Eddie Murphy

African-American film actor Eddie Murphy (1961) began his career as a stand-up comedian. He made his television debut on Saturday Night Live. From the early 1980s, he devoted himself to acting in comedies. With his first film roles in 48 Hrs. (Walter Hill, 1982) and Trading Places (John Landis, 1983), he was already breaking through. This was followed by the hits Beverly Hills Cop (Martin Brest, 1984) and Coming to America (John Landis, 1988). His popularity waned in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but he made a comeback with The Nutty Professor (Tom Shadyac, 1996). Also a versatile voice actor, he voiced the donkey in Shrek (Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson, 2001) and the Chinese dragon in Mulan (Barry Cook, Tom Bancroft, 1998).


West German collectors card by Bravo.


Romanian postcard by Casa Filmului Acin, no. C.P.C.S., 33150. Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy in Trading Places (John Landis, 1983).


Vintage postcard.

Dead-on impressions of celebrities and outlooks on life

Edward Regan Murphy was born in 1961 in Brooklyn, New York, to Lillian Laney, a telephone operator, and Charles Edward Murphy, a transit police officer who was also an amateur comedian and actor. After his father died when Eddie was eight, his mother married Vernon Lynch, a foreman at a Breyer's Ice Cream plant. His brothers are Charlie Murphy and Vernon Lynch Jr.

A bright kid growing up in the streets of New York, Eddie had aspirations of being in show business. His sense of humour made him stand out amongst his classmates at Roosevelt Junior-Senior High School. When he was fifteen, Murphy listened to Richard Pryor's comedy album 'That Nigger's Crazy', which inspired his decision to become a comedian.

Murphy started to work as a stand-up comic in the lower part of New York, wooing audiences with his dead-on impressions of celebrities and outlooks on life. At 19, he was hired as one of the backup performers on the TV comedy show Saturday Night Live. Murphy exercised his comedic abilities by impersonating African American figures and originating some of the show's most memorable characters: Velvet Jones, inner-city kiddie host Mr. Robinson, and sourball celebrity Gumby.

Murphy made his feature film debut in 48 Hrs. (Walter Hill, 1982), alongside Nick Nolte. The two's comedic and antagonistic chemistry, alongside Murphy's believable performance as a streetwise convict aiding a bitter, ageing cop, won over critics and audiences. The next year, Murphy went two for two, with another hit, Trading Places (John Landis, 1983) with Dan Aykroyd. That same year, the standup album 'Eddie Murphy, Comedian' won a Grammy.

Beverly Hills Cop (Martin Brest, 1984) became one of the biggest blockbusters of the decade. It made Murphy a box-office superstar and a celebrity worldwide. Murphy's performance as a young Detroit cop in pursuit of his friend's murderers also earned him a third consecutive Golden Globe nomination. Axel Foley became one of Murphy's signature characters. On top of his game, Murphy was unfazed by his success, that is until his box office appeal and choices in scripts resulted in a spotty mix of hits and misses into the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Films like The Golden Child (Michael Ritchie, 1986) and Beverly Hills Cop II (Tony Scott, 1987) were critically panned but were still massive draws at the box office. John Landis directed Murphy again in the hit Coming to America (John Landis, 1988) which allowed him to play an abundance of characters. Some of which he essayed so well that he was utterly unrecognisable. In 1989, Murphy found failure with his directorial debut, Harlem Nights (Eddie Murphy, 1989). Another 48 Hrs. (Walter Hill, 1990), his turn as a hopeless romantic in Boomerang (Reginald Hudlin, 1992) and as a suave vampire in Vampire In Brooklyn (Wes Craven, 1995) did little to resuscitate his career.


British postcard by Star-Graphics, London, no. S 191.


French postcard by Editions F. Nugeron, no. E 498. French poster for Coming to America (John Landis, 1988) with Eddie Murphy. Caption: Prince of Zamunda is looking for his ideal wife.

Family-oriented humour

His remake of Jerry Lewis's The Nutty Professor (Tom Shadyac, 1996) brought Eddie Murphy's drawing power back into fruition. Hal Erickson at AllMovie: "the picture casts Murphy as Dr. Sherman Klump, an obese, klutzy scientist who transforms himself into Buddy Love, a self-obsessed narcissist and a hit with women. As an added surprise, Murphy doubles up his roles as Sherman and Buddy by playing each member of the Klump family (beneath piles and piles of latex). The Nutty Professor grossed dollar one and topped all of Murphy's prior efforts, earning well up into the hundreds of millions and pointing the actor in a more family-friendly direction."

From there, Murphy rebounded with occasional hits and misses but has long proven himself as a skilled comedic actor with a laudable range pertaining to characterisations and mannerisms. Though he has grown up a lot since his fast-lane rise as a superstar in the 1980s, Murphy has lived the Hollywood lifestyle with controversy, criticism, scandal, and the admiration of millions worldwide for his talents.

As Murphy matured throughout the years, he settled down with more family-oriented humour with Dr. Dolittle (Betty Thomas, 1998), the animation film Mulan (Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook, 1998), Bowfinger (Frank Oz, 1999) with Steve Martin, and the animated smash Shrek (Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson, 2001), in a supporting role that showcased Murphy's comedic personality and charm.

In the next years, he further starred in the hits The Haunted Mansion (Rob Minkoff, 2003), and Shrek 2 (Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury, Conrad Vernon, 2004). For the musical Dreamgirls (Bill Condon, 2006), he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar. The film adaptation features an ensemble cast including Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, Eddie Murphy, Jennifer Hudson, and Danny Glover. Murphy was a revelation as James Thunder Early, an R&B vocal sensation for whom the titular divas are hired to sing backup.

His later films include Norbit (Brian Robbins, 2007), Shrek the Third (Chris Miller, Raman Hui, 2007), and Shrek Forever After (Mike Mitchell, 2010). In October 2019, Murphy produced and starred in the biographical comedy Dolemite Is My Name (Craig Brewer, 2019) as Rudy Ray Moore. The film received overwhelming critical acclaim. In December 2019, Murphy returned to Saturday Night Live to promote Dolemite; this was his first time hosting since 1984. Murphy, Arsenio Hall and James Earl Jones reprised their roles in the Coming to America sequel Coming 2 America (Craig Brewer, 2021). Eddie Murphy was married to Nicole Mitchell Murphy from 1993 to 2006. Murphy has ten children.


American postcard by Coral-Lee, Rancho Cordova, CA, Personality no. 145. Photo: Lynn Goldsmith / LGI.


Vintage postcard by Boomerang. Photo: UIP. Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor (Tom Shadyac, 1996).


British postcard by Film Review / Visual Imagination Ltd, London, no. C 4. Photo: UIP. Eddie Murphy and Janet Jackson in Nutty Professor II - The Klumps (Peter Segal, 2000).

Sources: Hal Erickson (AllMovie), Wikipedia and IMDb.