Edward "Eddie" Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an Academy Award nominated, Golden Globe Award-winning American actor and comedian. He was a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1980 to 1984, and has worked as a stand-up comedian. He has also enjoyed a minor singing career.
Murphy has received Golden Globe nominations for best actor in a comedy or musical for his performances in Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places, and The Nutty Professor. In 2007, he won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of fictitious soul singer James "Thunder" Early in Dreamgirls[1], and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the same role.
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, including Coming to America, the Nutty Professor films, where he played much of the Klumps clan, and 2007's Norbit. Another trademark of Murphy is his deep, infectious, and considerably goofy laugh.
As of May 2007, with the box office success of the film Shrek the Third, Murphy's films have now surpassed the earning power of films belonging to such actors as Tom Hanks and Samuel L. Jackson, with grosses that total over $3.35 billion.[2]

Biography

Early life

Murphy was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Lillian, a telephone operator, and Charles Edward Murphy, a transit police officer and amateur comedian.[3][4] Murphy's father left the family when Murphy was three and was stabbed to death when Murphy was eight.[5] Murphy and his brother Charlie were raised by his mother and step-father Vernon Lynch, a foreman at an Ice Cream plant.[4] Murphy was considered an exceptionally bright and athletic child, but one time he was nearly expelled for assaulting a teacher after he referred to Murphy as a "caveman". The teacher received only minor injuries and later dropped all charges.[citation needed] Around the age of 19, Murphy was writing and performing his own routines along with his then comedy partner Mitchell Kyser at youth centers and local clubs, as well as at the Roosevelt High School auditorium. These routines were heavily influenced by Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor.[4] According to his former manager, Ujima, who first met Murphy when he and Kyser auditioned for a talent show he gave in July 1977, "Eddie would tell anyone who would listen that he would be a household name by the time he was 23, and that's exactly what happened." After leaving Ujima's management and hooking up with King Broder, who paired him with two white comedians as "The Identical Triplets" and mostly got him exposure on cable TV, Murphy decided to seek his own gigs and eventually made it to a Manhattan showcase, The Comic Strip Live.
Murphy was voted "Most popular" while attending Roosevelt Junior-Senior High School in Roosevelt, New York,[4] due to the stand-up comedy routines he would perform in the school's auditorium, and jokes he would tell classmates during lunch. Murphy then attended Nassau Community College in Long Island, New York before beginning his acting career.

Stand-up comedy routines

Murphy performed stand-up comedy at the same Bay Area Comedy Club as Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg. His early comedy was racy, akin to Richard Pryor, whom Murphy has credited as his inspiration to enter comedy.[4] Characterized by frequent swearing and homophobia, Murphy became, in a sense, the Pryor of the 1980s, though Pryor wrote in his autobiography that he always thought Murphy's comedy was a little too mean. Murphy's comments about gays and AIDS in his standup routines were considered so vicious that some years later he apologized for the remarks. At the height of his popularity, Murphy appeared in the concert films Delirious (1983) and Raw (1987).[4] Delirious contained an infamous routine in which he depicted characters Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton from The Honeymooners, as well as other notables such as Mr. T, as homosexuals. In 1983, Murphy won a Grammy for his comedy album Comedian.

Saturday Night Live

In Autumn 1980, the then unknown Murphy badgered talent coordinator Neil Levy to give him a shot on Saturday Night Live. Levy repeatedly rejected him, saying that the show already had a full cast. But Murphy continued pleading with Levy, saying that he had several siblings banking on him getting a spot on the show. Levy finally conceded and allowed him an audition. On the basis of the audition performance, Levy then began advocating to new executive producer Jean Doumanian to let Murphy on the show. After seeing Murphy's audition for herself, she too began pleading with the network to allow Murphy on the show. NBC only agreed after it was determined that Townsend had not yet signed a contract, at which point Murphy was cast as a featured player.[citation needed]
Murphy made his debut in the second episode of the 1980-1981 season, hosted by Malcolm McDowell, as an extra in a skit called In Search of the Negro Republican. Two weeks later, Murphy had his first speaking role as Raheem Abdul Muhummad on Weekend Update. He was then called on for more work in later episodes, and was soon raised to the status of full cast member.
Despite Murphy's participation, the 1980-1981 season was considered such a disaster that NBC fired Jean Doumanian and everybody in the cast, with the exception of Murphy and Joe Piscopo. Whereas Murphy had rarely been featured during Doumanian's tenure, he became a break-out star under Doumanian's replacement, Dick Ebersol. His well-known character creations include the former child movie star Buckwheat, a life-size version of the Gumby toy character and an inner-city black version of Fred Rogers known as "Mr. Robinson".[4] Murphy also performed celebrity impressions, such as Stevie Wonder. Murphy left the show midway through the 1983–1984 season, appearing in filmed sketches for the remainder of that season.

