name	Carl Lewis
fullname	Frederick Carlton Lewis
nicknames	Carl Lewis
nationality
sport	Running
event	100 metres, 200 metres
birth date	July 01, 1961
birth place	Birmingham, Alabama
residence	Medford, New Jersey
retired	1997
height
weight
country
medaltemplates	}}

}} Frederick Carlton "Carl" Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is a former American track and field athlete who won 10 Olympic medals including 9 gold, and 10 World Championships medals, of which 8 were gold. His career spanned from 1979 when he first achieved a world ranking to 1996 when he last won an Olympic title and subsequently retired. Lewis became an actor and has appeared in a number of films. In 2011 Lewis announced a run as a Democratic candidate for a seat in the New Jersey Senate, but was disqualified by state officials who said he failed to meet the state's residency requirement. A federal appeals court in Philadelphia allowed him to keep his name on primary election ballots and Lewis won the New Jersey primary uncontested on June 7, 2011. However the court has not issued a final ruling on whether Lewis' name may appear on ballots in November's general election.

Lewis was a dominant sprinter and long jumper who topped the world rankings in the 100 m, 200 m and long jump events frequently from 1981 to the early 1990s, was named Athlete of the Year by ''Track and Field News'' in 1982, 1983 and 1984, and set world records in the 100 m, 4 x 100 m and 4 x 200 m relays. His world record in the indoor long jump has stood since 1984 and his 65 consecutive victories in the long jump achieved over a span of 10 years is one of the sport’s longest undefeated streaks.

His lifetime accomplishments have led to numerous accolades, including being voted "Sportsman of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee and being named "Olympian of the Century" by the American sports magazine ''Sports Illustrated''. He also helped transform track and field from its nominal amateur status to its current professional status, thus enabling athletes to have more lucrative and longer-lasting careers.

Athletic career

Emergence as a competitive athlete

Frederick Carlton Lewis was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on July 1, 1961, the son of William and Evelyn Lewis. The couple ran a local athletics club and this proved a crucial influence on both Carl and his sister, Carol. At age 13, Lewis started to compete in the long jump, and while attending Willingboro High School, he emerged as a promising athlete. As a junior, he was one of the top long jumpers in New Jersey, and by his senior year he was one of the top long jumpers in the world. Lewis was initially coached by his father, who coached other local athletes to elite status, including Tom Farrell, a local runner and eventual junior Olympic medalist and sub-4 minute miler. Many colleges tried to recruit Lewis, and he chose to enroll at the University of Houston where Tom Tellez was coach. Tellez would thereafter remain Lewis’ coach for his entire career. Days after graduating from high school in 1979, Lewis broke the high school long jump record with a leap of 8.13 m (26 ft 8 in).

Lewis immediately decided to make a living off his athletic abilities, even though track and field was nominally an amateur sport. Upon meeting Tellez for the first time after arriving at the University of Houston in the fall of 1979, Lewis said, “I want to be a millionaire and I don’t ever want a real job.” At year’s end, Lewis achieved his first world ranking as tabulated by ''Track and Field News'', an American publication and self-described “Bible of the Sport.” He was 5th in the world in the long jump. (All subsequent ranking references are according to ''Track and Field News''.)

Lewis qualified for the American team for the 1980 Olympics in the long jump and as a member of the 4 x 100 m relay team. Though his focus was on the long jump, he was now starting to emerge as a sprint talent. The Olympic boycott meant that Lewis did not compete in Moscow. However, he did compete at the Liberty Bell Classic in July 1980, an alternate meet for boycotting nations. He jumped 7.77 m there for a Bronze medal, and the American 4 x 100 m relay team won Gold with a time of 38.61 sec. At year’s end, Lewis was ranked 6th in the world in the long jump and 7th in the 100 m.

Breakthrough in 1981 and 1982

In 1981, Lewis started to emerge as a dominant sprinter and long jumper.

At the start of 1981, Lewis’ best legal long jump was his high school record from 1979. On June 20, Lewis improved his personal best by almost half a meter by leaping 8.62 m (28 ft 3 in) at the TAC Championships while still a teenager. The jump made Lewis the number two long jumper in history, behind only Bob Beamon, and holder of the low-altitude record.

While marks set at the thinner air of high altitude are eligible for world records, some purists feel that there is some “taint” to the assistance that altitude gives to athletes in sprinting and jumping events. Lewis was determined to set his records at sea level venues to avoid this “taint.” In response to a question about him skipping a 1982 long jump competition at altitude, he said, “I want the record and I plan to get it, but not at altitude. I don’t want that ‘(A)’ [for altitude] after the mark.” When he gained prominence in the early 1980s, all the extant men’s sprint records and the long jump record had been set at the high altitude of Mexico City.

Also in 1981, Lewis became the fastest 100 m sprinter in the world. His relatively modest best from 1979 (10.67 s) improved to a world-class 10.21 the next year. But 1981 saw him run 10.00 s at the Southwest Conference Championships in Dallas on May 16, a time that was the third-fastest in history and stood as the low-altitude record. For the first time, Lewis was ranked number one in the world, in both the 100 m and the long jump. He won his first of six National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) titles for the University of Houston and won his first national titles in the 100 m and long jump. Additionally, he won the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States. His loss to Larry Myricks at the TAC Indoor Championships in February would stand as his last loss in the long jump for more than a decade.

Since it was rare for an athlete to compete in and dominate both a track and a field event, comparisons were made to Jesse Owens, who dominated sprint and long jump events in the 1930s.

In 1982, Lewis continued his dominance, and for the first time, it seemed someone might challenge Bob Beamon’s world record of 8.90 m in the long jump set at the 1968 Olympics, a mark often described as one of the greatest athletic achievements ever. Before Lewis, 28 feet [8.53 m] had been exceeded on two occasions by two people: Beamon and 1980 Olympic champion Lutz Dombrowski. During 1982, Lewis cleared 8.53 m five times outdoors, twice more indoors, going as far as 8.76 m (28 ft 9 in) at Indianapolis on July 24. He also ran 10.00 s in the 100 m, the world’s fastest time, matching his low-altitude record from 1981. [ibid, p. 20] He achieved his 10.00 s clocking the same weekend he leapt 8.61 m twice, and the day he recorded his new low-altitude record 8.76 m at Indianapolis, he had three fouls with his toe barely over the board, two of which seemed to exceed Beamon’s record, the third which several observers said reached 30 ft (about 9.15 m). Some say Lewis should have been credited with setting a world record with that jump, claiming the track officials misinterpreted the rules on fouls.

He repeated his number one ranking in the 100 m and long jump, and ranked number six in the 200 m. Additionally, he was named Athlete of the Year by ''Track and Field News''. From 1981 until 1992, Lewis topped the 100 m ranking six times (seven if Ben Johnson's 1987 top ranking is ignored), and ranked no lower than third. His dominance in the long jump was even greater, as he topped the rankings nine times during the same period, and ranked second in the other years.

1983 and the inaugural World Championships

For the first time, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the governing body of track and field, organized a World Championships, an event which would prove to be one of the biggest sporting events of the year worldwide. The championships boasted a then record number of participating countries for a sporting event (154), more than even the Olympics which had been plagued by politically motivated boycotts in its two previous celebrations and which would suffer another one in 1984.

At the World Championships, Lewis’ chief rival in the long jump was predicted to be the man who last beat him: Larry Myricks. But though Myricks had joined Lewis in surpassing 28 feet [8.53 m] the year before, he failed to qualify for the American team, and Lewis won at Helsinki with relative ease. His winning leap of 8.55 m defeated silver medalist Jason Grimes by 26 cm.

He also won the 100 m with relative ease. There, Calvin Smith who had earlier that year set a new world record in the 100 m at altitude with a 9.93 s performance, was soundly beaten by Lewis 10.07 s to 10.21 s. Smith won the 200 m title, an event which Lewis had not entered, but even there he was partly in Lewis’ shadow as Lewis had set an American record in that event earlier that year. He won the 200 m June 19 at the TAC/Mobil Championships in 19.75 s, the second-fastest time in history and the low-altitude record, only 0.03 s behind Pietro Mennea’s 1979 mark. Observers here noted that Lewis probably could have broken the world record if he didn't ease off in the final metres to raise his arms in celebration. Finally, Lewis ran the anchor in the 4 x 100 m relay, winning in 37.86 s, a new world record and the first in Lewis’ career.

