Eddie Murphy was born in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York. His father was a New York City cop and amateur comedian who died when the future star was eight years old. Raised by his mother and his stepfather, Eddie Murphy soon showed a flair for comedy. He began to write and perform his own routines at youth centers and local bars when he was 15. When Eddie Murphy performed at the Comic Strip, a showcase that has launched many a comedian's career, owners Robert Wachs and Richard Tienken were so impressed that they agreed to manage him.
Events moved swiftly after that. At the age of 19, Eddie Murphy landed an audition for the new cast of TV's Saturday Night Live and was signed as a featured player for the 1980–81 season. He was an instant hit on the show, staying with the program for four years and creating such memorable characters as the prison poet Tyrone Green, the grownup Buckwheat, the grumpy Gumby, and the TV huckster/pimp Velvet Jones.
Saturday Night Live had already served as a springboard for movie comedy stars CHEVY CHASE, DAN AYKROYD, John Belushi, Bill Murray, and Gilda Radner; it seemed logical for Eddie Murphy to try his luck in the movies, as well. His first film was 48 Hours (1982), in which he costarred with NICK NOLTE; it was a smash hit and Eddie Murphy was highly praised as a natural actor. For his second film, he teamed with Dan Aykroyd in Trading Places (1983), which was another winner.
Though Eddie Murphy shared top billing and did not carry either of his first two films, that changed with his third film, Beverly Hills Cop (1984). The movie established him as one of Hollywood's biggest box-office draws. Eddie Murphy had generally received good reviews from the critics for his first three films. That changed with The Golden Child (1986) and Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), but it didn't keep his fans away. Both films made a bundle at the box office.
Buoyed by his success, Eddie Murphy next made Harlem Nights (1989), which he also wrote, directed, and produced. In the film, he and Richard Pryor play nightclub owners who are determined to keep their club, despite the efforts of the mob and corrupt cops. Like most of his films, the movie was a financial success. He played a congressman in The Distinguished Gentleman (1992), and in Boomerang (1992) he played an executive harassed and exploited by Robin Givens before finding happiness with HALLE BERRY. His role as a vampire searching for lost love Angela Bassett in Vampire in Brooklyn (1995) was not a hit with the critics, but Eddie Murphy fans still turned out in droves. In 1998 he was G, a spiritual salesman for a home shopping network in Holy Man, a satire on materialistic Americans.
Although he has taken on roles that are not entirely similar to his established persona, Eddie Murphy has more often appeared in films in which he reprises earlier roles, and sequels are a large part of his stock in trade. Although the content was repetitive and the plots stale, the films did well financially. He reappeared as Nick Nolte's sidekick in Another 48 Hrs. (1990), reprised his Axel Foley role in Beverly Hills Cop 3 (1994), and played a Foley-type role in Metro Man (1996). In Life (1999), he teamed with Martin Lawrence in a story about two men who are framed for a crime and then are jailed. Eddie Murphy seems at his best when he can play off another actor, often a white one.
Two of Eddie Murphy's best roles were in animated films. In Disney's Mulan (1998), he played Mushu, a puny dragon who attempts to help the feminist Chinese warrior Mulan. In fact, the film uses Mushu as a parallel to Mulan: Both Mulan and Mushu don different disguises, have quests, and try to prove themselves worthy. Eddie Murphy voiced Donkey in Shrek (1999), a vengeful satire aimed at the Disney studio. Eddie Murphy's role - he stole the film - won him a British Academy nomination as Best Supporting Actor. The actor-comedian has not been content merely to perform. He has become a one-man conglomerate, establishing Eddie Murphy Productions (for film projects), Eddie Murphy Television Productions, and Eddie Murphy Tours (a concert producing company).
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