Eddie Murphy
☼ Born on 3 December 1961, in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
Biography
Edward Regan Murphy was born April 3, 1961 in Brooklyn, New York, to Lillian Lynch (born: Lillian Laney), a telephone operator, and Charles Edward Murphy, a transit police officer who was also an amateur comedian and actor. After his father died, his mother married Vernon Lynch, a foreman at a Breyer's Ice Cream plant. His brothers are Charlie Murphy & Vernon Lynch Jr. Eddie had aspirations of being in show business since he was a child. A bright kid growing up in the streets of New York, Murphy spent a great deal of time on impressions and comedy stand-up routines rather than academics. His sense of humor and wit made him a stand out amongst his classmates at Roosevelt Junior-Senior High School. By the time he was fifteen, Murphy worked as a stand-up comic on the lower part of New York, wooing audiences with his dead-on impressions of celebrities and outlooks on life.
In the early 1980s, at the age of 19, Murphy was offered a contract for the Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time Players of Saturday Night Live (1975), where Murphy exercised his comedic abilities in impersonating African American figures and originating some of the show's most memorable characters: Velvet Jones, Mr. Robinson, and a disgruntled and angry Gumby. Murphy made his feature film debut in 48 Hrs. (1982), alongside Nick Nolte. The two's comedic and antagonistic chemistry, alongside Murphy's believable performance as a streetwise convict aiding a bitter, aging cop, won over critics and audiences. The next year, Murphy w
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ent two for two, with another hit, pairing him with John Landis, who later became a frequent collaborator with Murphy in Coming to America (1988) and Beverly Hills Cop III (1994). Beverly Hills Cop (1984) was the film that made Murphy a box-office superstar and most notably made him a celebrity worldwide, and it remains one of the all-time biggest domestic blockbusters in motion-picture history. Murphy's performance as a young Detroit cop in pursuit of his friend's murderers earned him a third consecutive Golden Globe nomination. Axel Foley became one of Murphy's signature characters. On top of his game, Murphy was unfazed by his success, that is until his box office appeal and choices in scripts resulted into a spotty mix of hits and misses into the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Films like The Golden Child (1986) and Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) were critically panned but were still massive draws at the box office. In 1989, Murphy, coming off another hit, Coming to America (1988), found failure with his directorial debut, Harlem Nights (1989). Another 48 Hrs. (1990), his turn as a hopeless romantic in Boomerang (1992) and as a suave vampire in Vampire In Brooklyn did little to resuscitate his career. However, his remake of Jerry Lewis's The Nutty Professor (1996) brought Murphy's drawing power back into fruition. From there, Murphy rebounded with occasional hits and misses but has long proven himself as a skilled comedic actor with laudable range pertaining to characterizations and mannerisms. Though he has grown up a lot since his fast-lane rise as a superstar in the 1980s, Murphy has lived the Hollywood lifestyle with controversy, criticism, scandal, and the admiration of millions worldwide for his talents. As Murphy had matured throughout the years, learning many lessons about the Hollywood game in the process, he settled down with more family-oriented humor with Doctor Dolittle (1998), Mulan (1998), Bowfinger (1999), and the animated smash Shrek (2001), in a supporting role that showcased Murphy's comedic personality and charm. Throughout the 2000s, he further starred in the hits The Haunted Mansion (2003), Shrek 2 (2004), Dreamgirls (2006) (for which he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar), Norbit (2007), Shrek the Third (2007), and Shrek Forever After (2010).
Murphy was married to Nicole Mitchell Murphy from 1993 to 2006. Murphy has ten children.
In the role of actor
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (04/07/2024)
Axel Foley returns to Beverly Hills to help out his estranged daughter in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) is still working the streets of Detroit, much to the chagrin of his friend and Deputy Chief Jeffrey Friedman (Paul Reiser), who announces his retirement to cover for Axel’s latest screw-up. Jeffrey encourages […]
Beverly Hills Cop III – Premium Classics (03/07/2024)
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Beverly Hills Cop II – Premium Classics (02/07/2024)
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Beverly Hills Cop – Premium Classics (01/07/2024)
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Luther: Never Too Much – Hot Docs 2024 (26/04/2024)
The life and career of Luther Vandross are looked back upon in Luther: Never Too Much. Luther Vandross grew up in the Brox with a love of music and in his younger years became part of the Apollo Theatre house band Listen to My Brother, which would go on to appear on the first episodes […]
Coming 2 America (08/03/2021)
Prince Akeem of Zamunda returns to America after discovering he has a son in Coming 2 America. Three decades after travelling to America and meeting the love of his life Lisa (Shari Headley), Prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy) is summoned to the deathbed of his father King Jaffe Joffer (James Earl Jones), who reveals a secret kept […]
Daddy (28/05/2020)
A former anthropologist reflects on his life as a stay at home father in Daddy. Brendan Cooney is a former anthropologist and journalist, who moved to Copenhagen after meeting and marrying his wife Ida. Unable to find a job due to the inability to speak Danish, Brendan settles for a life a stay-at-home father to his […]
Tower (31/07/2016)
This review was originally published as part of my coverage of Hot Docs 2016 The United State’s first mass school shooting is recounted in Tower. On August 1, 1966, a lone sniper climb atop the tower at the University of Texas and began to unleash a violent assault. Through the eyes of many of those present, […]
Tower (27/04/2016)
The United State’s first mass school shooting is recounted in Tower. On August 1, 1966, a lone sniper climb atop the tower at the University of Texas and began to unleash a violent assault. Through the eyes of many of those present, the events of these terrible day are recreated through rotoscoped reenactments. Tower is a […]
Tower (12/09/2012)
According to the Q&A after the screening, the film Tower was not intentionally meant to be about Asperger’s Syndrome. However, as someone who has Asperger’s and was able to greatly relate with the main character of the film, I will say that I believe that Tower is probably the most genuine and unbiased cinematic portrayal of […]
Tower Heist (06/11/2011)
Tower Heist is one of those films where you don’t have to think too much about what it is about. Essentially it’s about a group of people who rob a tower. There not really that much more to say about the film other than the fact that I thought it was quite funny. You can also […]
Shrek Forever After (16/06/2010)
I have to say that this film is a pretty good example of a studio making one too many films in a series. The first film was pretty good and it was followed by an excellent sequel. By the third film it was becoming obvious that the studio was running short on ideas and this […]
Shrek the Third (19/05/2007)
This his is the second of the three big “threequels” this month. So, what do I think about the third film of this popular animated series. First, I think it’s great of kids. As for adults like me, it’s alright. It definitely has a much more simple story than the past two films and there […]