Eddie Murphy

In the 1990s Murphy reinvented himself for family and effects-driven comedy while still preserving his character-actor instincts. Boomerang presented him as a romantic lead in an ensemble of Black stars, The Nutty Professor allowed him to play much of the Klump family, and Dr. Dolittle introduced him to younger audiences. His voice performance as Mushu in Disney's Mulan and especially as Donkey in the Shrek franchise became major parts of his screen legacy. Donkey's exuberance, musicality, and comic loyalty made Murphy central to one of the most successful animated franchises of its era.

Murphy received some of his strongest dramatic recognition for Dreamgirls, winning the Golden Globe for supporting actor and receiving an Academy Award nomination for playing soul singer James “Thunder” Early. Later, after a quieter period and several poorly received films, he returned to critical acclaim with Dolemite Is My Name, playing Rudy Ray Moore as both a comic hustler and an artist willing a career into existence. He also returned to earlier franchises with Coming 2 America and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.

Murphy's honors include a Grammy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the Golden Globes' Cecil B. DeMille Award, and AFI Life Achievement recognition. His career has had multiple phases—stand-up phenomenon, SNL savior, action-comedy superstar, family-film voice actor, dramatic nominee, and elder statesman of American comedy—but throughout them he has remained most identifiable as a performer who can create a whole comic world from voice, rhythm, and attitude.

References:

[1] Wikipedia, “Eddie Murphy” — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Murphy

[2] Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Eddie Murphy” — https://www.britannica.com/biography/Eddie-Murphy

[3] The Movie Database, “Eddie Murphy” — https://www.themoviedb.org/person/776-eddie-murphy

[4] Television Academy, “Eddie Murphy” — https://www.emmys.com/bios/eddie-murphy

[5] Grammy.com, “Eddie Murphy” — https://www.grammy.com/artists/eddie-murphy/16601

[6] Golden Globes, “Eddie Murphy” — https://goldenglobes.com/person/eddie-murphy/

[7] Kennedy Center, “Mark Twain Prize: Eddie Murphy” — https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/marktwain/

[8] AFI, “AFI Life Achievement Award” — https://www.afi.com/laa/

[9] Saturday Night Live, “Eddie Murphy” — https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live

[10] Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, “Eddie Murphy” — https://www.oscars.org/

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F

as Axel Foley · 2024 · Not rated yet