Eddie Murphy: His Career Highlights
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Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy was born April 3, 1961 in Brooklyn, New York. After losing his father and then his mother to illness when he was only 8-years-old, the now famous actor made the best out of an unfortunate situation and developed a sense of humor to help him through the tough times. This sense of humor has turned him into the successful and lovable man we know today!
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'Saturday Night Live'
Making a career for himself in stand-up comedy, Eddie Murphy began to receive more attention after landing a spot on Saturday Night Live in 1980. The star would help revitalize the show for the next four years and became famous for his character of grown-up "Buckwheat".
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'48 Hrs.'
Eddie Murphy would make his film debut in 1982 with action comedy 48 Hrs. alongside actor Nick Holte! The film was a huge success and dominated the screen in 1982's Christmas season!
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'Trading Places'
One of our favorite classic Eddie Murphy films is 1983's Trading Places. In it Murphy's character of a homeless street hustler swaps places with a wealthy broker played by another former SNL host, Dan Aykroyd!
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'Beverly Hills Cops'
Murphy's first solo leading role would come in the form of 1984's Beverly Hills Cop, and the film has since become one of the highest grossing "R" rated films! In fact, Beverly Hills Cop was so successful that Eddie would go on to lead three sequels of the film!
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'Coming to America'
One of the first majority African-American cast films Murphy would star in was 1988's Coming to America! In this romantic comedy, Murphy stars alongside Samuel L. Jackson and Cuba Gooding Jr. who would both gain more recognition because of their roles in the film
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'The Nutty Professor'
In the 1996 remake of The Nutty Professor, Eddie Murphy would land the lead role as quirky scientist "Sherman Klump". Murphy was so phenomenal in this must watch film, Chris Rock has even named it as one of his favorite comedies of all time!
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'Doctor Dolittle'
One of Eddie Murphy's most adorable and family-friendly movies came in the form of 1998's Doctor Dolittle. Eddie nailed the role of animal-whispering doctor so well there was even a sequel in 2001!
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'Mulan'
Did you know Eddie was the voice of "Mulan's" adorable sidekick Chinese dragon "Mushu" in this 1998 classic Disney film? If you haven't seen the original Disney animated film make sure to check it out before seeing the newly released live-action version!
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'Daddy Day Care'
In the late 1990s and early 2000s Eddie Murphy was on a role with successful family-friendly films like Mulan and Shrek, showing his versatility in being able to appeal to all audiences! 2003's Daddy Day Care was no exception and audiences loved Murphy as a loving and hilarious father who decides to open his own home day care with his best friend!