Birth Name: Edward Regan Murphy
Birthdate: April 3, 1961
Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY
Occupations: Actor, Director, Writer, Musician,
Comedian, Producer
Quote: "The strangest thing I ever hear is when
people say my career is in trouble. How can some
journalist look at my career and ask if it's in decline?
Why don't they write that shit about Christian Slater?
He's made about 30 bad movies...So what if my career
dies? I stopped thinking in terms of career $80 million
ago. If it ends, I'll sit home and chill and raise
babies." - Daily News, May 16, 1994
|
|
Claim to Fame: 1980-84: TV debut as cast member and
writer for NBC's Saturday Night Live
Significant Other(s):
Halle Berry, actress, model; no longer together
Wife: Nicole Mitchell, model; born 1968; together since late
1980s; married March 18, 1993; mother of three of Murphy's
children
Tamara Moore; mother of Murphy's son Christian; no longer
together
Family:
Father: Police officer; died when Murphy was three
Mother: Lillian Murphy Lynch, telephone operator
Stepfather: Vernon Lynch Sr., factory foreman; worked at an ice
cream plant
Brother: Charles (aka Charlie Murphy), actor, screenwriter;
appeared as bouncer in Spike Lee's Mo' Better Blues (1990)
Stepbrother: Vernon Lynch Jr.
Son: Christian; mother, Tamara Moore
Daughter: Brea; born November 18, 1989, in Sacramento, CA;
mother, Nicole Mitchell
Son: Miles Mitchell; born November 7, 1992; named after jazz
great Miles Davis; mother, Nicole Mitchell
Daughter: Shane Audra; born October 10, 1994; mother, Nicole
Mitchell
Biography
A handsome, dashing comedy star, Eddie Murphy began as a
stand-up performer at 15 years old, and 4 years later had become
a cornerstone of NBC's Saturday Night Live (from 1980-84) with
his dead-on parodies and original comic creations. It was almost
inevitable that he would follow other former SNL cast members to
the big screen. Murphy made his feature debut as a wisecracking
con opposite Nick Nolte's world-weary cop in 48 Hours (1982), a
huge commercial success that established him as Hollywood's most
bankable black leading man. With his high-octane energy,
disarming smile, and an immense self-confidence bordering on
cockiness, he colorfully one-lined his way through such comedy
features as Trading Places (1983) and Beverly Hills Cop (1984),
which gave him the signature role of wild card Axel Foley. He
also starred in an all-expletives-included film version of a
live stand-up performance, Eddie Murphy Raw (1987).
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 the actor
as a bride-hunting prince, effectively showcased his boyish star
quality. By the late 80s, the star became increasing involved
behind the scenes through his Eddie Murphy Productions, which
offered several unsuccessful TV sitcom pilots, the 1990
TV-movie, The Kid Who Loved Christmas and the short-lived CBS
sitcom The Royal Family (1991-92), which prematurely ended with
the death of series star Redd Foxx.
Filmography
Showtime (2002)
The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
Shrek (2001)
Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001)
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000)
The PJs (1999)
Life (1999)
Bowfinger (1999)
Mulan (1998)
Dr. Dolittle (1998)
Holy Man (1998)
Metro (1997)
The Nutty Professor (1996)
Vampire in Brooklyn (1995)
Beverly Hills Cop III (1994)
Boomerang (1992)
The Distinguished Gentleman (1992)
Another 48 Hrs. (1990)
Mandela in America (1990)
Harlem Nights (1989)
Best of Eddie Murphy - Saturday Night Live (1989)
Coming to America (1988)
Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
Eddie Murphy: Raw (1987)
Joe Piscopo: New Jersey Special (1987)
The Golden Child (1986)
Best Defense (1984)
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
The Joe Piscopo (1984)
Joe Piscopo Special (1984)
The Best of the Big Laff-Off (1983)
Eddie Murphy - Delirious (1983)
Trading Places (1983)
48 Hrs. (1982)
Awards:
1983: NAACP Image
1983: Grammy: Best Comedy Album, Eddie Murphy: Comedian
1988: NAACP Image: Entertainer of the Year
1992: NATO/ShoWest Star of the Decade
1996: National Society of Film Critics: Best Actor, The Nutty
Professor
Factoids:
Began performing as a stand-up comedian in Long Island clubs at
age 15
Education:
Roosevelt Junior-Senior High School, Roosevelt, NY (voted "Most
Popular")
|
