The Eddie Murphy Handbook - Everything you need to know about Eddie Murphy

Smith Emily

Description

Edward Regan 'Eddie' Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician.

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.

This book is your ultimate resource for Eddie Murphy. Here you will find the most up-to-date information, photos, and much more.

In easy to read chapters, with extensive references and links to get you to know all there is to know about his Early life, Career and Personal life right away. A quick look inside: Eddie Murphy, 48 Hrs., Trading Places, Eddie Murphy Delirious, Best Defense, Beverly Hills Cop, The Golden Child, Beverly Hills Cop II, Eddie Murphy Raw, Coming to America, Harlem Nights, Another 48 Hrs., Boomerang (1992 film), The Distinguished Gentleman, Beverly Hills Cop III, Vampire in Brooklyn, The Nutty Professor (1996 film), Metro (1997 film), Mulan, Dr. Dolittle (film), Holy Man, Life (film), Bowfinger, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Shrek, Dr. Dolittle 2, Showtime (film), I Spy (film), Daddy Day Care, The Haunted Mansion (film), Shrek 2, Dreamgirls (film), Norbit, Shrek the Third, Meet Dave, Imagine That (film), Shrek Forever After, Tower Heist, A Thousand Words (film), The PJs, Shrek the Halls, Shrek (franchise).

Sujets

• Biography
• Autobiography

Informations

• Publié par: Emereo Publishing
• Date de parution: 24 octobre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781743386552
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 7 Mo

Extrait

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Contents

Articles Eddie Murphy 48 Hrs. Trading Places Eddie Murphy Delirious Best Defense Beverly Hills Cop The Golden Child Beverly Hills Cop II Eddie Murphy Raw Coming to America Harlem Nights Another 48 Hrs. Boomerang (1992 film) The Distinguished Gentleman Beverly Hills Cop III Vampire in Brooklyn The Nutty Professor (1996 film) Metro (1997 film) Mulan Dr. Dolittle (film) Holy Man Life (film) Bowfinger Nutty Professor II: The Klumps Shrek Dr. Dolittle 2 Showtime (film) I Spy (film) Daddy Day Care The Haunted Mansion (film) Shrek 2 Dreamgirls (film) Norbit Shrek the Third

1 15 20 27 29 31 38 42 48 50 57 60 64 72 75 79 83 87 89 96 100 103 107 113 116 124 128 131 134 137 140 148 166 170

Meet Dave Imagine That (film) Shrek Forever After Tower Heist A Thousand Words (film) The PJs Shrek the Halls Shrek (franchise)

References Article Sources and Contributors Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

Article Licenses License

177 183 186 194 206 208 214 219

228 236

237

Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy

Birth name

Born

Medium

Nationality

Years active

Genres

Subject(s)

Influences

Spouse

Domestic partner(s)

Notable works and roles

Eddie Murphy

Murphy at the Tribeca Film Festival forShrek Forever Afterin 2010.

Edward Regan Murphy

April 3, 1961 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.

Film, television, stand-up, music, books

American

1976–present

Observational comedy, musical comedy, black comedy, satire, physical comedy, Dance Pop

African American culture, race relations, racism, marriage, everyday life, current events, pop culture, human sexuality

[1] [1] [1] Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Peter Sellers, Redd Foxx

Nicole Mitchell (1993–2006) (divorced) 5 children Tracey Edmonds (2008) (unofficial)

Melanie Brown (2006–07) 1 child

Axel Foley inBeverly Hills Cop Various onSaturday Night Live Shrekseries

Edward Regan"Eddie"Murphy(born April 3, 1961) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician. [2] [3] Box office takes from Murphy's films make him the second-highest grossing actor in the United States. He was a regular cast member onSaturday Night Livefrom 1980 to 1984 and has worked as a stand-up comedian. He was [4] 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 in48 Hrs,Beverly Hills Copseries,Trading Places, andThe 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" [5] Early inDreamgirls.

1

Eddie Murphy

Eddie Murphy's work as a voice actor includes Thurgood Stubbs inThe PJs, Donkey in theShrekseries and the dragon Mushu in Disney'sMulan. 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 inDr. Strangeloveand elsewhere. Murphy has played multiple roles inComing to America, Wes Craven'sVampire In Brooklyn, theNutty Professor films (where he played the title role in two incarnations, plus his father, brother, mother, and grandmother), Bowfinger,Norbit, andMeet Dave.

