Murphy is an Anglicized version of two Irish surnames: Ó Murchadha/Ó Murchadh ("descendant of Murchadh"), and Mac Murchaidh/Mac Murchadh ("son of Murchadh")^[1] derived from the Irish personal name Murchadh, which meant "sea-warrior" or "sea-battler".^[2] (Muir meaning "sea" and cath meaning "battle").^[3]

Spelling variations include Murphey, MacMurphy, MacMurrough, O'Morchoe and others.^[4] In modern Irish, "Ó Murchú", rather than "Ó Murchadha", is used.

Murphy is the most common surname in Ireland and the fifty-eighth most common surname in the United States.^[5]

Notable people named Murphy[link]

Men[link]

• '''Araño, John Murphy E.'''(Professor), A teacher in San Pablo City, Laguna, Philippines
• Alex Murphy (rugby league), English rugby league footballer
• Anthony Murphy (footballer) (born 1982), Irish soccer player
• Anthony Murphy (cricketer) (born 1962), English cricketer
• Arthur Murphy, several people:
  • Arthur Murphy (writer) (1727–1805), Irish actor and playwright
  • Arthur H. Murphy (1831–1903), entrepreneur and political figure in Quebec, Canada
  • Arthur P. Murphy (1870–1914), American Republican politician
• Audie Murphy (1925–1971), American war hero and actor
• Austin J. Murphy (born 1927), Democratic Congressman from Pennsylvania
• Barnes Murphy (born 1947), Famous Sligo Gaelic Footballer
• Bob Murphy, several people, see Robert Murphy
• Brian Murphy, several people:
  • Brian Murphy (actor) (born 1933), British actor most noted for his role as George Roper in the sitcom George and Mildred
  • Brian Murphy (politician), former mayor of Moncton in New Brunswick, Canada
  • Brian Murphy (cricketer) (born 1976), former captain of the Zimbabwean cricket team
  • Brian Murphy (dual player) (born 1952), former hurler and Gaelic footballer with Cork, Ireland
  • Brian Murphy (footballer) (born 1983), currently playing for Bohemian F.C.
  • Brian Murphy (politician) (born 1956), first to win independent race in his town
  • Brian Murphy (hurler) (born 1982), corner-back on the Cork, Ireland, senior hurling team
  • Brian Murphy (writer) (born 1959), religion editor for the Associated Press
• Calvin Murphy (born 1948), American retired basketball player
• Charles Murphy, several people:
  • Charles Murphy (1880–1958), Irish politician more commonly referred to as Cathal Ó Murchadha
  • Charles Murphy (architect) (1890–1985), the Chicago based architect of C.F. Murphy Associates, later Murphy/Jahn Inc.
  • Charles Murphy (Canadian politician) (1862–1935)
  • Charles Francis Murphy (1858–1924), American political figure
  • Charles Minthorn Murphy (1870–1950), aka "Mile-a-Minute" Murphy, American cyclist
  • Charles Quinton Murphy (born 1959), American writer, actor, and stand-up comedian
  • Charles Terrence Murphy (politician) (born 1926), Canadian politician
• Cillian Murphy (born 1976), Irish actor
• Colin Murphy, several people:
  • Colin Murphy (comedian), Irish comedian
  • Colin Murphy (footballer), English football manager
  • Colin Murphy (ice hockey) (born 1980), Canadian ice-hockey player
  • a different, Anglicized, spelling of Colm Murphy (born 1952), Irish, alleged suspect in the Omagh bombing
• Conor Murphy, Sinn Féin politician in Northern Ireland
• Dale Murphy, several people:
  • Dale Murphy (born 1956), American retired baseball player
  • Dale D. Murphy, professor at Georgetown University
• Daniel Murphy, several people
• Danny Murphy, several people
• Daryl Murphy, Irish professional football player
• David Murphy, several people:
  • David Murphy (baseball) (born 1981), American
  • David Murphy (CIA), CIA's station chief in Berlin from 1959–1961
  • David Murphy (footballer) (born 1984), English
  • David Lee Murphy (born 1959), American country music singer-songwriter
• Dick Murphy (born 1942), American retired Republican politician
• Donald E. Murphy (born 1960), American Republican politician
  • Donnie Murphy, American Baseball Player
• Eddie Murphy, several people:
  • Eddie Murphy (born 1961), American comedian and actor
  • Eddie Murphy (1891–1969), American baseball player