Early acting career

In 1982, Murphy made his big screen debut in the buddy-buddy thriller 48 Hrs. alongside Nick Nolte.[4] The movie was perhaps most notable for two scenes: 1) a scene involving Murphy (on a bet with Nolte) terrorizing a redneck bar,[4] and 2) a scene in which Murphy, in a jail cell, sings "Roxanne" by The Police loudly and out of key while listening to the song on headphones. 48 Hrs. proved to be a smash hit when it was released in the Christmas season of 1982. It is to be the originator of the mismatched, police, action-adventure formula, which was followed by Lethal Weapon, Bad Boys, Rush Hour, and others. 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 as host. 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 co-starred with fellow alumnus Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places.[4] The movie marked the first of Murphy's collaborations with director John 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 Beverly Hills Cop movie.[4] The film was Murphy's first full-fledged starring vehicle, originally intended to star Sylvester Stallone.[4] Beverly Hills Cop grossed over $200 million at the box office and when adjusted for inflation, remained in the top 40 highest-grossing movies of all time[6] as of 2005.
Also 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 has also been rumored to be initially a part of hits such as Ghostbusters (featuring his Trading Places co-star Dan Aykroyd and fellow SNL alumnus Bill Murray). The part that was originally written with Murphy in mind 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 star Catherine Hicks. By this point[7] Murphy's near-exclusive contract with Paramount Pictures rivaled Star Trek as Paramount's most lucrative franchise.
Also in 1986, Murphy starred in the supernatural comedy, The Golden Child.[4] The Golden Child was originally intended to be a serious adventure picture starring Mel Gibson. After Gibson turned the role down, the project was offered to Murphy as it was subsequently rewritten as a partial comedy. 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. A year later, Murphy reprised his role of Axel Foley in the Tony Scott-directed Beverly Hills Cop II. Although the film was panned by critics for its perceived mean-spirited tone and overall plot, it was still a box office smash, grossing over $150 million. Producers reportedly wanted to turn the Beverly Hills Cop franchise into a weekly television series. Murphy declined the television offer, but was willing to do a film sequel instead.
Murphy was one of the last movie actors to sign an exclusive contract with a studio. In this case, it was Paramount Pictures, which released all of his early films.

Singing career

Murphy is also a singer, having frequently provided background vocals to songs released by the The Bus Boys. 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 1980s. "Party All the Time" was featured on Murphy's 1985 debut album How Could It Be, which also 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 magazine voted "Party All the Time" number seven among the "50 Worst Songs of All-Time." Sharam used a sample of Murphy's Party All The Time for the UK #8 hit PATT (Party All The Time) in 2006.
Murphy recorded the album Love's Alright in the early 1990s. He performed in a video of the single "Whatzupwitu", featuring Michael Jackson. In 1999, the "Whatzupwitu" video, which featured Murphy and Jackson in a technicolor-like dream world, was voted as number three among the 25 worst music videos in the MTV era. He also recorded a duet with Shabba Ranks called "I Was a King", which was similarly panned. In 1992, Murphy also appeared in Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" video alongside Magic Johnson and Iman.
Although uncredited, Murphy provided vocal work on SNL castmate Joe Piscopo's comedy single, "The Honeymooners Rap." Piscopo impersonated Jackie Gleason on the single, while Murphy provided an imitation of Art Carney.
In Coming to America, Murphy 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.

Legal woes

In 1985, King Broder claimed Murphy had signed an "indefinite contract" with him when Murphy was 19 and sued him for $30 million for breach of contract when Murphy was worth an estimated $50 million dollars. Broder even claimed Murphy got his 'Buckwheat' character from an idea he had for 'The Identical Triplets.' In court papers filed in State Supreme Court in Mineola, New York, Murphy said he and Broder had verbally agreed to dissolve the relationship before the end of 1980. Murphy stated, at the time, "[He] was working as a shoe salesman and had very limited professional experience when [he] signed the agreement." He also charged that Broder misrepresented himself as the agent for singers Tina Turner, Neil Sedaka and comedian Andy Kaufman. As Murphy was in the process of filming Beverly Hills Cop II at the time of the suit, Paramount Pictures ended up settling the case out of court and paying Broder an undisclosed amount so that they would not lose any more money in production costs.[8][9]
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 and plagiarized it before giving it to Eddie. He did not know the origins of the piece, he just took the idea and expounded on it to bring about the final version of the movie.