Early life [6] Murphy grew up in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn. His mother, Lillian, was a telephone operator, and [1] [7] [8] [9] his father, Charles Edward Murphy, was a transit police officer and an amateur actor and comedian. His father died when he was young. When Murphy's single mom became ill, the eight-year-old Eddie Murphy and his [10] older brother lived in foster care for one year. In interviews, the actor and comedian says that his time in foster care was influential in developing his sense of humour. Later Murphy and his older brother Charlie were raised in [1] Roosevelt, New York by his mother and stepfather Vernon Lynch, a foreman at an ice cream plant. Around the age of 15, Murphy was writing and performing his own routines, which were heavily influenced by Bill Cosby and [1] Richard Pryor.

Career

Stand-up comedy Murphy performed stand-up at the same Bay Area Comedy Club as Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg. His early comedy was characterized by frequent swearing and sketches lampooning a diverse group of people (including WASPs, African Americans, Italian Americans, overweight people, and gay people). This racy content was akin to [1] that of Richard Pryor, whom Murphy has credited as his inspiration to enter comedy; however, in his autobiography,Pryor Convictions, Pryor wrote that he found Murphy's comedy at times excessively insensitive. Murphy later apologized for insensitive jokes about gay people and HIV. The stand-up showsDeliriousandRaw have been recorded and released.

1980s acting career

Murphy first earned attention as a regular actor atSaturday Night Live, and was credited with helping revitalize the series during its first true slump in quality in [11] the early 1980s. Some of his notable characters included a grown version of [12] the Little Rascals character Buckwheat, impoverished but street-wise children's show host Mr. Robinson (a spoof of Fred Rogers, who found it [13] [12] amusing), and Gumby, a harshly cynical version of the animated character; Murphy's take on the latter character spawned one of SNL's many catchphrases, "I'm Gumby, dammit!" Although Buckwheat was his most popular character, Murphy asked that he be retired because the actor grew tired of people asking him to "Do Buckwheat! Do Buckwheat!"; the character was assassinated on [14] camera in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

In 1982, Murphy made his big screen debut in the film48 Hrs.with Nick [1] Nolte.48 Hrs.proved to be a hit when it was released in the Christmas season of 1982. Nolte was scheduled to host the December 11, 1982 Christmas episode

Murphy in 1988

2

Eddie Murphy

ofSaturday Night Live, but became too ill to host, so Murphy took over. 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!" [1] The following year, Murphy starred inTrading Placeswith fellowSNLThe movie markedalumnus Dan Aykroyd. the first of Murphy's collaborations with director John Landis (who also directed Murphy inComing to Americaand Beverly Hills Cop III) and proved to be an even greater box office success than48 Hrs. In 1984, Murphy starred in [1] the successful action comedy filmBeverly Hills Copfilm was Murphy's first full-fledged starring vehicle,. The originally intended to star Sylvester Stallone (who later tweaked the script as his own starring vehicleCobrain [1] 1986).Beverly Hills Copgrossed over $230 million at the box office and is 40th in the list of all-time total U.S. [15] box office grosses (4th-highest amongst "R" rated films), after adjusting for inflation, as of March 2011. In 2011 [16] Beverly Hills Cop was voted Best Eddie Murphy film by a viewers on Btoe the internet multimedia rating site. In 1984, Murphy appeared inBest 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 Defensewas a major financial and critical disappointment. When he hostedSNL, Murphy joined the chorus of those bashingBest Defense, calling it "the worst movie in the history of everything". Murphy'sTrading Placesco-star Dan Aykroyd had originally written the character of Winston Zeddemore inGhostbustersspecifically for Murphy, but he was unable to commit at the time due to theBeverly Hills Copshooting schedule. The part ultimately went to Ernie Hudson. Murphy was also offered a part in 1986'sStar Trek IV: The Voyage Home, a role that, after being heavily re-written from comic relief to love interest, ultimately went to future7th Heavenstar Catherine Hicks. By this [17] point Murphy's near-exclusive contract with Paramount Pictures rivaledStar Trekas Paramount's most lucrative franchise. [1] In 1986, Murphy starred in the supernatural comedy,The Golden Child.The Golden Childwas 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. AlthoughThe Golden Child(featuring Murphy's "I want the knife!" routine) performed well at the box office, the movie was not as critically acclaimed as48 Hrs., Trading Places, andBeverly Hills Cop.The Golden Childwas 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-directedBeverly Hills Cop II. It was a box office success, grossing over $150 million. Producers reportedly wanted to turn theBeverly Hills Copfranchise 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 and musician, having frequently provided background vocals to songs released by The Bus Boys, which their song "The Boys Are Back in Town" was featured in48 Hrs.and Murphy's comedy specialEddie Murphy Delirious. 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 mid-1980s (although he actually started singing earlier in his career, with the songs "Boogie In Your Butt" and "Enough Is Enough", the latter being a parody of Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer's 1979 song, "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)". They both appear on his 1982 self-titled comedy album.) "Party All the Time" was featured on Murphy's 1985 debut albumHow Could It Be, which 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 andBlendervoted "Party All the Time" number seven among the "50 Worst Songs of All-Time." Sharam used a sample of the song for the UK #8 hit "PATT (Party All The Time)" in 2006. Murphy recorded the albumLove's Alrightin the early 1990s. He performed in a music video of the single "Whatzupwitu", featuring Michael Jackson. He recorded a duet with Shabba Ranks called "I Was a King". In 1992,

