When you think of the greatest comedians of all time, one name always comes to mind: Eddie Murphy. Eddie burst onto the scene in the early 1980s and quickly established himself as a master of comedy. His observational humor and gift for mimicry made him a favorite with audiences around the world.
His films will become some of the most popular and successful of their era, including “48 Hours,” ” Trading Places,” “Mr. Church,” “Coming to America,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” “The Nutty Professor,” “Dr. Doolittle.” and “Dolemite Is My Name”. He was even nominated for an Oscar for his role in ” Dreamgirls .”
Edward Regan Murphy, also recognized by the name Eddie Murphy was born in Brooklyn, New York. He is a notable comedian, writer, producer, actor, and singer whose work is recognized by his comedic vocals. Eddie began his comedy career when he was a teenager (19 years old). He joined Saturday Night Live in New York in 1980 and was highly appreciated for his unparallel sense of humour and made his way to the top by formulating characters such as Mister Robinson or Tyrone Green.
Apart from comedy, Eddie Murphy also made his big hit in the film industry one of which is 48 hrs where he played Reggie the street-smart robber before casting in various hit Hollywood productions including Trading Place, Beverly Hills Cop, and The Golden Child. Moreover, he gained further recognition for his versatility including acting in Eddie Murphy Raw, which was a documentation of his live comedy shows.
Adding to his beautiful and sometimes crazy resume, Eddy also worked as a voice actor for the Disney movie; Mulan (1998) as the Chinese dragon Mushu, Donkey in DreamWorks Animation for the Shrek series, and Thurgood Stubbs in The PJs, which was a sitcom. He acted in multiple roles in several movies, including Coming to America (1988), Wes Craven’s Vampire in Brooklyn, the Nutty Professor films, Bowfinger, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Norbit, Meet Dave, and a tribute to his idol Peter Sellers.
In the 80s classic “Coming to America”, Eddie Murphy played four separate roles including Zamunda’s Prince Akeem, Clarence the talkative barber, Saul the elderly Jewish visitor to the barbershop, and Randy Watson the singer.
The sequel Coming 2 America was released after decades of the first release. His remarkable role alongside Arsenio Hall made it a box office hit, both domestically and worldwide. The film made $128.2 million in the United States and a worldwide total of $288.8 million. It became the third highest-grossing film at the United States box office. Although several contemporary articles stated that the worldwide gross for the movie was $350 million.
The comedy king is just one of the amazing and unique personalities from the list of African Giants. His parents got divorced when he was only three years old and his father died when he was eight. Eddie went on to become one of the highest-grossing actors in film history. As of this writing, his movies have grossed nearly $7 billion at the worldwide box office. That makes him the sixth-highest-grossing American actor at the box office.
Among his accolades and recognitions, he was ranked No. 10 on Comedy Central’s list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time, and No. 25 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 50 Best Stand-Up Comics of All Time This legend was inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame at the 25th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 12, 2020, in Santa Monica, California. Also, his documentary, Eddie Murphy: Comedian for Best Comedy Album, won a Grammy award.
African Giant Eddie Murphy’s knowledge of African traditional and cultural values cannot be overemphasized. In the sequel Coming To America 2 which was released in 2021, there is a scene relating to an old African Age-Grade tradition. Jermain Fowler (Eddie Murphy’s son) from America went through the ritual of plucking the Whiskas of a lion to become a member of the age grade. This type of Age Grade ceremony in the past attracted the killing of a Lion, but has since been changed to the Plucking of a Whiskas or as it is in today’s Kenya; running or other sporting activities, because of the decision to preserve, safeguard and protect Africa’s largest cat.
The movie also celebrates African culture through the elaborate and captivating costumes worn by the actors in the movie designed by Ruth Carter who helmed the costuming in Black Panther. In addition to his notable achievements Eddie gave a shot in the music industry, he provided background vocals to songs released by the Bus Boys that were part of the movie; 48 Hrs. Apart from background songs, he also released two hit singles; Put your Mouth On Me and Party All the Time. He recorded the album Love’s Alright and also recorded with Shabba Ranks in ‘I was a King’.
The actor is regularly supportive of philanthropy work. He has donated money to AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Cancer, education, creative arts, family support, health, and homeless charities. He also donated to Martin Luther King, Jr. Center and the Screen Actors’ Guild’s strike relief fund.