Lewis’ year-best performances in the 100 m and long jump were not at the World Championships, but at other meets. He became the first person to run a sub-10 second 100 m at low-altitude with a 9.97 s clocking at Modesto May 14. His gold at the World Championships and his other fast times earned him the number one ranking in the world that year, despite Calvin Smith's world record. At the TAC Championships on June 19, he set a new low-altitude record in the long jump, 8.79 m, in that event. He was ranked number two in the 200 m despite his low-altitude record of 19.75 s, as Smith had won gold at Helsinki and titles won usually outweigh marks set for the rankers at ''Track and Field News''. Lewis was again named Athlete of the Year by the magazine.

1984 Olympics and the quest to equal Jesse Owens

Lewis was one of the biggest sporting celebrities in the world by the start of 1984, but owing to track and field’s relatively low profile in America, Lewis was not nearly as well known there. The 1984 Olympic games in Los Angeles would make Lewis a household name in America.

Lewis and agent Joe Douglas, founder and manager of the Santa Monica Track Club of which Lewis was a member, frequently discussed his wish to match Jesse Owens' feat of winning four gold medals at a single Olympic Games and to “cash in” afterward with the lucrative endorsement deals which surely would follow. As it turned out, his first goal would prove to be far easier accomplished than his latter goal, at least in America.

Lewis started his quest to match Owens with a convincing win in the 100 m, running 9.99 s to handily defeat his nearest competitor, fellow American Sam Graddy, by .20 s. In his next event, the long jump, Lewis won with relative ease. But his approach to winning this event stoked controversy, even as knowledgeable observers agreed his approach was the correct one. Since Lewis still had heats and finals in the 200 m and the 4 x 100 m relay to compete in, he chose to take as few jumps as necessary to win the event. He risked injury in the cool conditions of the day if he over-extended himself, and his ultimate goal to win four golds might be at risk. His first jump at 8.54 m was, he knew, sufficient to win the event. He took one more jump, a foul, then passed his remaining four allotted jumps. He handily won gold, as silver medalist Gary Honey of Australia's best jump was 8.24 m. But the public was generally unaware of the intricacies of the sport and had been repeatedly told by the media of Lewis’ quest to surpass Bob Beamon’s legendary long jump record of 8.90 m. Lewis himself had often stated it was a goal of his to surpass the mark. A television ad with Beamon appeared before the final, featuring the record-holder saying, “I hope you make it, kid.” So, when Lewis decided not to make any more attempts to try to break the record, he was roundly booed. When asked about those boos, Lewis said, "I was shocked at first. But after I thought about it, I realized that they were booing because they wanted to see more of Carl Lewis. I guess that's flattering."

His third gold medal came in the 200 m, where he again won handily in a time of 19.80 s, a new Olympic record. And finally, he won his fourth gold when the 4 x 100 m relay team he anchored finished in a time of 37.83 s, a new world record eclipsing the record he helped set the year before at the World Championships.

Lack of endorsements and public perception

Lewis had achieved what he had set out to do. He had matched Jesse Owens’ legendary feat of winning four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics, and he had done so with relative ease. However, Lewis had also expected to win lucrative endorsement deals, but few if any were forthcoming in America. The long jump controversy was one reason. And, Lewis’ self-congratulatory conduct did not impress several other track stars. "He rubs it in too much," said Edwin Moses, twice Olympic gold medalist in the 400 m hurdles. "A little humility is in order. That's what Carl lacks." Further, Lewis’ agent Joe Douglas compared him to pop star Michael Jackson, a comparison which did not go over well. Douglas said he was inaccurately quoted, but the impression that Lewis was aloof and egotistical was firmly planted in the public’s perception by the end of the 1984 Olympic Games.

Additionally, rumours that Lewis was a homosexual circulated, and though Lewis denied the rumours, they probably hurt his marketability as well. Lewis’ look at the Games, with a flat-top haircut and flamboyant clothing, added fuel to the reports. "It doesn't matter what Carl Lewis's sexuality is," high jumper Dwight Stones said. "Madison Avenue perceives him as homosexual." Coke had offered a lucrative deal to Lewis before the Olympics, an offer Lewis and Douglas turned down, confident he’d be worth more after the Olympics. But Coke rescinded the offer after the Games. Nike had Lewis under contract for several years already, despite questions about how it affected his amateur status, and he was appearing on Nike television ads, in print and on billboards. After the Games and faced with Lewis’ new negative image, Nike dropped him. "If you're a male athlete, I think the American public wants you to look macho," said Don Coleman, a Nike representative. "They started looking for ways to get rid of me," Lewis said. "Everyone there was so scared and so cynical they didn't know what to do." Lewis himself would lay the blame on some inaccurate reporting, especially the “Carl bashing,” as he put it, typified by a ''Sports Illustrated'' article before the Olympics.

At year’s end, Lewis was again awarded the top rankings in the 100 m and the long jump and was additionally ranked number one in the 200 m. And for the third year in a row, he was awarded the Athlete of the Year title by ''Track and Field News''.

Lewis was drafted in the 10th round of the 1984 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls (the draft where the Bulls selected Michael Jordan with the number 3 pick). He never played a game in the NBA. He was also drafted in the 12th round of the 1984 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys as a wide receiver. He was never signed.

Ben Johnson emerges as a challenger

After the Los Angeles Olympics, Lewis continued to dominate track and field, especially in the long jump, an event he would not lose at for seven more years, but others started to challenge his dominance in the 100 m sprint. His low-altitude record had been surpassed by fellow American Mel Lattany with a time of 9.96 s shortly before the 1984 Olympics, but his biggest challenger would prove to be Canadian Ben Johnson, the bronze medalist behind Lewis at the 1984 Olympics. Johnson would beat Lewis once in 1985, but Lewis also lost to others, while winning most of his races. Lewis retained his number one rank that year, Johnson would place second. In 1986, Johnson defeated Lewis convincingly at the Goodwill Games in Moscow, clocking a new low-altitude record of 9.95 s. At year’s end, Johnson was ranked number one, while Lewis slipped to number three having lost more races than he won. He even seemed vulnerable in the long jump, an event he didn’t lose in 1986, or the year before, though he competed sparingly. Lewis ended up ranked second behind Soviet Robert Emmiyan, who had the longest legal jump of the year at 8.61 m.

1987 World Championships

The 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome saw Lewis regain the form he had in 1984, though he lost the biggest race of the year to Johnson.

To focus on his strongest event, the long jump, Lewis skipped the 200 m and made sure to take all his attempts. This was not to answer critics from the 1984 long jump controversy; this was because history’s second 29 ft long-jumper was in the field. Robert Emmiyan had leaped 8.86 m (29 ft 1 in) at altitude in May, just 4 cm short of Bob Beamon’s record. But Emmiyan's best was an 8.53 m leap that day, second to Lewis's 8.67 m. Lewis cleared 8.60 m four times. In the 4 x 100 m relay, Lewis anchored the gold-medal team to time of 37.90 s, the third-fastest of all time.

The event which was most talked about and which caused the most drama was the 100 m final. Johnson had run under 10.00 s three times that year before Rome, while Lewis had not managed to get under the 10.00 s barrier at all. But Lewis looked strong in the heats of the 100 m, setting a Championship record in the semi-final while running into a wind with a 10.03 s effort. In the final, however, Johnson won with a time which stunned observers: 9.83 s, a new world record. Lewis, second with 9.93 s, had tied the existing world record, but that was insufficient.

While Johnson basked in the glory of his achievement, Lewis started to explain away his defeat. He first claimed that Johnson had false-started, then he alluded to a stomach virus which had weakened him, and finally, without naming names, said “There are a lot of people coming out of nowhere. I don’t think they are doing it without drugs.” He added, “I could run 9.8 or faster in the 100 if I could jump into drugs right away.” This was the start of Lewis’ calling on the sport of track and field to be cleaned up in terms of the illegal use of performance-enhancing drugs. Cynics noted that the problem had been in the sport for many years, and it only become a cause for Lewis once he was actually defeated. In response to the accusations, Johnson replied "When Carl Lewis was winning everything, I never said a word against him. And when the next guy comes along and beats me, I won’t complain about that either".

The 1988 Olympics

Lewis not only lost the most publicized showdown in track and field in 1987, he also lost his father. When William McKinley Lewis Jr. died, Lewis placed the gold medal he won for the 100 m in 1984 in his hand to be buried with him. "Don't worry,” he told his mother. “I'll get another one.” Lewis repeatedly referred to his father as a motivating factor for the 1988 season. “A lot happened to me last year, especially the death of my father. That caused me to re-educate myself to being the very best I possibly can be this season,” he said, after defeating Johnson in Zürich August 17.