• Edgar Gardner Murphy (1869–1913), American clergyman and author
• Edward Murphy, several people, most notably:
  • Major Edward A. Murphy, Jr. 1918–1990, American aerospace engineer linked with Murphy's law
• Elliott Murphy (born 1949), American singer/songwriter
• Everett J. Murphy (1852–1922), politician
• Francis Murphy, several people:
  • Francis Murphy (bishop) (1795–1858), Australian bishop
  • Francis Murphy (evangelist) (1836–1907), American temperance evangelist
  • Francis P. Murphy (1877–1958), Republican 73rd Governor of New Hampshire
  • Francis X. Murphy (1915–2002), Catholic theologian and chaplain
• Frank Murphy, several people:
  • Frank Murphy (1890–1949), former Justice of the United States Supreme Court
  • Frank Murphy (American football) (born 1977), former NFL player
  • Frank Murphy (rugby player) (born 1981), Irish professional rugby union player
  • B. Frank Murphy (1867–1938), U.S. Representative from Ohio
• George Murphy (1902–1992, American dancer, actor, and Republican Senator
• Henry Murphy, several people:
  • Henry Murphy (1877–1954), American architect
  • Henry Cruse Murphy (1810–1882), American politician from New York and U.S. minister to the Netherlands
• Isaac Murphy, several people:
  • Isaac Murphy (1802–1882), Republican Governor of Arkansas
  • Isaac Burns Murphy (1861–1896), American Hall of Fame jockey
• Jack Murphy, several people:
  • Jack Murphy (Irish Politician) (1920–1984), Irish republican and independent politician
  • Jack Murphy (footballer) (born 1918), retired Australian Rules footballer
  • Jack Murphy (sportswriter) (1923–1980), American sportswriter and brother of Bob Murphy
  • Jack M. Murphy (1925–1984), Republican Lieutenant Governor of Idaho
  • Jack Roland Murphy (born 1938), aka Murph the Surf, American, convicted robber and murderer
• James or Jimmy Murphy, several people:
  • James Murphy (electronic musician) (born 1970), American
  • James Murphy (metal guitarist) (born 1967), American heavy metal guitarist
  • James Murphy (soccer), retired American soccer player
  • James "Quick" Murphy (born 1959), retired Canadian football player
  • James A. Murphy III, District Attorney, Saratoga County, New York
  • James Anthony Murphy (1894–1924), "Jimmy" Murphy, American racing driver
  • James J. Murphy (1898–1962), a United States Representative from New York
  • James William Murphy (1858–1927), a United States Representative from Wisconsin
  • Jimmy Murphy (cartoonist) (1891–1965), cartoonist of Toots and Casper comic strip
  • Jimmy Murphy (footballer) (1910–1989), Welsh football player and manager
  • Jimmy Murphy (musician), (1925–1981), American Country musician
  • Jimmy Murphy (playwright) (born 1962), Irish playwright
• John Murphy, several people:
  • John Murphy (Alabama) (1786–1841), American Democratic Governor and Congressman from Alabama
  • John Murphy (announcer), American football announcer for the Buffalo Bills
  • John Murphy (Australian politician) (born 1950), member of the House of Representatives
  • John Murphy (Australian rules footballer) (born 1949), former champion player with the Fitzroy Football Club in the 1960s and 1970s
  • John Murphy (baseball infielder) (died 1949), aka Soldier Boy, a baseball infielder
  • John Murphy (baseball pitcher), a 19th century baseball pitcher
  • John Murphy (Canadian politician) (born 1937), member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1993–1997
  • John Murphy (composer) (born 1965), British composer of film scores
  • John Murphy (economist), financial market analyst
  • John Murphy (English footballer) (born 1976), English striker for Chester City
  • John Murphy (Irish footballer), played for Bohemian F.C.
  • John Murphy (musician) (born 1959), sometimes credited as "Jonh Murphy", Australian drummer and multi-instrument musician
  • John Murphy (playwright) (1929–1998), Irish dramatist, author of The Country Boy.
  • John Murphy (swimmer) (born 1953), retired American Olympic gold medalist in swimming
  • Father John Murphy (1753–1798), one of the leaders during the Irish Rebellion of 1798