”

However, Buchwald and his partner Alain Bernheim did win the suit against Paramount Pictures, were awarded damages, and then accepted a settlement from Paramount. The case was the subject of a 1992 book, Fatal Subtraction: The Inside Story of Buchwald V. Paramount by Pierce O'Donnell and Dennis McDougal.

] Career slump

From 1989 until the mid-1990s, box office results for Murphy's films dropped, particularly with Beverly Hills Cop III (a movie Murphy would ultimately denounce during an appearance on Inside the Actors Studio),[4] Vampire in Brooklyn, and The Distinguished Gentleman, although he did find success with Boomerang (1992 film) and Another 48 Hrs. His directorial debut, Harlem Nights, is widely seen as a vanity project and the first step in Murphy's career slump. Harlem Nights featured Murphy (who had previously been known only as a performer) as director, producer, star, and co-writer, as well as supporting roles for Murphy's comic idols Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor.[4]
During this period Murphy was also criticized by filmmaker Spike Lee for not using his show business stature to help black actors break into film, despite Murphy giving several future stars roles in his films, for example Damon Wayans in Beverly Hills Cop, Halle Berry and Martin Lawrence in Boomerang, Samuel L. Jackson and Cuba Gooding Jr in Coming to America and Raw, Dave Chappelle in The Nutty Professor and Chris Rock who was in Beverly Hills Cop II and Boomerang. David Spade poked fun at Murphy's career slump on his Hollywood Minute segment on Saturday Night Live. With an image of Murphy on screen, Spade said "Look children, a falling star...make a wish!"
Although Murphy has enjoyed commercial success since Saturday Night Live, he has never attended cast reunions, anniversary specials, or participated 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). Some believe Murphy feels that SNL betrayed him with Spade's comments (although he hadn't attended the 15th Anniversary special before the comments were made). Others believe Murphy's lack of allegiance to producer Lorne Michaels was responsible, since Murphy was brought on the show by executive producer Jean Doumanian after Michaels had left, and was one of the few cast members retained by Dick Ebersol when she was replaced.

Comeback and image makeover

Murphy's box office results began to recover in 1996, starting with The Nutty Professor. He followed with a series of successful family-friendly movies (Mulan, Life, Dr. Dolittle and its sequel, the Shrek series, Daddy Day Care, and The Haunted Mansion), along with Nutty Professor II, which some attribute to his real-life role as a family man. However, most of his movies meant for more adult audiences performed moderately- Metro, I Spy, and Showtime all ended to gross less than $40 million domestically, Holy Man performed badly 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.
But his fortunes turned around in 2006/2007 with 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 a Screen 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-release Academy Awards buzz.[10] 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. Dreamgirls was the first film distributed by Paramount Pictures to star Murphy (who once signed an exclusive contract with the studio) since Vampire in Brooklyn in 1995. As a result of Viacom's acquisition of Dreamworks SKG, Paramount distributed his other 2007 releases: Norbit and Shrek the Third.
Murphy is expected to begin work on Beverly Hills Cop IV sometime in the near future, and it is expected that producer Jerry Bruckheimer will not participate in the fourth installment of the series. Murphy recently told the Sun Online that “the new script is looking good.”[11][4]
In 2007, Murphy was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[12][13]