The defeat of Johnson shortly before the Olympics was part of a year-long grudge match between the two athletes. The Johnson camp had angrily defended their star against Lewis's (ultimately correct) drug accusations, but they also scrambled to prepare Johnson after he suffered a hamstring injury during the indoor season. When Lewis defeated Johnson in their first meeting since Rome’s World Championships, the drama for the Olympics only heightened. Lewis had run 9.93 s, the same time he ran when finishing second to Johnson the previous year. Johnson ran 10.00 s, indicating he was recovering from his injury, but not answering the question whether he’d be ready for the Olympic final a bit more than a month away.

The 100 m final at the 1988 Olympics was one of the most-hyped sports stories of the year; its dramatic outcome would rank as one of the most infamous sports stories of the century. Johnson won in 9.79 s, a new world record, while Lewis set a new American record with 9.92 s. Three days later, Johnson tested positive for steroids, his medal was taken away and Lewis was awarded gold and credited with a new Olympic record.

In the long jump, Robert Emmiyan withdrew from the competition citing an injury, and Lewis’ main challengers were rising American long jump star Mike Powell and long-time rival Larry Myricks. Lewis leapt 8.72 m, a low-altitude Olympic best, and none of his competitors could match it. The Americans swept the medals in the event for the first time in 84 years. [ibid, p. 41] In the 200 m, Lewis dipped under his Olympic record from 1984, running 19.79 s, but did so in second place to Joe DeLoach, who claimed the new record and Olympic gold in 19.75 s. [ibid, p. 13] In the final event he entered, the 4 x 100 m relay, Lewis never made it to the track as the Americans fumbled an exchange in a heat and were disqualified. [ibid, p. 32]

A subsequent honour would follow: Lewis eventually was credited with the 100 m world record for the 9.92 s he ran in Seoul. Though Ben Johnson's 9.79 s time was never ratified as a world record, the 9.83 s he ran the year before was. However, in the fallout to the steroid scandal, an inquiry was called in Canada wherein Johnson admitted under oath to long-time steroid use. The IAAF subsequently stripped Johnson of his record and gold medal from the World Championships. Lewis was deemed to be the world record holder for his 1988 Olympic performance, and declared the 1987 100 m World Champion. The IAAF also declared that Lewis had also, therefore, twice tied the "true" world record (9.93 s) for his 1987 World Championship performance, and again at the 1988 Zürich meet where he defeated Johnson. However, those times were never ratified as records. From January 1, 1990, Lewis was the world record holder in the 100 m. The record did not last long, as fellow American and University of Houston teammate Leroy Burrell ran 9.90 s on June 14, 1991 to break Lewis's mark. Lewis also lost his ranking as number one sprinter in 1989 and 1990 though still remaining undefeated in the long jump.

The 1991 World Championships: Lewis’ greatest performances

Tokyo was the venue for the 1991 World Championships. In the 100 m final, Lewis faced the two men who ranked number one in the world the past two years: Burrell and Jamaican Raymond Stewart. In what would be the deepest 100 metres race ever to that time, with six men finishing in under ten seconds, Lewis not only defeated his opponents, he reclaimed the world record with a clocking of 9.86 s. Though previously a world-record holder in this event, this was the first time he had crossed the line with “WR” beside his name on the giant television screens, and the first time he could savour his achievement at the moment it occurred. He could be seen with tears in his eyes afterwards. "The best race of my life," Lewis said. "The best technique, the fastest. And I did it at thirty." Lewis's world record would stand for nearly three years. Lewis additionally anchored the 4 x100 m relay team to another world record, 37.50 s, the third time that year he had anchored a 4 x 100 m squad to a world record.

Long jump showdown versus Powell

The 1991 World Championships are perhaps best remembered for the long jump final, considered by some to have been one of greatest competitions ever in any sport.

Lewis was up against his main rival of the last few years, Mike Powell, the silver medalist in the event from the 1988 Olympics and the top-ranked long jumper of 1990. Lewis had at that point not lost a long jump competition in a decade, winning 65 consecutive meets. Powell had been unable to defeat Lewis, despite sometimes putting in jumps near world-record territory, only to see them ruled fouls. Or, as with other competitors such as Larry Myricks, putting in leaps which Lewis himself had only rarely surpassed, only to see Lewis surpass them on his next or final attempt. Lewis's first jump was 8.68 m (28 feet, 5 ¾ inches), a World Championship record, and a mark bested by only three others beside Lewis all-time. Powell, jumping first, had faltered in the first round, but jumped 8.54 m to claim second place in the second round. Myricks was also in the competition, but he didn’t challenge the leaders.

Lewis jumped 8.83 m (28–11½), a wind-aided leap, in the third round, a mark which would have won every long jump competition in history save two. Powell responded with a long foul, estimated to be around 8.80 m. Lewis's next jump made history: The first leap ever beyond Bob Beamon's record. The wind gauge indicated that it was a wind-aided jump, so it could not be considered a record, but it would still count in the competition. 8.91 m (29–2¾) was the greatest leap ever under any condition. Now, only a world record could defeat Lewis.

In the next round, Powell responded. His jump was measured as 8.95 m (29–4½); this time, his jump was not a foul, and with a wind gauge measurement of 0.3 m/s, well within the legal allowable for a record. Powell had not only jumped 4 cm further than Lewis, he had eclipsed the 23-year-old mark set by Bob Beamon and done so at low altitude.

Lewis still had two jumps left, though he was now no longer chasing Beamon, but Powell. He leaped 8.87 m (29–1¼), which was a new personal best under legal wind conditions, then a final jump of 8.84 m (29–0). He thus lost his first long jump competition in a decade. Powell's 8.95 m and Lewis's final two jumps still stand as of August 2010 as the top three low altitude jumps ever. The farthest anyone has jumped since under legal conditions is 8.74 m.

Lewis’ reaction to what was one of the greatest competitions ever in the sport was to offer only grudging acknowledgment of the achievement of Powell. "He just did it," Lewis said of Powell's winning jump. "It was that close, and it was the best of his life, and he may never do it again." Powell did jump as far or farther on two subsequent occasions, though both were wind-aided jumps at altitude: 8.99 m in 1992 and 8.95 m in 1994. Lewis's best subsequent results were two wind-aided leaps at 8.72 m, and a 8.68 m under legal conditions while in the qualifying rounds at the Barcelona Olympics.

In reference to his efforts at the 1991 World Championships, Lewis said, “This has been the greatest meet that I’ve ever had.” ''Track and Field News'' was prepared to go even further than that, suggesting that after these Championships, “It had become hard to argue that he is not the greatest athlete ever to set foot on track or field.”

Lewis credits his outstanding 1991 results in part to the vegan diet he adopted in 1990.

Lewis's 1991 outstanding results earned him the ABC's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year, an award he shared with gymnastics star Kim Zmeskal.

The 1992 Olympics and 1993 World Championships

After the heights reached in 1991, Lewis started to lose his dominance in both the sprints and the long jump. Though he anchored a world record 1:19.11 in the rarely run 4 x 200 m relay with the Santa Monica Track Club early in 1992, he failed to qualify for the Olympic team in the 100 m or 200 m. In the latter race, he finished fourth at the Olympic trials behind rising star Michael Johnson who set a personal best of 19.79 s. It was the first time the two had ever met on the track. Lewis did, however, qualify for the long jump, finishing second behind Powell, and was eligible for the 4 x 100 m relay team.

At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Lewis jumped 8.67 m in the first round of the long jump, beating Powell who did a final-round 8.64 m. In the 4 x 100 m relay, Lewis anchored another world record, in 37.40 s, a time which stood for 16 years. He covered the final leg in 8.85 seconds, the fastest officially recorded anchor leg ever until surpassed by Asafa Powell in 2007 with 8.84.

Lewis competed at the 4th World Championships in Stuttgart in 1993, but finished fourth in the 100 m, and did not compete in the long jump. He did, however, earn his first World Championship medal in the 200 m, a bronze with his 19.99 s performance. That medal would prove to be his final Olympic or World Championship medal in a running event. Injuries kept Lewis largely sidelined for next few years, then he made a comeback for the 1996 season.

The 1996 Olympics

Lewis qualified for the American Olympic team for the fifth time in the long jump, the only time an American man has done so. At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, injuries to world-record holder Mike Powell and the leading long-jumper in the world, Iván Pedroso, affected their performances. Lewis, on the other hand, was in good form. Though he did not match past performances, his third-round leap of 8.50 m won gold by 21 cm over second-place James Beckford of Jamaica. He became one of only three Olympians to win the same individual event four times, joining Danish sailor Paul Bert Elvstrøm and discus thrower Al Oerter of the United States. Additionally, Lewis’ ninth gold medal tied him for first on the list of Olympic gold medalists with Paavo Nurmi, Larisa Latynina and Mark Spitz. American swimmer Michael Phelps has since surpassed Lewis' shared record.