3

Eddie Murphy

Murphy appeared in Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" video alongside Magic Johnson and Iman. Though uncredited, Murphy provided vocal work onSNLcastmate Joe Piscopo's comedy single, "The Honeymooners Rap." Piscopo impersonated Jackie Gleason on the single, while Murphy provided an imitation of Art Carney. InComing to America, he 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 theShrek film franchise. In the first film, he performed a version of "I'm a Believer" in the film's final scene; inShrek 2he performed Ricky Martin's hit "Livin' La Vida Loca" along with co-star Antonio Banderas. Murphy's all-time favorite singer is Elvis Presley.

Career slump From 1989 until the mid 1990s, box office results for Murphy's films dropped, hitting a low point with the critically [18] pannedBeverly Hills Cop III(1994), a movie Murphy would ultimately denounce during an appearance onInside [1] the Actors Studio, although he did find minor box office success withBoomerang,Another 48 Hrs.andVampire In Brooklyn.Harlem Nightsfeatured Murphy, who had previously been known only as a performer, as director, producer, star, and co-writer, with his brother, Charlie Murphy, as well as supporting roles for Murphy's comic idols [1] Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor. During this period Murphy was criticized by filmmaker Spike Lee for not using his show business stature to help black actors break into film, despite Murphy's films (especially those he produced) often being populated with predominantly black casts (Coming To America, Harlem Nights, Boomerang, Vampire In Brooklyn, Life). Many black actors who would later gain wider recognition make early appearances in Murphy films such as Damon Wayans inBeverly Hills Cop, Halle Berry and Martin Lawrence inBoomerang, Samuel L. Jackson and Cuba Gooding Jr. inComing to America,Dave Chappelle inThe Nutty Professorand Chris Rock inBeverly Hills Cop II. Although Murphy has enjoyed commercial success sinceSaturday Night Live, he has never attended cast reunions or anniversary specials, nor did he participate in the making of theLive From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Liveretrospective book by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller (2002).

Comeback and image makeover Murphy's box office results began to recover in 1996, starting withThe Nutty Professor. He followed with a series of very successful family-friendly movies likeMulan,Dr. Dolittleand its sequel, theShrekseries,Daddy Day Care, andThe Haunted Mansion, along withNutty Professor II: The Klumps. However, most of his movies meant for more adult audiences performed moderately;Metro,I Spy, andShowtimeall ended to gross less than $40 million domestically,Holy Manperformed poorly, grossing less than $13 million, andThe Adventures of Pluto Nashis on record as one of the biggest theatrical money-losers of all time, grossing just $7 million worldwide on a reported $110 million budget. A notable exception to this run of poorly received adult-themed films was the Frank Oz comedyBowfinger, also starring Steve Martin. The film garnered generally positive critical reviews, and grossed $98 million at the box office. In 2006, he starred in the motion picture version of the Broadway musicalDreamgirlsas 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 [19] performance while he received some pre-release Academy Awards buzz. Murphy was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on January 23, 2007, but lost to Alan Arkin for his performance inLittle Miss Sunshine.Dreamgirlswas the first film distributed by Paramount Pictures to star Murphy (who once was on an exclusive contract with the studio) sinceVampire in Brooklynin 1995.

4

Eddie Murphy

[20] [21] In 2007, Murphy was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As a result of Viacom's acquisition of Dreamworks SKG, Paramount distributed his other 2007 releases:NorbitandShrek the Third. He starred in the 2008 filmMeet Daveand the 2009 filmImagine Thatfor Paramount Pictures. Murphy co-starred inTower Heist, directed by Brett Ratner. Murphy played a thief who joins a group of hardworking men who find out they have fallen victim to a wealthy businessman's Ponzi scheme, and conspire to rob his high-rise residence. Ben Stiller, Matthew Broderick, and Casey Affleck also starred in the film, released on [1] [22] [23] November 4, 2011. It was reported in late 2011 that Murphy would host the 84th Academy Awards in 2012. However, he dropped out of [24] his hosting duties on November 9th 2011, in wake of the Brett Ratner scandal.