Personal life

Murphy was rumored to have dated Whitney Houston before meeting his wife.[citation needed] He began a longtime romantic relationship with Nicole Mitchell after meeting her in 1988 at an NAACP Image Awards show. They lived together for a year and a half before getting married at the Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel in New York City on March 18, 1993.[14] In August 2005, Mitchell filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences." The divorce was finalized on April 17, 2006.[15].
Murphy has nine children with five different women. He has three sons: Miles Mitchell (born on November 7, 1992; named after jazz great Miles Davis; (mother: Nicole Mitchell) and Christian (born in 1991, mother: Tamara Moore), Eddie, Jr. (born in 1989, mother: Paulette McNeeley) and six daughters, four of them with Nicole Mitchell: Bella Zahra (born in January 2002), Zola Ivy (born on December 24, 1999), Shane Audra (born on October 10, 1994) and Brea (born on November 18, 1989), Ashlee (born in 1987, mother: Model, Nicolle Rader). His ninth child, Angel Iris Murphy Brown was born April 3, 2007 to a fifth mother Melanie Brown.
On May 2, 1997, around 4:45am, Eddie Murphy picked up pre-op transexual prostitute Atisone Seiuli aka Shalimar on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood. This area was to be inside a "prostitution abatement zone" designated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Deputies pulled over Murphy's Toyota Land Cruiser, arrested his passenger for outstanding warrants, and released Murphy. The incident made tabloids and late night talk show monologues for months afterwards. The scandal prompted several other cross-dressing hookers to come forward to the media about their alleged meetings with the actor.
Paul Barresi, a private investigator allegely hired by Murphy for damage control when the scandal broke, told a source: “I called Marty ‘Bull Dog’ Singer [Murphy's attorney] and told him I could round up all the transsexuals alleging sexual dalliances with Murphy.” And they would all recant their stories. Within ten days, Barresi said, "I got them all [cross-dressing hookers] to sign sworn, videotaped depositions, stating it wasn't Murphy himself, but rather a look-alike, who they'd encountered - with the exception of Suiuli." [1] In 1998, Suiuli mysteriously fell to her death from the roof of her apartment building in Los Angeles. [2]. Murphy has not publicly made denial or proclamation of his alleged bisexuality.
Following his divorce from Mitchell, he dated Melanie Brown, who stated that her child is Murphy's. Mitchell has considered arguing that Murphy breached their prenuptial agreement. It was widely reported that the reason may have been directly related to the 1997 transvestite prostitute incident. When questioned about the pregnancy in December 2006, Murphy told a reporter, "I don't know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test. You shouldn't jump to conclusions, sir."[16] 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 magazine that a DNA test had confirmed that Murphy was the father. [17]
Murphy is now engaged to film producer Tracey Edmonds, former wife of Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds.

Charitable work

Murphy has donated money to the AIDS Foundation, the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, various cancer charities and $100,000 to the Screen Actors' Guild's strike relief fund.[citation needed] He also reinvests heavily in his own organizations. In addition, toward the end of 2006, he and fellow Roosevelt High School alumnus Julius "Dr. J" Erving quietly gave over a million dollars to the ailing school district to assist with the continuation of the sports program.[citation needed]

Awards/nominations

• Academy Award
  • 2007: Nominee - Actor in a Supporting Role - Dreamgirls

• Screen Actors Guild
  • 2007: Winner - Actor in a Supporting Role - Dreamgirls

• NAACP Image Awards
  • 2007: Nominee - Actor in a Supporting Role - Dreamgirls

• Golden Globes
  • 2007: Winner - Actor in a Supporting Role - Dreamgirls
  • 1997: Nominee - Actor in a Leading Role (Musical or Comedy) - The Nutty Professor
  • 1985: Nominee - Actor in a Leading Role (Musical or Comedy) - Beverly Hills Cop
  • 1984: Nominee - Actor in a Leading Role (Musical or Comedy) - Trading Places
  • 1983: Nominee - New Star of the Year (Male) - 48 Hrs.

• BAFTA Award
  • 2002: Nominee - Actor in a Supporting Role - Shrek

• Black Reel Awards
  • 2007: Nominee - Actor in a Supporting Role - Dreamgirls
  • 2002: Nominee - Actor in a Supporting Role - Shrek
  • 2000: Nominee - Actor in a Leading Role - Bowfinger

• Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
  • 2007: Winner - Actor in a Supporting Role - Dreamgirls

• Chicago Film Critics Awards
  • 2007: Nominee - Actor in a Supporting Role - Dreamgirls

• Emmy Awards
  • 1999: Nominees - Outstanding Animated Programming (One Hour or Less)- The PJ's
  • 1984: Nominee - Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program - Saturday Night Live
  • 1984: Nominee - Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program - Saturday Night Live
  • 1983: Nominee - Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, Variety or Music Series - Saturday Night Live

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

• Eddie Murphy (1982) (comedy) US #52
• Comedian (1983) (comedy) US #35
• How Could It Be (1985) (music) US #26
• So Happy (1987) (music) US #70
• Love's Alright (1992) (music)

Compilation albums

• Greatest Comedy Hits (1997) (comedy)
• All I "$%*@**" Know (1998) (comedy)

Film Soundtracks

• Dreamgirls (2006) (with Beyoncé Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Anika Noni Rose, Keith Robinson and Sharon Leal)

Singles

• "Boogie In Your Butt/No More Tears" (Columbia, 1982) (comedy/music)
• "Party All The Time" (featuring Rick James) (Columbia, 1985) (music) US #2, UK #87
• "How Could It Be" (featuring Crystal Blake) (Columbia, 1985) (music)
• "Put Your Mouth On Me" (Columbia, 1989) (music) US #27
• "Til The Money's Gone" (Columbia, 1989) (music)
• "I Was A King" (Motown, 1993) (music) UK #64
• "Whatzupwitu" (featuring Michael Jackson) (Motown, 1993) (music)
• "Desdemona" (Motown, 1993) (music)