Lewis' 8.50 meter jump was also officially declared a masters record for the 35–39 age group.

Controversy struck when as ''Track and Field News'' put it, “Lewis’ pissy attitude in the whole relay hoo-hah a few days later served only to take the luster off his final gold.” After Lewis’ unexpected long jump gold, it was noted that he could become the athlete with the most Olympic gold medals if he entered the 4 x 100 m relay team. Any member of the American Olympic men’s track and field team could be used, even if they had not qualified for the relay event. Lewis said, “If they asked me, I’d run it in a second. But they haven’t asked me to run it.” He further suggested on ''Larry King Live'' that viewers phone the United States Olympic Committee to weigh in on the situation. Lewis had skipped the mandatory relay training camp and demanded to run the anchor leg, which added to the debate. The final decision was to not add Lewis to the team. Olympic team coach Erv Hunt said, “The basis of their [the relay team’s] opinion was ‘We want to run, we worked our butts off and we deserve to be here.’” [ibid, p. 31] The American relay team finished second behind Canada, the first time an American 4 x 100 m men’s relay team had been defeated in an Olympic final. The Canadian team was anchored by Donovan Bailey, who days earlier set a world record in the 100 m, and the Canadians ran the fastest time ever recorded in America.

Lewis retired from track and field in 1997.

In 1999, Lewis was voted "Sportsman of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee, elected "World Athlete of the Century" by the International Association of Athletics Federations and named "Olympian of the Century" by ''Sports Illustrated''. In 2000 his alma mater University of Houston named the Carl Lewis International Complex after him.

Stimulant use

In 2003, Dr. Wade Exum, the United States Olympic Committee's director of drug control administration from 1991 to 2000, gave copies of documents to ''Sports Illustrated'' which revealed that some 100 American athletes who failed drug tests and should have been prevented from competing in the Olympics were nevertheless cleared to compete. Among those athletes was Lewis.

It was revealed that Lewis tested positive three times before the 1988 Olympics for pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, and phenylpropanolamine, banned stimulants and bronchodilators also found in cold medication, and had been banned from the Seoul Olympics and from competition for six months. The USOC accepted his claim of inadvertent use and overturned the decision. Fellow Santa Monica Track Club teammates Joe DeLoach and Floyd Heard were also found to have the same banned stimulants in their systems, and were cleared to compete for the same reason.

The positive results occurred at the Olympic Trials in July 1988 where athletes were required to declare on the drug-testing forms "over-the-counter medication, prescription drugs and any other substances you have taken by mouth, injection or by suppository."

"Carl did nothing wrong. There was never intent. He was never told, you violated the rules," said Martin D. Singer, Lewis's lawyer, who also said that Lewis had inadvertently taken the banned stimulants in an over-the-counter herbal remedy. "The only thing I can say is I think it's unfortunate what Wade Exum is trying to do," said Lewis. "I don't know what people are trying to make out of nothing because everyone was treated the same, so what are we talking about? I don't get it." The International Olympic Committee's medical commission chairman, Arne Ljungqvist, said the Exum documents "fit a pattern" of failure to report on positive drug cases.

Achievements

Lewis is the only man to defend an Olympic 100 meter or long jump title successfully.

The Chicago Bulls drafted Lewis in the 1984 NBA Draft as the 208th overall pick, although he had played neither high school nor college basketball. Lewis never played in the NBA. A poll on the NBA's website ranked Lewis second to Lusia Harris, the only woman to be drafted by the NBA, as the most unusual pick in the history of the NBA Draft.

Though he did not play football in college, Lewis was drafted as a wide receiver in the 12th round of the 1984 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He never played in the NFL.

Personal best marks

100 m: 9.86 s (1991)

200 m: 19.75 s (1983)

Long jump: 8.87 m (29 ft 1¼ in) 1991, w 8.91 m (29 ft 2¾ in) 1991

4x100 m relay: 37.40 s (United States – Marsh; Burrell; Mitchell; Lewis – 1992)

4x200 m relay: 1:18.68 min (Santa Monica Track Club – Marsh; Burrell; Heard; Lewis – 1994; current world record)

Career outside athletics

Film and television

Lewis has appeared in numerous films and television productions. Among them, he played himself in cameos in ''Perfect Strangers'' and ''Speed Zone!'', and was also seen in ''Material Girls''.

Lewis also made an appearance on ''The Weakest Link''.

In 2011 Lewis appeared short documentary ''Challenging Impossibility'' which features the feats of strength demonstrated by the late spiritual teacher and peace advocate Sri Chinmoy.

Bid for New Jersey State Senate

On April 11, 2011, Lewis filed petitions to run as a Democrat for New Jersey State Senate in the state's 8th legislative district in Burlington County. He was disqualified by Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno, a Republican, who decided he did not meet the state's requirement that Senate candidates live in New Jersey for four years. He appealed her decision in U.S. District Court, which ruled that Lewis could keep his name on ballots, pending its review of the constitutionality of New Jersey's residency requirements for State Senate. Lewis went on to win the uncontested primary on June 7, 2011.

The court has agreed to issue a ruling by Sept. 8, the day New Jersey's county clerks finalize election ballots.

Personal life

Lewis’ mother Evelyn was an Olympian who competed at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki in the 80 m hurdles. Carl's sister Carol Lewis was also an Olympian, finishing 9th in the long jump at the 1984 Olympics, and earning a bronze medal in the same event at the 1983 World Championships. She additionally set two American records in the long jump in 1985. She has been a television broadcast announcer for a number of years.

Lewis is vegan. He reached the top of his career aged thirty on a vegan diet which he has claimed is better suited to him because he can eat a larger quantity without affecting his athleticism and he believes that switching to a vegan diet can lead to improved athletic performance .

In 2007, Lewis became an official supporter of Ronald McDonald House Charities and is a member of their celebrity board, called the Friends of RMHC.

On October 16, 2009, Lewis was nominated a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Since 1993, Lewis has suffered from degenerative arthritis.

2008 Formula One driver's champion Lewis Carl Hamilton, born a few months after Carl Lewis's success in 1984 Olympics, was named after him.

In pop culture

In the N.W.A. song "100 Miles and Runnin'", rapper Eazy-E mentions Lewis.

Lewis is mentioned in the rap song "Nobody Beats the Biz" by the rap artist Biz Markie.

See also

List of multiple Olympic gold medalists

List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games

List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event

Carl Lewis International Complex

References

External links

New Jersey State Senate Campaign website

Official website

Olympiad Results for Carl Lewis

Music video for 'Break It Up'

''Guardian'' story about Lewis and alleged USOC doping cover-up

Carl Lewis on Being Vegan

Lutz Dombrowski|title=Men's Long Jump Best Year Performance|years=1981–1985|after= Robert Emmiyan}} Mike Miller|title=Men's 200 m Best Year Performance|years=1983–1984|after= Lorenzo Daniel}} Floyd Heard|title=Men's 200 m Best Year Performance|years=1987|after= Joe DeLoach}} Robert Emmiyan|title=Men's Long Jump Best Year Performance|years=1988|after= Larry Myricks}} Mike Powell|title=Men's Long Jump Best Year Performance|years=1992|after= Mike Powell}}

}}

Category:American sprinters Category:American long jumpers Category:American vegetarians Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1984 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1988 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1979 Pan American Games Category:Olympic track and field athletes of the United States Category:James E. Sullivan Award recipients Category:American track and field athletes Category:African American track and field athletes Category:People from Birmingham, Alabama Category:Sportspeople from Alabama Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:American vegans Category:American sportspeople in doping cases Category:Doping cases in athletics Category:Chicago Bulls draft picks Category:University of Houston alumni Category:People from Burlington County, New Jersey Category:New Jersey Democrats Category:High school national record holder Category:Olympic medalists in athletics (track and field)

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name	Joe Piscopo
birth name	Joseph Charles John Piscopo
birth date	June 17, 1951
birth place	Passaic, New Jersey, U.S.
occupation	Actor/Comedian
years active	1976–present
website	}}

Joseph Charles John "Joe" Piscopo (pronounced PIS-ka-po) (born June 17, 1951) is an American comedian and actor best known for his work on ''Saturday Night Live''.