Personal life

Family

Murphy's oldest child was by Paulette McNeely: son Eric Murphy [25] [26] (born on 10 July 1989). He also has a child by Tamara Hood: [25] [26] son Christian Murphy (born on 29 November 1990). Murphy began a longtime romantic relationship with Nicole Mitchell (born January 5, 1968) 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 [27] on March 18, 1993. Murphy and Mitchell had five children together: Bria L. Murphy (born November 18, 1989), Myles Mitchell Eddie Murphy in Hollywood Walk of Fame (born November 7, 1992), Shayne Audra (born October 10, 1994), Zola Ivy (born December 24, 1999) and Bella Zahra (born January 29, 2002). In August 2005, Mitchell filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences". The divorce was finalized on [28] April 17, 2006. [29] The Murphy family currently 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 byRTL Boulevard,Murphy told Dutch reporter Matthijs Kleyn, "I don't know whose child that is until it comes out and has a [30] 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 inPeoplethat a [31] DNA test had confirmed that Murphy was the father. Brown has stated in an interview that Murphy has not [32] [33] sought a relationship with Angel. Murphy exchanged marriage vows with film producer Tracey Edmonds, former wife of Kenneth "Babyface" [34] Edmonds, on January 1, 2008, in a private ceremony on an island off Bora Bora. On January 16, the couple released a statement saying, "After much consideration and discussion, we have jointly decided that we will forego 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 [35] their wedding was never official.

5

Eddie Murphy

Legal problems According to Murphy's childhood friend Harris Haith in his book,Growing Up Laughing With Eddie, long before Murphy did any writing forComing 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 ofComing to Americato 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. In May 1997, Murphy was stopped by police with a transvestite prostitute in his car shortly before the release of [36] [37] Holy Man, causing him a number of public relations problems.

Philanthropy Murphy has donated money to the AIDS Foundation, and cancer, education, creative arts, family/parent support, health and homeless charities. He has donated to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, various cancer charities and [38] $100,000 to the Screen Actors' Guild's strike relief fund.

Filmography

Year

198248 Hrs.

Title

1983Trading Places

1983

Eddie Murphy Delirious

1984Best Defense

Beverly Hills Cop

1986The Golden Child

1987Beverly Hills Cop II

1988

Eddie Murphy Raw

Coming to America

1989Harlem Nights

1990Another 48 Hrs.

1992Boomerang

The Distinguished Gentleman

1994Beverly Hills Cop III

Role

Reggie Hammond

Billy Ray Valentine

Himself

Lieutenant T.M. Landry

Det. Axel Foley

Chandler Jarrell

Det. Axel Foley

Himself

Prince Akeem/Clarence/Randy Watson/Saul

Film

Quick (real name Vernest Brown)

Reggie Hammond

Marcus Graham

Thomas Jefferson Johnson

Det. Axel Foley

Notes

Nominated–Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year– Actor

Nominated–Golden Globe Award for Best Actor–Motion Picture Musical or Comedy

Also Producer

Nominated–Golden Globe Award for Best Actor–Motion Picture Musical or Comedy

Also Producer

Also Director and Writer

6

7

Shrek

2001

Professor Sherman Klump/Buddy Love/ Lance Perkins/Cletus 'Papa' Klump/ Anna Pearl 'Mama' Jensen Klump/ Ida Mae 'Granny' Jensen/Ernie Klump, Sr.

Maximillian/Preacher Pauly/Guido

Donkey

Dr. Dolittle 2

Dr. John Dolittle

Also Producer

Professor Sherman Klump/Buddy Love/ Lance Perkins/Cletus 'Papa' Klump/ Anna Pearl 'Mama' Jensen Klump/ Ida Mae 'Granny' Jensen/Ernie Klump

Holy Man

Dr. John Dolittle

Also Producer

Charles "Charlie" Hinton

Officer Trey Sellers

Jim Evers

Kelly Robinson

Pluto Nash/Rex Crater

Doctor Dolittle

(voice)

1998

Mulan

1997

Metro

(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

Also Producer Nominated–Satellite Award for Best Actor–Motion Picture Musical or Comedy

Bowfinger

Nutty Professor II: The Klumps

Insp. Scott Roper

2000

G

Kit Ramsey/Jeffernson 'Jiff' Ramsey

Rayford "Ray" Gibson

1999

Life

(voice)

1996

Eddie Murphy

1995

The Nutty Professor

Nominated–Razzie Award for Worst Actor Nomianted - Razzie Award for Worst Screen Couple (with either Robert De Niro, Owen Wilson or himself cloned)

Vampire in Brooklyn

The Haunted Mansion

Showtime

2002

Daddy Day Care

2003

I Spy

The Adventures of Pluto Nash

Shrek 2

2004

Donkey

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

Black Reel Award: Best Actor

Mushu