-> 

v

"I'm relaxed about my career. I've been making movies for over 20 years, so I've earned at least the right to relax.'

 -> 

v

Born in Brooklyn on April 3, 1961 to telephone operator Lilian and transit police officer Charles Edward Murphy, Eddie Murphy didn't have the easiest childhood. At eight years old, Eddie and brother Charlie Murphy would live in foster care for a year while his mother was ill, before moving to Roosevelt, NY with hi mother and stepfather Vernon Lynch.

The comedy bug first bit Eddie Murphy at fifteen years old when he discovered Richard Pryor. Right then and there, he decided to pursue stand-up. He soon became a fan of Bill Cosby, Robin Williams and Redd Foxx, and debuted his own act at the Roosevelt Youth Center in 1976 with an impression of Al Green, lip-syncing to "Let's Stay Together" (1972). This talent show performance would land Murphy spots at a number of comedy clubs in the area, and he would spend his late teens skipping school to perform at clubs and work odd jobs to make money.

 -> 

v

Murphy landed a spot on Saturday Night Live (1975-present) in 1980, and was an instant hit with the audience. His trash-talking take on claymation character Gumby and an adult-aged Buckwheat from The Little Rascals (1922-44) were fan-favorites, and Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood, an urban response to Mr. Rogers Neighborhood (1966-2009), actually found a fan in none other than Fred Rogers himself, who sought out Eddie Murphy on a visit to NBC to let him know that he enjoyed the sketch. Murphy has often been credited with carrying Saturday Night Live over some of its most troubled seasons, being the show's main draw during a stretch where Lorne Michaels was not involved with the series. 

"I've always had confidence. It came because I have lots of initiative. I wanted to make something of myself."

 -> 

v

Murphy's first major film role would not be broad comedy, but the gritty crime drama 48 Hrs. (1982), co-starring with Nick Nolte. Though the film had comedic elements, it was primarily a bold, adult-oriented action-drama, not afraid to deal frankly with racism and crime. The film was a major hit and launched Murphy's career in film. Next would be Trading Places (1983), directed by John Landis. This movie confirmed Murphy as Hollywood royalty, and he would soon have his first leading role with Beverly Hills Cop (1984). He was considered for the role of Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters (1984), with Dan Aykroyd having written the part for him, but it was ultimately determined that his style of comedy would be redundant with Bill Murray playing Peter Venkman, with Winston being retooled to be a working-class skeptic played by Ernie Hudson.

While his film career was taking off, Murphy filmed the landmark comedy special Delirious (1983) for HBO, leading to the theatrically-released Eddie Murphy: RAW (1987). 

 -> 

v

"I'm a comedian who got into movies, so I don't really think of myself as an actor."

Murphy took advantage of his newfound fame to explore a career in music, leading hi debut album How Could It Be (1985) with the single "Party All the Time." Murphy never achieved the acclaim as a singer that he would as a stand-up and as an actor, but he ultimately regards this venture as a positive experience.

 -> 

v

"However wack anyone thought 'Whatzupwitu' was, there's not a lot of people that have footage of themselves dancing around in the clouds with Michael Jackson. I do have that forever."

After Coming to America (1988), Eddie Murphy experienced a long string of less successful projects. Films like Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) and Boomerang (1992) would be met with mixed reviews and ultimately fail to reach the same peaks as his earlier films.

Comeback Roles

Though Murphy struggled throughout the early 90s to reclaim the relevance he'd held in the 80s, his career slump would ultimately be short-lived, and the late 90s would be a new golden age for the actor and comedian.

Starring in a remake of Jerry Lewis' The Nutty Professor (1996) proved to be just the shot in the arm Murphy's career needed. A big, goofy, family-friendly comedy, Murphy's turn as Professor Klump proved all of his detractors dead-wrong: He still had it.

He would follow this with his first voice role in Mulan (1998), playing Mushu, the titular warrior princess' pet dragon. That same year he would star in a remake of Dr. Dolittle (1998). These roles helped to endear him to a whole new generation of young fans, while the more adult-oriented comedies Life (1999) and Bowfinger (1999) reminded his existing fanbase of why they loved him so much.

Another run of family-friendly movies, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), Shrek (2001), where he voiced a donkey named Donkey, Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), Daddy Day Care (2003) and The Haunted Mansion (2003) would further cement the R-rated comic as a viable family-film lead, and Dreamgirls (2006) would show off his range as a dramatic performer.

In 2015, Eddie Murphy would be added to a very short list of recipients of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Although it had been years since Murphy had taken stage as a stand-up, his acceptance speech absolutely brought the house down. 

Murphy now stands as the sixth most bankable actor in the US, with his films earning almost seven billion dollars worldwide, and is in that lucky position for an actor where they can pick and choose their work as they please, most recently starring as legendary nightclub comic and blaxploitation film star Rudy Ray Moore in Dolemite Is My Name (2019), and signing on to return to one of his early roles for Coming to America 2 (2020). Or as the comedian himself would put it: "I'm in a position that allows me to do what I want to do, and I do it."