Early life

Born in Passaic, New Jersey, Piscopo attended West Essex High School and was a member of the drama club "the Masquers". He developed a reputation for never playing a part the way it was written. When he was not clowning around he could usually be found lifting weights with his cousins Paul LaMagna and Bill Dolphin (Scarecrow). Although his mother wanted him to follow in his father's footsteps and become a lawyer, Joe ultimately went into stand-up comedy in the late 1970s, becoming a cast member of the short-lived sketch-comedy series ''Madhouse Brigade'' in 1978.

''Saturday Night Live''

In the summer of 1980, he was hired as a contract player for ''Saturday Night Live''. The show had gone through major upheaval when all the writers, major producers, and cast members had left that spring. The all-new cast bombed with critics and fans with the exception of Piscopo and Eddie Murphy; thus they were the only two cast members to be kept when Dick Ebersol took over the show the following spring.

With the success of SNL, both Murphy and Piscopo moved to Alpine, New Jersey.

Piscopo was best known for his impressions of celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, although he feared for his life due to Sinatra's alleged Mafia ties. Piscopo thus rewrote the lyrics for a Sinatra skit with the help of Sinatra lyricist Sammy Cahn, and recalled that "by the grace of God, the old man loved it." Piscopo left ''SNL'' in 1984, but unlike Eddie Murphy he did not find major success. He appeared in a few successful films such as ''Johnny Dangerously'' and ''Wise Guys'', and also had his own HBO comedy special.

One of Piscopo's more successful bits on ''SNL'' included his sports commentary on the Weekend Update portion of the show (called "SNL Newsbreak" at that time), led by a series of rhyming or otherwise associated words, rather than a sentence, leading up to his first story. One example surrounded one of Muhammad Ali's last bouts during the 1980s, with Eddie Murphy in Rick Baker makeup as Ali.

"The big story, Muhammad Ali! Last night...fight...drama...Bahama...LOST!"

and...

"The big story! Baseball! Yankees! Billy Martin hired! The big question: When will he be fired?"

Piscopo's sports reports provided NBC network officials enough confidence to allow him to continue his persona on NBC's Sportsworld program in the early 1980s.

During his time on SNL, Piscopo recorded the single "The Honeymooners Rap" in which he impersonated Jackie Gleason as Ralph Kramden of ''The Honeymooners''. (Also appearing on the single was an uncredited Eddie Murphy as Art Carney's character, Ed Norton). "The Honeymooners Rap" also appeared on Piscopo's 1985 comedy album ''New Jersey''.

In the character of Paulie Herman, Piscopo lampooned Piscataway Township, New Jersey triggering an immediate outcry from officials of that Township and the character was dropped. Part of the repartee of the Paulie Herman character was a Piscopo catch phrase in response to other characters mentioning New Jersey: "You from Jersey? What Exit!!??"

In the 1980s, Piscopo starred in and made a series of Miller Beer commercials.

In 1986, Piscopo was in the "Lets Go Mets" music video. He also co-starred with Treat Williams in the 1988 film, ''Dead Heat''.

In 1988, he appeared in the ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode ''The Outrageous Okona'' as a holographic comedian, for which he provided all of his own jokes and dialogue.

In 1992, he provided the voice for Sheriff Terrorbull in the Saturday morning cartoon series ''Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa''.

He has also supplied the voice of the manager in an episode of ''Batman: The Animated Series'' and the Dogfather in the new ''Pink Panther'' series in 1993.

He also did voices in the Canadian animated special ''The Real Story of Rain, Rain Go Away''.

In the early 1990s, Piscopo became a subject of controversy after his newly buffed physique and appearances on fitness magazines led many to speculate he was using steroids. Piscopo has repeatedly denied the allegations and says he began a campaign to improve himself after battling thyroid cancer from 1981 to 1982. He has also appeared in anti-steroid public service announcements (PSAs). Piscopo lampooned the controversy in his HBO Special, wherein he appeared to have a drug test during the show.

In more recent years, Piscopo appeared in the long-running Broadway revival of ''Grease'', guest-starred on major TV series such as ''Law & Order'' and toured with other ''SNL'' alumni such as Kevin Nealon and Victoria Jackson. Piscopo is often cast as a villain in comedies such as ''Sidekicks'' and ''Johnny Dangerously''. He appeared as ladies man "Rocky" in the contemporary version of Herman Melville's ''Bartleby'' (2001). Some in his native New Jersey have urged Piscopo to run for state office, and Piscopo considers himself "a Democrat, but a little conservative".

Personal information

In 1973, Piscopo married television producer Nancy Jones (''Wheel of Fortune''). The couple divorced in 1988.

Piscopo's second wife, Kimberly Driscoll, filed for divorce on July 10, 2006. He currently resides in Lebanon Township, New Jersey, and is an avid New Jersey Devils fan. Piscopo starred in ''Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'' at the Gateway Playhouse in August 2009, playing 8 performance per week for a three week run.

He has also been a resident of Tewksbury Township, New Jersey.

Recurring characters on ''Saturday Night Live''

Blaire, a homosexual hair stylist. Friends with Dion (played by Eddie Murphy)

Doug Whiner, one half of the Whiner couple (Wendy Whiner was played by Robin Duke)

Froggy from ''SNL'''s parody of The Little Rascals

Harry Schliemer from Schliemer and Laub Songwriters

Mr. Blunt

Mr. Wonderful of the Interesting Four

Paulie Herman, an annoying, high-voiced young man from New Jersey (This was Piscopo's only recurring character he did when he was a castmember for Jean Doumanian)

Pudge, an elderly man who plays the piano in a run-down bar. He rambles about the good old days with his friend, Solomon (played by Eddie Murphy).

Celebrity impersonations

* Allen Funt

* Andy Rooney

* Barbra Streisand

* Bruce Lee

* Bruce Springsteen

* Carl XVI Gustaf

* Curly Howard

* Dan Rather

David Hartman (TV personality)>David Hartman

* David Letterman

* Dean Martin

* Don Pardo

* Doug Llewelyn

* Ed McMahon

* Ed Sullivan

* Frank Sinatra

* Geraldo Rivera

* Howard Stern

* James Watt

* Jerry Lewis

* Jesse Jackson

* Jim Fowler

* Jimmy Carter

* Joan Rivers

John B. Anderson>John Anderson

* John F. Kennedy

* John Kenneth Galbraith

* John McEnroe

* John Newcombe

* Karl Malden

* Lee Iacocca

* Leonard Nimoy

* Lorne Greene

* Marvin Hamlisch

* Pat Cooper

* Paul Harvey

Peter Marshall (game show host)>Peter Marshall

* Peter Yarrow

* Phil Donahue

* Pope John Paul II

* Rex Reed

* Richard Nixon

* Robert De Niro

* Robin Leach

* Ronald Reagan

* Steve Lawrence

* Sylvester Stallone

* Ted Koppel

* Tom Carvel

* Tom Snyder

* Winston Churchill

Pop culture references

In the season 5 episode "Not Even Close... Encounters" episode of Psych, Shawn's dad says that Shawn believed Joe Piscopo had been abducted by aliens to which Shawn replies, "That remains my theory until someone can pinpoint the man's whereabouts."

Piscopo is mentioned in four episodes of The Simpsons. In season four's "Brother from the Same Planet," Bart is seen watching "Tuesday Night Live," starring Krusty the Clown, and comments, "I Miss Joe Piscopo." In another season four episode, "Lisa's First Word", Marge prefaces a flashback to 1983 with the line "A young Joe Piscopo taught us how to laugh...". In season five's "Homer's Barbershop Quartet", Homer refers to 1985 and says "..and a maturing Joe Piscopo was leaving ''Saturday Night Live'' to conquer Hollywood." This was intended as a joke, referring to the fact that Piscopo's career did not really flourish after he left ''SNL''. In season twenty's Coming to Homerica, Marge Simpson, talking to her new nanny in front of her baby Maggie, references Piscopo's relationship with his former nanny Kimberly Driscoll and says "Maggie, you now have a nanny, just like the ones Joe Piscopo and Ethan Hawke left their wives for."

In the Scrubs episode, My Mirror Image, Dr. Cox is interrupted during his workout, and asks the interns, "What does this outfit tell you?", to which Dr. Kelso responds, "You're entering a Joe Piscopo look-a-like contest?"

On the Family Guy episode, Meet the Quagmires, Peter says that not taking Lois to the movies is worse than the time he gave Joe Piscopo a barbell set. It then shows Peter and Joe in a room with workout equipment. Peter says "Ok Joe, now don't get carried away with this." Joe replies "Don't worry Peter, I'll only work out in my down time."

