Eddie Murphy

Background

Eddie Regan Murphy, globally known as Eddie Murphy is a name you can’t miss when it comes to acting and comedy in the entertainment industry. He was born on April 3, 1961, to his father, Charles, and his mother, Lillian Laney. His father was a transit police officer and his mother was a telephone operator. They lived in Brooklyn, New York City and Murphy was raised in the borough’s Bushwick neighborhood. He went to Roosevelt Junior-Senior High school and his sense of humor and impressions always made him stand out amongst his classmates. His focus was mainly on comedy and not necessarily academics. His father, however, later passed on when he was eight years old in 1969. His mother also fell ill in the same year and this forced Murphy and his brother Charlie to live in foster care for a year. They reunited after and were raised in Roosevelt, New York by their mother and stepfather, Vernon Lynch, who was a foreman at an ice cream company.

Murphy started his career when he was just 15 years old, performing in a talent exhibition at Roosevelt Youth Center. He did an impersonation of musician Al Green in the song, ‘Let’s Stay Together.’ He later rose to fame through the “Sketch Comedy” show “Saturday Night Live” in which he was a cast member from 1980 to 1984. He was later listed as number 10 on Comedy Central’s list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time. He has also received various Golden Globe Award nominations for several film performances such as “48Hrs” in 1982 and “Dolemite Is My Name” in 2019. In 1998, he starred in the film, “Dr. Dolittle” and its sequel in 2001 and he went on to win several awards for his input on the fantasy comedy. In 2007, he won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for the musical film, “Dreamgirls.” He also received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the same role, James Thunder Early in “Dreamgirls.”

Murphy is also a voice actor and has played roles such as Chinese dragon Mushu in “Mulan” in 1998, Thurgood Stubbs in “The P.Js” from 1999 to 2001, and Donkey in the series “Shrek” from 2001 to 2010. He even plays multiple roles aside from his main role in films such as, “Coming to America” in 1988, “Bowfinger” in 1999, and “The Adventures of Pluto Nash.” This he tributes to his mentor, Peter Sellers. In 2020, he was awarded his first Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for hosting “Saturday Night Live.” Apart from acting, Murphy is also known for his music. He has released three albums in the course of his music career, “How Could It Be” in 1985, “So Happy” in 1989, and “Love’s Alright” in 1993. In 1993, he released a reggae song as his first single, ‘Red Light’ that featured Snoop Dogg.