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. He was a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1980 to 1984 and has worked as a stand-up comedian. He was ranked #10 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.
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.
Eddie Murphy's work as a voice actor includes Thurgood Stubbs in The PJs, Donkey in the Shrek series and the dragon Mushu in Disney's Mulan. 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, the Nutty Professor films (where he played the title role in two incarnations, plus his father, brother, mother, and grandmother), Bowfinger, Norbit, and Meet Dave.
Character Roles[]
Filmography[]
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1982 | 48 Hrs. | Reggie Hammond | Nominated – Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor |
| 1983 | Trading Places | Billy Ray Valentine | Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| 1983 | Eddie Murphy Delirious | Himself | Also Producer |
| 1984 | Best Defense | Lieutenant T.M. Landry | |
| Beverly Hills Cop | Det. Axel Foley | Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | |
| 1986 | The Golden Child | Chandler Jarrell | |
| 1987 | Beverly Hills Cop II | Det. Axel Foley | |
| Eddie Murphy Raw | Himself | Also Producer | |
| 1988 | Coming to America | Prince Akeem/Clarence/Randy Watson/Saul | |
| 1989 | Harlem Nights | Quick (real name Vernest Brown) | Also Director and Writer |
| 1990 | Another 48 Hrs. | Reggie Hammond | |
| 1992 | Boomerang | Marcus Graham | |
| The Distinguished Gentleman | Thomas Jefferson Johnson | ||
| 1994 | Beverly Hills Cop III | Det. Axel Foley | |
| 1995 | Vampire in Brooklyn | Maximillian/Preacher Pauly/Guido | Also Producer |
| 1996 | The Nutty Professor | Professor Sherman Klump/Buddy Love/ Lance Perkins/Cletus 'Papa' Klump/ Anna Pearl 'Mama' Jensen Klump/ Ida Mae 'Granny' Jensen/Ernie Klump, Sr. |
Also Producer Saturn Award for Best Actor National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy |
| 1997 | Metro | Insp. Scott Roper | |
| 1998 | Mulan | Mushu | (voice) |
| Doctor Dolittle | Dr. John Dolittle | ||
| Holy Man | G | ||
| 1999 | Life | Rayford "Ray" Gibson | Also Producer |
| Bowfinger | Kit Ramsey/Jeffernson 'Jiff' Ramsey | Black Reel Award: Best Actor | |
| 2000 | 2 Hours and Minutes All Way | Robin Woods | (voice) |
| Nutty Professor II: The Klumps | Professor Sherman Klump/Buddy Love/ Lance Perkins/Cletus 'Papa' Klump/ Anna Pearl 'Mama' Jensen Klump/ Ida Mae 'Granny' Jensen/Ernie Klump |
Also Producer Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy | |
| 2001 | Shrek | Donkey | (voice) Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated – Black Reel Award: Best Supporting Actor |
| Dr. Dolittle 2 | Dr. John Dolittle | ||
| 2002 | Showtime | Officer Trey Sellers | Nominated – Razzie Award for Worst Actor Nomianted - Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple (with either Robert De Niro, Owen Wilson or himself cloned) |
| The Adventures of Pluto Nash | Pluto Nash/Rex Crater | ||
| I Spy | Kelly Robinson | ||
| 2003 | Daddy Day Care | Charles "Charlie" Hinton | |
| The Haunted Mansion | Jim Evers | ||
| 2004 | Shrek 2 | Donkey | (voice) |
| 2006 | Dreamgirls | James 'Thunder' Early | Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Central Ohio Film Critics Association for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Black Reel Award: Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture |
| 2007 | Norbit | Norbit Rice/Rasputia Latimore-Rice/Mr. Wong | Razzie Award for Worst Actor (as Norbit) Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actor (as Mr. Wong) Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress (as Rasputia) Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple (with either Eddie Murphy or Eddie Murphy) Nominated – Razzie Award for Worst Screenplay Nominated – Razzie Award for Worst Picture |
| Shrek the Third | Donkey | (voice) Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie | |
| 2008 | Meet Dave | Starship Dave Ming-Chang (Spacecraft), Captain | |
| 2009 | Imagine That | Evan Danielson | |
| 2010 | Shrek Forever After | Donkey | (voice) Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie |
| 2011 | Tower Heist | Leo "Slide" Dalphael | |
| 2012 | A Thousand Words | Jack McCall | |
| 2016 | Mr. Church | Henry Joseph Church | |
| 2019 | Dolemite Is My Name | Rudy Ray Moore | Also producer |
| 2021 | Coming 2 America | Prince Akeem Joffer/Clarence/Randy Watson/Saul | Also writer (story) |
| TBA | You People | TBA | |