WHO IS EDDIE MURPHY?

Eddie Murphy began doing stand-up comedy as a teenager and later joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. At age 21, Murphy co-starred with Nick Nolte in 48 Hours, and he went on to further box-office success with Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, The Nutty Professor and Shrek. He continues to star in many movies, including comedies, dramas and family films.

EARLY LIFE

Eddie Regan Murphy was born on April 3, 1961, in Brooklyn, New York. He spent his early years in the projects of Bushwick with his father, Charles, a New York City police officer and amateur comedian, his mother, Lillian, a telephone operator, and his brother Charles. His parents divorced when he was three; five years later, his father died and his mother went into the hospital for an extended period.

When Murphy was nine years old, his mother married Vernon Lynch, a foreman at a Breyer’s ice cream factory, and the family moved to the primarily African American suburb of Roosevelt, Long Island. Murphy watched a lot of television growing up and developed a great skill for impressions, doing such characters as Bugs Bunny, Bullwinkle and Sylvester the Cat. “My mother says I never talked in my own voice,” Murphy later said.

Although he was never a dedicated student, 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 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.

Mainstream Success, ‘SNL’ Cast Member

Although his raunchy, profanity-ridden routines resembled his idol’s, Murphy stayed away from drinking, smoking and drugs, and would later declare to Barbara Walters, “I don’t have to sniff cocaine to make me funny.”

When Murphy learned that the producers of the popular late-night comedy show, Saturday Night Live, were seeking a Black cast member for the 1980-81 season, he jumped on the opportunity. He auditioned for the part six times, and finally earned a place as an extra on the show.

Murphy 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 to return for the next season.

Murphy became Saturday Night Live’ s strongest comedic presence, creating such memorable characters as Mister Robinson, an urban version of TV’s Mister Rogers; an older version of the Little Rascals character, Buckwheat; and an illiterate convict and poet named Tyrone Green. He also continued his skillful impersonations, adding Bill Cosby, Muhammad Ali, James Brown, Jerry Lewis and Stevie Wonder to his repertoire. Murphy received criticism for his satirical characterizations based on Black stereotypes. He defended his performances, claiming that his characters were far too absurd and abstract to be taken seriously.

Music

Taking advantage of his status as a hot commodity, Murphy in 1985 released his first musical album, How Could it Be? which was produced by industry legend Rick James. The first single off the album, “Party All the Time,” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Murphy followed with the albums So Happy (1989) and Love’s Alright (1993), the latter featuring a collaboration with Michael Jackson on the single “Whatzupwitu,” though neither album fared as well as his debut.

Wife, Children and Relationships

Murphy married Nicole Mitchell on March 18, 1993. They have five children together: Bria, Myles, Shayne, Zola and Bella. The couple divorced on April 17, 2006. That year, Murphy began dating singer Melanie Brown of the Spice Girls. On April 3, 2007, Brown gave birth to a daughter, Angel, whom she said was Murphy’s child. Murphy questioned paternity, but a DNA test confirmed he was Angel’s father.

On New Year’s Day in 2008, Murphy married Tracey Edmonds, the former wife of Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, in Bora Bora. The private ceremony was not legally binding, and Murphy and Edmonds planned to repeat their vows on American soil. However, the couple released a statement that they had jointly decided against a legal ceremony.

In 2012, Murphy began dating Paige Butcher, and four years later, the couple had a daughter, Izzy. Shortly after the announcement of another pregnancy, Murphy and Butcher were engaged in September 2018. They had son Max in late November, giving Murphy a total of 10 children from his relationships.

In 2015, Murphy received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor which “recognizes people who have had an impact on American society in ways similar to the distinguished 19th-century novelist and essayist best known as Mark Twain,” according to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which presents the award.

Brother

Murphy’s only sibling and older brother, Chappelle’s Show writer and star Charlie Murphy, died from leukemia in April 2017. Upon Charlie’s death, Murphy released a statement: “Our hearts are heavy with the loss today of our son, brother, father, uncle and friend Charlie. Charlie filled our family with love and laughter and there won’t be a day that goes by that his presence will not be missed.”

EDDIE MURPHY NETWORTH

Eddie Murphy has a net worth of $200 million. Eddie Murphy is 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. In the late 80s, 90s and 2000s, Eddie was consistently one of the highest-paid actors in the world, routinely earning $20 million per movie. During his career to date, Eddie has easily earned over $300 million in salaries and backend royalties. In 2019 Netflix paid Eddie $70 million to deliver a series of comedy specials.