by Charles Rainbow
As we examine the Life and Times of Eddie Regan Murphy, we will find a man who was destined to become a very distinctive Film Actor, Television Actor, Comedian, and Director.
Eddie Regan Murphy’s humble beginnings began on April 3, 1961, in Brooklyn, New York. He spent his early years in the projects of Bushwick with his father, Charles Murphy, a New York City police officer and amateur comedian, his mother, Lillian Murphy, a telephone operator, and his older brother Charles Jr. His parents divorced when he was three; five years later, his father died and his mother went into the hospital for an extended period. At the tender age of 9 years old, his mother would decide to remarry and they moved to the primarily African-American suburb of Roosevelt, Long Island. Murphy’s step-father’s name was Vernon Lynch, a foreman at a Breyer's ice cream factory.
While growing up, Murphy’s greatest pastime was spent watching television, where he would develop a great skillset for performing impersonations of such characters as Bugs Bunny, Bullwinkle, and Sylvester the Cat. "My mother says I never talked in my own voice," Murphy would later say http://www.biography.com/people/eddie-murphy-9418676.
Murphy found a great forum for his verbal agility in grade school, excelling in the popular game of "ranking"—trading witty insults with classmates.
Hosting a talent show at the Roosevelt Youth Center at age 15, Murphy delighted his young audience with an impersonation of Al Green. This early success ignited a passion for showbiz, and Murphy began working on his comedy routines after school and performing stand-up at local bars, clubs, and "gong shows." His schoolwork suffered, however, and Murphy had to repeat the 10th grade as a result. By doubling up on his classes, and attending summer and night school, he graduated only a couple of months late. Murphy was voted the "most popular" boy in his graduating class. His declared career plan: comedian.
After adhering to his mother’s wishes, Murphy would attend Nassau Community College and worked part-time as a shoe store clerk; however he refused to give up on his plan to become a comedian. Murphy would get his first break when he learned that the producers of NBC's popular late night comedy show, Saturday Night Live, were seeking a black cast member for the 1980-81 season, he jumped on the opportunity. After auditioning six times, he finally earned a place as an extra on the show. He appeared sporadically throughout the season, until one fateful night when producers realized they had four minutes of airtime remaining and no material. They pushed Murphy before the camera, and told him to do his stand-up routine. His improvised performance was called "masterful" by Rolling Stone, and Murphy became one of only two cast members (along with Joe Piscopo) asked back for the next season. Murphy became Saturday Night Lives’ strongest comedic presence.
Murphy also did stand-up comedy at the same Bay Area Comedy Club as Robin Williams and Caryn Johnson (whose stage name eventually became Whoopi Goldberg) before getting into acting. In 1982, Murphy received a Grammy nomination for a live album of fresh stand-up material called Eddie Murphy: Comedian. The album eventually went gold. That same year, at the age of 21, he also landed his first major motion picture role alongside Nick Nolte in 48 Hours (1982). He approached the role with confidence and ingenuity, convincing director Walter Hill to adjust some of the dialogue to more genuinely depict a black speaker. His charming and inspired performance as the fast-talking convict stole the film, and 48 Hours grossed over $5 million in its first week.
Murphy followed this success with the 1930s style farce Trading Places (1983). Playing alongside fellow SNL alumnus Dan Aykroyd, Murphy's street-wise Billy Ray Valentine becomes the victim, then the victor, of two Wall Street moguls' short-sighted bet. Paramount Pictures proceeded to sign the 23-year-old to a $25 million contract for six pictures
A highlight of his career during this time was the romantic comedy Coming to America (1988), co-starring Arsenio Hall. In the film, both Murphy and Hall were able to demonstrate their comedic versatility by playing multiple characters within the film. Audiences loved Murphy's performances and the movie became a box-office smash, grossing more than $128 million in the U.S. alone.
Ebony Magazine conducts an interview with Eddie Murphy in July, 1985. The headline reads Hollywood’s hottest property talks about television, his idols, his career, his engagement, his fears, and his mistakes. Ebony begins its article by writing, “Eddie Murphy, probably the hottest property in show business today always believed he would become a star. When he was just 15 and using some of Richard Pryor's X-rated material while performing in Long Island (New York) clubs, Island (New York) clubs, he knew the bright lights of nearby New York City would beckon one day. And four years later, at 19, he got his calling. Murphy joined the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1980, and the multitalented entertainer's career has skyrocketed.” Here is a link to this outstanding article! http://chat.downloads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/eddie_murphy.pdf
Jet Magazine conducted an interview with Eddie Murphy on June 13, 1994. The headline reads Eddie Murphy Returns As Axel Foley In “Beverly Hills Cop III” by Aldore D. Collier. In this interview, Murphy speaks about how he has become a more focused performer. Here is a link of Murphy’s interview with Jet. (http://chat.downloads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/EDDIE_MURPHY_Returns_As_Axel_Foley_In__Bever.PDF).
Fandango.com has listed the top 10 Eddie Murphy movies with Beverly Hills Cop (1984) rated #1 and 48 Hours (1982) rated #2. Here is a link to review this very good article.
The Eddie Murphy filmography list is large; therefore I will provide a link. http://www.imdb.com/list/ls003224923/ and here is a link that lists Murphy’s films and television activity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Murphy_filmography.
I find Eddie Murphy to be a very interesting person. If I had to choose one word to define him that word would be “Visionary” because his accomplishments have demonstrated to me that he is a person of keen foresight. As aforementioned in the 1985 interview with Ebony Magazine, Murphy always believed he would become a star; therefore at a very young age he began honing his skillsets. As a result, he has been living out his dream for over the past 36 years and as has reaped many benefits including fame and fortune. I read an interesting article entitled Eddie Murphy Net Worth: One of the Highest Grossing Actors In Hollywood’s History by Arlene Cruz of Food World News. As of 2015, Eddie Murphy has a net worth of 85 million dollars. Cruz writes, “Being the third highest grossing actor in the Hollywood following Harrison Ford and Tom Hanks, Murphy was considered as one of the brilliant talents in the history of the film industry.” http://www.foodworldnews.com/articles/14999/20150220/eddie-murphy-net-worth-one-highest-grossing-actors-hollywood-s.htm.
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