Edward Regan “Eddie” Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American comedian, actor, writer, singer, and producer.
Murphy was a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1980 to 1984. He has worked as a stand-up comedian and was ranked #10 on Comedy Central’s list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.
In films, Murphy has received Golden Globe Award nominations for his performances in 48 Hrs., the 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.
Murphy’s work as a voice actor in films includes Thurgood Stubbs in The PJs, Donkey in DreamWorks’ Shrek series, and the Chinese dragon Mushu in Disney’s Mulan. In some 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. He 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 character’s father, brother, mother, and grandmother), Bowfinger, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Norbit, and Meet Dave.
As of 2014, Murphy’s films have grossed over $3.8 billion in the United States and Canada box office and $6.6 billion worldwide. In 2015, his films made him the 6th-highest grossing actor in the United States.
Murphy was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
From Brooklyn, NY, Edward Regan Murphy’s father was a police officer who died when young Eddie was three. His mother, Lillian, was a telephone operator. He graduated from Roosevelt Junior-Senior High School in Roosevelt, NY and was voted “Most Popular.” Murphy was writing and performing his own routines at youth centers, local bars, and at the Roosevelt High School auditorium in suburban Long Island by the age of 15. Soon thereafter, Murphy headed to the renowned The Comic Strip. At 19, Murphy landed an audition for the new cast of TV’s Saturday Night Live (SNL) and was signed as a featured player for the 1980-81 seasons.
During his four years on “SNL” Murphy created unforgettable characters such as prison poet Tyrone Green, the grown-up Gumby and TV huckster Velvet Jones. Murphy made his film debut in 48 Hrs co-starring Nick Nolte. Another early movie was Trading Places with former “SNL” star Dan Akroyd. While only 21 years old, Murphy’s made his third film, Beverly Hills Cop in 1984. Then came The Golden Child and Beverly Hills Cop II in 1987. A comedian first and foremost, in 1983 and 1984 his original stand-up material was released on two comedy LPs, Eddie Murphy and Eddie Murphy: Comedian. Eddie Murphy received Grammy nominations as Best Comedy Recording and Best R&B Instrumental Performance for the instrumental version of the hit single Boogie Your Butt. Eddie Murphy Comedian brought Murphy the 1984 Grammy for Best Comedy Album of the Year.
His triumphant return to the comedy stage in a nationwide concert tour resulted in Paramount Pictures’ Raw. Other big screen credits include Coming To America 1988 and Harlem Nights 1989, which marked Murphy’s debut as a director and producer. Another 48 Hrs, Beverly Hills Cop II & III, and Boomerang, The Distinguished Gentleman, and Vampire In Brooklyn followed. The worldwide grosses of these movies totals more than $1 billion for his company, Eddie Murphy Productions, which is based in New York to develop and produce film, television, and concert tour projects.
Murphy’s last three feature films include: Shrek 2001, Dr. Dolittle 2, 2001, and Showtime 2002. In 1988, Murphy received the People’s Choice Award for Best Comedy Actor; “Entertainer of the Year” NAACP Image Award; and The Tree Of Life Award presented at the Black Oscar nominees dinner. He has hosted the Emmy, Grammy, MTV and Academy Award shows. Murphy lends support to a number of humanitarian causes and organizations such as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change in Atlanta, the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the AIDS Foundation.
Murphy has a son, Eric (born circa 1989), with then girlfriend Paulette McNeely, and a son, Christian (born circa 1990) with then girlfriend Tamara Hood.
Murphy began a longtime romantic relationship with Nicole Mitchell after meeting her in 1988 at an NAACP Image Awards show. They lived together for almost two years before getting married at the Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel in New York City on March 18, 1993. Murphy and Mitchell had five children together: Bria, Myles, Shayne, Zola, and Bella. In August 2005, Mitchell filed for divorce, citing “irreconcilable differences”. The divorce was finalized on April 17, 2006.
As of 2008, Murphy resides in Long Island, New York.
Following his divorce from Mitchell, in 2006, Murphy began dating former Spice Girl Melanie Brown, who became pregnant and stated that the child was Murphy’s. When questioned about the pregnancy in December 2006, by RTL Boulevard, Murphy told Dutch reporter Matthijs Kleyn, “I don’t know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test. You shouldn’t jump to conclusions, sir”. 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 that a DNA test had confirmed that Murphy was the father.[50] Brown had stated in an interview that Murphy has not sought a relationship with Angel, although it was later reported in 2010 that Murphy was getting to know her.
Murphy exchanged marriage vows with film producer Tracey Edmonds, former wife of Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, on January 1, 2008, in a private ceremony on an island off Bora Bora. On January 16, 2008, the couple released a statement saying, “After much consideration and discussion, we have jointly decided that we will forgo having a legal ceremony as it is not necessary to define our relationship further,” and called the Bora Bora wedding a “symbolic union”. The two had planned on having a legal ceremony upon their return to the U.S. but did not, and their wedding was never official.
Murphy began dating model Paige Butcher in 2012. Their daughter Izzy was born May 3, 2016.
Written by Dianne Washington