek series, Daddy Day Care, and The Haunted Mansion, along with Nutty Professor II: The Klumps.
However, most of his movies meant for more adult audiences performed moderately;Metro, I Spy,
and Showtime all tended to gross less than $40 million domestically, Holy Man performed poorly, 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 $98 million at the
box office.[citation needed]

In 2006, he starred in the motion picture version of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls as soul singer James
"Thunder" Early. Murphy won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, as well as aScreen 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-releaseAcademy Awards buzz.[20] 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 - there was a suggestion that one of the reasons Murphy
lost out on winning the Academy Award was his subsequent film Norbit.[21] 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.

In 2007, Murphy was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[22] As a result
of Viacom's acquisition of DreamWorks, Paramount distributed his other 2007 releases:Norbit and Shrek
the Third. He starred in the 2008 film Meet Dave and the 2009 film Imagine That for Paramount Pictures.

Murphy co-starred in Tower Heist, directed by Brett Ratner. Murphy played a thief who joins a group of
hardworking men who find out they have fallen victim to a wealthy businessman's Ponzi scheme, and
conspire to rob his high-rise residence. Ben Stiller, Matthew Broderick, and Casey Affleck also starred in the
film, released on November 4, 2011.[1][23][24]

It was reported in 2011 that Murphy would host the 84th Academy Awards in 2012. However, he dropped
out of his hosting duties on November 9, 2011, in the wake of the Brett Ratner scandal.

Personal life
Family

Eddie Murphy in Hollywood Walk of Fame

Murphy began a longtime romantic relationship with Nicole Mitchell (born January 5, 1968) after meeting
her in 1988 at an NAACP Image Awards show. They lived together for almost two years before getting
married at the Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel in New York City on March 18, 1993.[25]Murphy and
Mitchell had five children together: Bria L. Murphy (born November 18, 1989), Myles Mitchell (born
November 7, 1992), Shayne Audra (born October 10, 1994), Zola Ivy (born December 24, 1999) and Bella
Zahra (born January 29, 2002). In August 2005, Mitchell filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences".
The divorce was finalized on April 17, 2006.[26]

He also has a child by Tamara Hood: son Christian Murphy (born on November 29, 1990),[27] and another
child by Paulette McNeely: son Eric Murphy (born on July 10, 1989).

Murphy as of 2008 resided in Long Island, New York.[28]

Following his divorce from Mitchell, in 2006, Murphy began dating former Spice Girl Melanie Brown, who
became pregnant and stated that the child was Murphy's. When questioned about the pregnancy in
December 2006, by RTL Boulevard, Murphy told Dutch reporter Matthijs Kleyn, "I don't know whose child
that is until it comes out and has a blood test. You shouldn't jump to conclusions, sir". 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 that a DNA test had confirmed that Murphy was the
father.[29] Brown has stated in an interview that Murphy has not sought a relationship with Angel.[30][31]

Murphy exchanged marriage vows with film producer Tracey Edmonds, former wife of Kenneth "Babyface"
Edmonds, on January 1, 2008, in a private ceremony on an island off Bora Bora.[32] On January 16, 2008,
the couple released a statement saying, "After much consideration and discussion, we have jointly decided
that we will forgo having a legal ceremony as it is not necessary to define our relationship further," and
called the Bora Bora wedding a "symbolic union". The two had planned on having a legal ceremony upon
their return to the U.S. but did not, and their wedding was never official.[33]

Legal problems
According to Murphy's childhood friend Harris Haith in his book, Growing Up Laughing With Eddie, 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.[citation needed]

Philanthropy
Murphy has donated money to the AIDS Foundation, and cancer, education, creative arts, family/parent
support, health and homeless charities. He has donated to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, various cancer
charities and $100,000 to the Screen Actors' Guild's strike relief fund.[34]
Bibliographie: www.wikipedia.org