He was mentioned in three episodes of Married With Children: once by Al Bundy to distract a security officer at a filming studio, a second time in the episode "A Tisket, A Tasket, Can Peggy Make a Basket?" where Al and Peggy recognize him (off screen) as an usher at a basketball game, and lastly in "Kelly Knows Something" where a sports trivia game show host tells Al that his popularity was classified as being "between Joe Piscopo and the fat kid who played on Head Of The Class". He is actually referenced a fourth time, when Kelly, Bud, and Al are discussing names for the supposedly upcoming new arrival to the Bundy family. After hearing his kids'a suggestions, Al Bundy deadpans 'Piscopo'.

A caricature of Piscopo appears very briefly in the animated made-for-TV movie, Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Summer Vacation. Near the end of the closing credits, one of the numerous "joke credits" reads "Our Only Regret: Joe Piscopo."

He is mentioned in the Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song, ''Jammin' Me''.

The Nintendo 64 game Gex 64: Enter The Gecko tells the player to "Don't take career advice from Joe Piscopo".

On the Viktor Vaughn album, Vaudeville Villain, Joe Piscopo is referenced in the song 'Saliva', with the lyrics: "Cock diesel and still tell a joke like Joe Piscopo".

The Das Efx song, Mic Checka from 1992, features the line: "My Saturday nights are liver than Joe Piscopo".

At the beginning of the episode "The House That Peg Lost" in season 3 of "Married...With Children", Al is heard watching a program about "the luckiest men in America" and the Robin Leach-like presenter mentions Joe Piscopo.

References

External links

Johnny Dangerously film trailer

Category:1951 births Category:American comedians Category:American film actors Category:American voice actors Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:American musical theatre actors Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:People from Alpine, New Jersey Category:People from Essex County, New Jersey Category:People from Passaic County, New Jersey Category:People from Tewksbury Township, New Jersey

fr:Joe Piscopo

name	Eddie Murphy
birth name	Edward Regan Murphy
birth date	April 03, 1961
birth place	Brooklyn, New York, United States
medium	Film, Television, Stand-up, Music, Books
nationality	American
active	1976–present
genre	Observational comedy, Musical comedy, Black comedy, Satire, Physical comedy
subject	Race relations, Racism, African American culture, Marriage, Everyday life, Current events, Pop culture, Human sexuality
influences	Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Peter Sellers, Redd Foxx
spouse	Nicole Mitchell (1993–2006) (divorced) 5 childrenTracey Edmonds (2008) (annulled)
domesticpartner	Melanie Brown (2006–07) 1 child
othername	Fred Braughton, Edward "Eddie" Regan Murphy, Edie Murphy, Edward Regan Murphy, Eddy Murphy
notable work	Axel Foley in ''Beverly Hills Cop'' Various on ''Saturday Night Live''''Shrek'' series
website	}}

Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician.

Box office takes from Murphy's films makes him the second-highest grossing actor in the United States. He was a regular cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1980 to 1984 and has worked as a stand-up comedian. He was ranked #10 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.

He has received Golden Globe Award nominations for his performances in ''48 Hrs'', ''Beverly Hills Cop'' series, ''Trading Places'', and ''The Nutty Professor''. In 2007, he won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of soul singer James "Thunder" Early in ''Dreamgirls''.

Murphy's work as a voice actor includes Thurgood Stubbs in ''The PJs'', Donkey in the ''Shrek'' series and the dragon Mushu in Disney's ''Mulan''. In some of his films, he plays multiple roles in addition to his main character, intended as a tribute to one of his idols Peter Sellers, who played multiple roles in ''Dr. Strangelove'' and elsewhere. Murphy has played multiple roles in ''Coming to America'', Wes Craven's ''Vampire In Brooklyn'', the ''Nutty Professor'' films (where he played the title role in two incarnations, plus his father, brother, mother, and grandmother), ''Bowfinger'', and 2007's ''Norbit''.

Early life

Murphy grew up in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. His mother, Lillian, was a telephone operator, and his father, Charles Edward Murphy, was a transit police officer and an amateur actor and comedian. His father died when he was young. When Murphy's single mom became ill, the eight-year-old Eddie Murphy and his older brother lived in foster care for one year. In interviews, the actor and comedian says that his time in foster care was influential in developing his sense of humour. Later Murphy and his older brother Charlie were raised in Roosevelt, New York by his mother and stepfather Vernon Lynch, a foreman at an ice cream plant. Around the age of 15, Murphy was writing and performing his own routines, which were heavily influenced by Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor.

Career

Stand-up comedy

Murphy performed stand-up at the same Bay Area Comedy Club as Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg. His early comedy was characterized by frequent swearing and sketches lampooning a diverse group of people (including WASPs, African Americans, Italian Americans, overweight people, and gays). This racy content was akin to that of Richard Pryor, whom Murphy has credited as his inspiration to enter comedy; however, in his autobiography, ''Pryor Convictions'', Pryor wrote that he found Murphy's comedy at times excessively insensitive. Murphy later apologized for insensitive jokes about gays and HIV. The stand-up shows ''Delirious'' and ''Raw'' have been recorded and released.

1980s acting career

Murphy first earned attention as a regular actor at ''Saturday Night Live'', and was credited with helping revitalize the series during its first true slump in quality in the early 1980s. Some of his notable characters included a grown version of the Little Rascals character Buckwheat, impoverished but street-wise children's show host Mr. Robinson (a spoof of Fred Rogers, who found it amusing), and Gumby, a harshly cynical version of the animated character; Murphy's take on the latter character spawned one of SNL's many catchphrases, "I'm Gumby, dammit!" Although Buckwheat was his most popular character, Murphy asked that he be retired because the actor grew tired of people asking him to "Do Buckwheat! Do Buckwheat!"; the character was assassinated on camera in front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

In 1982, Murphy made his big screen debut in the film ''48 Hrs.'' with Nick Nolte. ''48 Hrs.'' proved to be a hit when it was released in the Christmas season of 1982. Nolte was scheduled to host the December 11, 1982 Christmas episode of ''Saturday Night Live'', but became too ill to host, so Murphy took over. He became the only cast member to host while still a regular. Murphy opened the show with the phrase, "Live from New York, It's the Eddie Murphy Show!" The following year, Murphy starred in ''Trading Places'' with fellow ''SNL'' alumnus Dan Aykroyd. The movie marked the first of Murphy's collaborations with director John Landis (who also directed Murphy in ''Coming to America'' and ''Beverly Hills Cop III'') and proved to be an even greater box office success than ''48 Hrs''. In 1984, Murphy starred in the successful action comedy film ''Beverly Hills Cop''. The film was Murphy's first full-fledged starring vehicle, originally intended to star Sylvester Stallone (who later tweaked the script as his own starring vehicle ''Cobra'' in 1986). ''Beverly Hills Cop'' grossed over $230 million at the box office and is 40th in the list of all-time total U.S. box office grosses (4th-highest amongst "R" rated films), after adjusting for inflation, .

In 1984, Murphy appeared in ''Best Defense'', co-starring Dudley Moore. Murphy, who was credited as a "Strategic Guest Star", was added to the film after an original version was completed but tested poorly with audiences. ''Best Defense'' was a major financial and critical disappointment. When he hosted ''SNL'', Murphy joined the chorus of those bashing ''Best Defense'', calling it "the worst movie in the history of everything". Murphy's ''Trading Places'' co-star Dan Aykroyd had originally written the character of Winston Zeddemore in ''Ghostbusters'' specifically for Murphy, but he was unable to commit at the time due to the ''Beverly Hills Cop'' shooting schedule. The part ultimately went to Ernie Hudson. Murphy was also offered a part in 1986's ''Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home'', a role that, after being heavily re-written from comic relief to love interest, ultimately went to future ''7th Heaven'' star Catherine Hicks. By this point Murphy's near-exclusive contract with Paramount Pictures rivaled ''Star Trek'' as Paramount's most lucrative franchise.

In 1986, Murphy starred in the supernatural comedy, ''The Golden Child''. ''The Golden Child'' was originally intended to be a serious adventure picture starring Mel Gibson. After Gibson turned the role down, the project was offered to Murphy as it was subsequently rewritten as a partial comedy. Although ''The Golden Child'' (featuring Murphy's "I want the knife!" routine) performed well at the box office, the movie was not as critically acclaimed as ''48 Hrs.'', ''Trading Places'', and ''Beverly Hills Cop''. ''The Golden Child'' was considered a change of pace for Murphy because of the supernatural setting as opposed to the more "street smart" settings of Murphy's previous efforts. A year later, Murphy reprised his role of Axel Foley in the Tony Scott-directed ''Beverly Hills Cop II''. It was a box office success, grossing over $150 million. Producers reportedly wanted to turn the ''Beverly Hills Cop'' franchise into a weekly television series. Murphy declined the television offer, but was willing to do a film sequel instead.

