Eddie Murphy: Funny Guy of a Million Faces

If you have been to any movie since the year 1982, you have seen Eddie Murphy at least once. At the very least, you have heard of the man who can list himself as a comedian, actor, writer, producer, singer and director on any resume that he writes. His career started before he made his first movie appearance, creating some of his most popular and heartwarming characters on Saturday Night Live from the 1980 season and continuing until 1984. His first major movie role came in 1982 when he costarred with Nick Nolte in 48 Hours. He would become the first SNL cast member to ever host the show while still part of the cast when he filled in for Nolte.

Eddie Murphy is not only funny but incredibly gifted at adapting the persona of other people. In one skit for SNL, he endured hours of makeup to take on the role of a white man to see how many places he could walk into and be accepted as such. He is so adept at taking on other characters that people are often shocked by how many roles he has taken on in a single film. For his role in the Nutty Professor, for instance, Eddie played the title character, his alter ego Buddy Love and the professor’s entire family.

In addition to memorable roles on screen, this talented actor has provided voice work for animated classics, including the voice of Donkey in the Shrek series. Prior to that series, Murphy provided the voice for a dragon in Mulan, a Disney animated film.  He is one of the highest grossing actors to date and although he has been nominated for several awards through the years, he did not manage a win until 2007, when he won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in the movie Dream Girls. He received an Oscar nomination for that role as well.

The movies and other projects that Eddie Murphy has worked on have either been commercial and critical successes or total failures. There have been some that have straddled the line, either making money but being loudly panned, but for the most part, his roles have been love them or hate them. Some of his roles have been loosely based on people he knew or people that he admired.

In addition to movies and stand up specials, Murphy is also a singer and has released albums. He had one song that became a hit and was often played on popular radio stations during the height of his popularity. Indeed, Eddie Murphy is a truly a gifted artist.