Murphy was one of the last movie actors to sign an exclusive contract with a studio. In this case, it was Paramount Pictures, which released all of his early films.

Singing career

Murphy is also a singer and musician, having frequently provided background vocals to songs released by The Bus Boys. As a solo artist, Murphy had two hit singles, "Party All the Time" (which was produced by Rick James) and "Put Your Mouth on Me" in the mid-1980s (although he actually started singing earlier in his career, with the songs "Boogie In Your Butt" and "Enough Is Enough", the latter being a parody of Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer's 1979 song, "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)". They both appear on his 1982 self-titled comedy album.) "Party All the Time" was featured on Murphy's 1985 debut album ''How Could It Be'', which included a minor follow-up R&B; hit in the title track, a duet with vocalist Crystal Blake. This track was written by Rusty Hamilton and was produced by Stevie Wonder's cousin Aquil Fudge after a brief falling out and bet with Rick James. In 2004, VH-1 and ''Blender'' voted "Party All the Time" number seven among the "50 Worst Songs of All-Time." Sharam used a sample of the song for the UK #8 hit "PATT (Party All The Time)" in 2006.

Murphy recorded the album ''Love's Alright'' in the early 1990s. He performed in a music video of the single "Whatzupwitu", featuring Michael Jackson. He recorded a duet with Shabba Ranks called "I Was a King". In 1992, Murphy appeared in Michael Jackson's "Remember the Time" video alongside Magic Johnson and Iman.

Though uncredited, Murphy provided vocal work on ''SNL'' castmate Joe Piscopo's comedy single, "The Honeymooners Rap." Piscopo impersonated Jackie Gleason on the single, while Murphy provided an imitation of Art Carney.

In ''Coming to America'', he imitated Jackie Wilson when he sang "To Be Loved", but because the character he was playing had a thick accent, he had to sing it in character. In later years, Murphy performed several songs in the ''Shrek'' film franchise. In the first film, he performed a version of "I'm a Believer" in the film's final scene; in ''Shrek 2'' he performed Ricky Martin's hit "Livin' La Vida Loca" along with co-star Antonio Banderas.

Murphy's all-time favorite singer is Elvis Presley.

Career slump

From 1989 until the mid 1990s, box office results for Murphy's films dropped, hitting a low point with the critically panned ''Beverly Hills Cop III'' (1994), a movie Murphy would ultimately denounce during an appearance on ''Inside the Actors Studio'', although he did find minor box office success with ''''Boomerang'''', ''Another 48 Hrs.'' and ''Vampire In Brooklyn''. ''Harlem Nights'' featured Murphy, who had previously been known only as a performer, as director, producer, star, and co-writer, with his brother, Charlie Murphy, as well as supporting roles for Murphy's comic idols Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor.

During this period Murphy was criticized by filmmaker Spike Lee for not using his show business stature to help black actors break into film, despite Murphy's films (especially those he produced) often being populated with predominately black casts (''Coming To America, Harlem Nights, Boomerang, Vampire In Brooklyn, Life''). Many black actors who would later gain wider recognition make early appearances in Murphy films such as Damon Wayans in ''Beverly Hills Cop'', Halle Berry and Martin Lawrence in ''Boomerang'', Samuel L. Jackson and Cuba Gooding Jr. in ''Coming to America,'' Dave Chappelle in ''The Nutty Professor'' and Chris Rock in ''Beverly Hills Cop II''.

Although Murphy has enjoyed commercial success since ''Saturday Night Live'', he has never attended cast reunions or anniversary specials, nor did he participate in the making of the ''Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live'' retrospective book by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller (2002).

Comeback and image makeover

Murphy's box office results began to recover in 1996, starting with ''The Nutty Professor''. He followed with a series of very successful family-friendly movies like ''Mulan'', ''Dr. Dolittle'' and its sequel, the ''Shrek'' series, ''Daddy Day Care'', and ''The Haunted Mansion'', along with ''Nutty Professor II: The Klumps''. However, most of his movies meant for more adult audiences performed moderately; ''Metro'', ''I Spy'', and ''Showtime'' all ended to gross less than $40 million domestically, ''Holy Man'' performed poorly, grossing less than $13 million, and ''The Adventures of Pluto Nash'' is on record as one of the biggest theatrical money-losers of all time, grossing just $7 million worldwide on a reported $110 million budget. A notable exception to this run of poorly received adult-themed films was the Frank Oz comedy ''Bowfinger'', also starring Steve Martin. The film garnered generally positive critical reviews, and grossed $66 million at the box office.

In 2006, he starred in the motion picture version of the Broadway musical ''Dreamgirls'' as soul singer James "Thunder" Early. Murphy won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor, as well as a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award in that category. Several reviews for the film highlighted Murphy's performance while he received some pre-release Academy Awards buzz. Murphy was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor on January 23, 2007, but lost to Alan Arkin for his performance in ''Little Miss Sunshine''. ''Dreamgirls'' was the first film distributed by Paramount Pictures to star Murphy (who once was on an exclusive contract with the studio) since ''Vampire in Brooklyn'' in 1995.

In 2007, Murphy was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As a result of Viacom's acquisition of Dreamworks SKG, Paramount distributed his other 2007 releases: ''Norbit'' and ''Shrek the Third''. He starred in the 2008 film ''Meet Dave'' and the 2009 film ''Imagine That'' for Paramount Pictures.

Murphy will also co-star in ''Tower Heist'', Brett Ratner's heist movie. Murphy stars as part of a group of hardworking men who find out they have fallen victim to a wealthy business man's Ponzi scheme, and conspire to rob his high-rise residence. Ben Stiller, Matthew Broderick, and Casey Affleck are also starring in the film. Brian Grazer is producing the picture for his Imagine Entertainment shingle, and will be distributed by Universal Pictures on November 4, 2011.

Personal life

Family

Murphy has been married twice (second one not legal) and has a total of eight children:

Murphy's first and oldest child was by Paulette McNeely: son Eric Murphy (born on 10 July 1989). He also has a child by Tamara Hood: son Christian Murphy (born on 29 November 1990).

Murphy began a longtime romantic relationship with Nicole Mitchell (born January 5, 1968) after meeting her in 1988 at an NAACP Image Awards show. They lived together for almost two years before getting married at the Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel in New York City on March 18, 1993. Murphy and Mitchell had five children together: Bria L. Murphy (born November 18, 1989), Myles Mitchell (born November 7, 1992), Shayne Audra (born October 10, 1994), Zola Ivy (born December 24, 1999) and Bella Zahra (born January 29, 2002). In August 2005, Mitchell filed for divorce, citing "irreconcilable differences". The divorce was finalized on April 17, 2006.

The Murphy family currently resides in Long Island, New York.

Following his divorce from Mitchell, in 2006, Murphy began dating former Spice Girl Melanie B, who became pregnant and stated that the child was Murphy's. When questioned about the pregnancy in December 2006 by ''RTL Boulevard,'' Murphy told Dutch reporter Matthijs Kleyn, "I don't know whose child that is until it comes out and has a blood test. You shouldn't jump to conclusions, sir". Brown gave birth to a baby girl, Angel Iris Murphy Brown, on Murphy's 46th birthday, April 3, 2007. On June 22, 2007, representatives for Brown announced in ''People'' that a DNA test had confirmed that Murphy was the father. Brown has stated in an interview that Murphy has not sought a relationship with Angel.

Murphy exchanged marriage vows with film producer Tracey Edmonds, former wife of Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, on January 1, 2008, in a private ceremony on an island off Bora Bora. It was announced on January 16, 2008, that they never legally wed, had decided to forgo legalizing their union, and had instead chosen to remain friends.

Legal problems

According to Murphy's childhood friend Harris Haith in his book, ''Growing Up Laughing With Eddie'', long before Murphy did any writing for ''Coming to America'', Art Buchwald had approached Paramount Pictures with the idea for a similar film. His material was rejected, but the information was retained by Paramount. They liked Buchwald's idea but did not see fit to pay him and saved it for use later down the road. Some years later, Paramount presented the idea of ''Coming to America'' to Eddie and gave him the contract. Murphy wrote a screenplay that came to light exactly as it aired on the silver screen. In 1988, Buchwald sued Murphy and Paramount Pictures, but Murphy was not found liable because Paramount had received the material.

In May 1997, Murphy was stopped by police with a transvestite prostitute in his car shortly before the release of ''Holy Man'', causing him a number of public relations problems.

Charitable work

Murphy has donated money to the AIDS Foundation, and cancer, education, creative arts, family/parent support, health and homeless charities. He has donated to the Martin Luther King Jr. Center, various cancer charities and $100,000 to the Screen Actors' Guild's strike relief fund.

Filmography

''Trading Places'' ''Eddie Murphy Delirious'' ''Best Defense'' ''The Golden Child'' ''Beverly Hills Cop II'' ''Coming to America'' ''Harlem Nights'' ''Another 48 Hrs.'' ''Boomerang (1992 film) ''Beverly Hills Cop III'' ''Vampire in Brooklyn'' ''The Nutty Professor (1996 film) ''Metro (1997 film) ''Mulan (1998 film) ''Life (film) ''Nutty Professor II: The Klumps'' ''Shrek'' ''Showtime (film) ''Daddy Day Care'' ''Shrek 2'' ''Dreamgirls (film) ''Norbit'' Donkey (Shrek) ''Meet Dave'' ''Imagine That (film) ''Shrek Forever After'' ''Tower Heist''

colspan=4 style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Film
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1982	''48 Hrs.''	Reggie Hammond
1983	|	Billy Ray Valentine	Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1983	|	Himself	Also Producer
rowspan="2"	1984	|	Lieutenant T.M. Landry
''Beverly Hills Cop''	Axel Foley>Det. Axel Foley
1986	|	Chandler Jarrell
rowspan="2"	1987	|	Axel Foley>Det. Axel Foley
''Eddie Murphy Raw''	Himself
1988	|	Prince Akeem/Clarence/Randy Watson/Saul
1989	|	Quick (real name Vernest Brown)	Also Director and Writer
1990	|	Reggie Hammond
rowspan="2"	1992	Boomerang'' ||	Marcus Graham
''The Distinguished Gentleman''	Thomas Jefferson Johnson
1994	|	Axel Foley>Det. Axel Foley
1995	|	Maximillian/Preacher Pauly/Guido	Also Producer
1996	The Nutty Professor'' ||	Professor Sherman Klump/Buddy Love/ Lance Perkins/Cletus 'Papa' Klump/ Anna Pearl 'Mama' Jensen Klump/ Ida Mae 'Granny' Jensen/Ernie Klump, Sr.	Also Producer Saturn Award for Best Actor National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor Nominated – Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Nominated – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
1997	Metro'' ||	Insp. Scott Roper
rowspan="3"	1998	Mulan'' ||	Mushu	(voice)
''Dr. Dolittle (film)	Doctor Dolittle''	Doctor Dolittle>Dr. John Dolittle
''Holy Man''	G
rowspan="2"	1999	Life'' ||	Rayford "Ray" Gibson	Also Producer
''Bowfinger''	Kit Ramsey/Jeffernson 'Jiff' Ramsey
2000	|	Professor Sherman Klump/Buddy Love/ Lance Perkins/Cletus 'Papa' Klump/ Anna Pearl 'Mama' Jensen Klump/ Ida Mae 'Granny' Jensen/Ernie Klump	Also Producer Nominated – Satellite Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
rowspan="2"	2001	|	Donkey (Shrek)>Donkey	(voice) Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production Nominated – BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated – Black Reel Award: Best Supporting Actor
''Dr. Dolittle 2''	Doctor Dolittle>Dr. John Dolittle
rowspan="3"	2002	Showtime'' ||	Officer Trey Sellers
''The Adventures of Pluto Nash''	Pluto Nash/Rex Crater
''I Spy (film)	I Spy''	Kelly Robinson
rowspan="2"	2003	|	Charles "Charlie" Hinton
''The Haunted Mansion (film)	The Haunted Mansion''	Jim Evers
2004	|	Donkey (Shrek)>Donkey	(voice)
2006	Dreamgirls'' ||	Dreamgirls (film)#Cast>James 'Thunder' Early	Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Central Ohio Film Critics Association for Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated – Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Black Reel Award: Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture Nominated – Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated – Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
rowspan="2"	2007	|	Norbit Rice/Rasputia Latimore-Rice/Mr. Wong	Also Producer
''Shrek the Third''	Donkey ||(voice)Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie
2008	|	Starship Dave Ming-Chang (Spacecraft), Captain
2009	Imagine That'' ||	Evan Danielson
2010	|	Donkey (Shrek)>Donkey	2011 Kids' Choice Awards>Kids' Choice Award for Favorite Voice from an Animated Movie
2011	|	Leo "Slide" Dalphael

Television

''Eddie Murphy Delirious ''What's Alan Watching?'' ''Dangerous - The Short Films'' ''The PJs'' ''Shrek the Halls'' ''Donkey's Christmas Shrektacular''

colspan=4 style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Television
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1980–1984	''Saturday Night Live''
1983	Eddie Murphy: Delirious'' ||
1989	|
1993	|	Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh	Remember the Time music video
1999–2001	|	Thurgood Stubbs	Voice Nominated – Annie Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production (1999) Nominated – Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) (1999)
2007	|	Donkey (Shrek)>Donkey	TV special Voice Nominated – Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production
2010	|	Donkey (Shrek)>Donkey	TV special Voice

Discography

Studio albums

Year	Album details	Peak chartpositions
		! width="40"	! width="40"
1982	align="left"	* Release date: 1982	* Label: CBS Records	97	—
1983	align="left"	* Release date: 1983	* Label: CBS Records	35	10
1985		* Release date: 1985	* Label: CBS Records	26	17
1989		* Release date: 1989	* Label: CBS Records	70	22
1993		* Release date: February 23, 1993	* Label: Motown Records	—	80

Compilation albums

! Year	! Album details
1997	''Greatest Comedy Hits''	* Release date: May 27, 1997	* Label: Columbia Records
1998	''All I Fuckin' Know''	* Release date: April 28, 1998	* Label: Sony BMG

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions					Album
		! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"	! width="35"
1982		—	56	—	—	—
		2	8	19	3	87
	—	63	—	—	—
		27	2	—	—	—
	—	75	—	—	—
		—	61	—	—	64
	—	74	—	—	—
	—	—	—	—	—

Awards/nominations

style="background:#B0C4DE;"	Award	Year	Category	Work	Outcome
Academy Awards	2007			Nominated
	1999	Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production	''The PJs''	Nominated
2001	Outstanding Individual Achievement for Voice Acting by a Male Performer in an Animated Feature Production	''Shrek''	Won
2008	Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production	''Shrek the Halls''	Nominated
BAFTA Awards	2002		''Shrek''	Nominated
	2000	Best Actor in a Motion Picture	''Bowfinger''	Nominated
2002		''Shrek''	Nominated
2007		Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards	2007			Won
Central Ohio Film Critics Association	2007	Best Supporting Actor		Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards	2007			Nominated
rowspan=4	1983	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy, Variety or Music Series	''Saturday Night Live''	Nominated
	Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program	''Saturday Night Live''	Nominated
	''Saturday Night Live''	Nominated
1999		''The PJs''"He's Gotta Have It"	Nominated
	1983		''48 Hrs.''
1984		''Trading Places''
1997
1985		''Beverly Hills Cop''
2007		Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture>Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture		Won
	2005	Best Voice from an Animated Film	''Shrek 2''	Nominated
2008	Best Voice from an Animated Film	''Shrek the Third''	Won
2011	Best Voice from an Animated Film	''Shrek Forever After''	Won
	1997	Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture		Nominated
2007	Actor in a Supporting Role		Nominated
National Society of Film Critics Awards	1997			Won
Online Film Critics Society Awards	2007			Nominated
	1996	rowspan=2
2001	''Nutty Professor II: The Klumps''
	1997			Won
2002		''Shrek''	Nominated
			rowspan=2	Won
	Nominated

References

External links

Eddie Murphy on Discogs

Maxim Rated Top SNL performer

Category:1961 births Category:20th-century actors Category:21st-century actors Category:American stand-up comedians Category:American voice actors Category:Actors from New York City Category:African American film actors Category:African American comedians Category:African American singers Category:African American television actors Category:American impressionists (entertainers) Category:American screenwriters Category:American video game actors Category:Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe (film) winners Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Living people Category:People from Bushwick, Brooklyn Category:People from Nassau County, New York Category:Saturn Award winners Category:Annie Award winners

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