  • John A. Murphy (born 1927), Irish historian and former independent Senator from Cork
  • John Alphonsus Murphy, American Medal of Honor recipient
  • John Benjamin Murphy (1857–1916), American surgeon, president of the American Medical Association in 1911
  • John E. Murphy (1869–1941), United States Navy sailor and Medal of Honor recipient during the Spanish-American War
  • John Francis Murphy (1853–1921), American landscape painter
  • John J. Murphy (born 1959), American Republican politician
  • John Michael Murphy, US Congressman from New York, implicated in Abscam
  • John W. Murphy (1902–1962), American Democratic Congressman from Pennsylvania
  • John W. Murphy (Connecticut), former mayor of New Haven, Connecticut
• Joseph Murphy, several people
• Kevin Murphy, several people:
  • Kevin Murphy (actor) (born 1956), American actor, author and puppeteer
  • Kevin Murphy (American football) (born 1963), retired American football player
  • Kevin Murphy (Irish ombudsman)
  • Kevin Murphy (screenwriter), American screenwriter, television producer, and composer
  • Kevin Murphy (swimmer) (born 1949), "King of the Channel" title holder for crossing the English Channel
  • Kevin M. Murphy, economist and professor at the University of Chicago
• Lambert Murphy (1885–?), American tenor, sang at the Metropolitan Opera
• Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. (born 1974), American singer, winner of season 6 of America's Got Talent
• Larry Murphy (born 1961), Canadian retired professional ice hockey player
• Lionel Murphy (born 1922), Australian politician and jurist
• Marc Murphy (born 1987), Australian rules footballer
• Mark Murphy, several people:
  • Mark Murphy (safety b. 1958) (born 1958), retired American football player
  • Mark Murphy (safety b. 1955) (born 1955), retired American football player, now President and CEO of the Green Bay Packers
  • Mark Murphy (singer) (born c. 1932), American jazz singer
• Martin Murphy, several people
• Matt Murphy, several people:
  • Matt Murphy (American football) (born 1980), American football player
  • Matt Murphy (blues guitarist) (born 1927), aka Matt "Guitar" Murphy, an American musician
  • Matt Murphy (Canadian musician)
  • Matt Murphy (Illinois politician), an American Republican Senator
  • Matt Murphy (wrestler) (born 1979), aka "All That" Matt Murphy, a retired American professional wrestler
• Michael Murphy, several people:
  • Michael Murphy (actor) (born 1938), American actor
  • Michael Murphy (author) (born 1930), American Integral Movement author and co-founder of the Esalen Institute
  • Michael Murphy (diver) (born 1973), retired Australian Olympic diver
  • Michael Murphy (New Jersey politician) (born 1949), New Jersey lobbyist, former Prosecutor and candidate for Governor
  • Michael Murphy (priest) (c. 1767 – 1798), co-leader in the Irish Rebellion of 1798
  • Michael Murphy (singer) (born 1986), New Zealand Idol runner up
  • Michael Murphy (VC) (c. 1837 – 1893), Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Michael Bryan Murphy, former lead singer of REO Speedwagon
  • Michael D. Murphy, United States Air Force Colonel under charges for falsely claiming to be an attorney
  • Michael P. Murphy (1976–2005), United States Navy SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient, killed in action in Afghanistan
  • Michael Martin Murphey (born 1945, American singer and songwriter
• Mick Murphy (Sinn Féin politician) (born 1942)
• Mike Murphy, several people:
  • Mike Murphy (broadcaster) (born 1941), retired Irish broadcaster
  • Mike Murphy (ice hockey b. 1950), retired ice hockey player and head coach, currently NHL vice-president of hockey operations
  • Mike Murphy (ice hockey b. 1989), ice hockey player for the Belleville Bulls of the Ontario Hockey League
  • Mike Murphy (New Brunswick politician) (born 1958), Canadian lawyer and Liberal politician
  • Mike Murphy (political consultant) (born 1962), American Republican political consultant
  • Mike Murphy (Washington politician), Democratic Treasurer of the State of Washington
• Nicholas Murphy (born 1978), Gaelic footballer
• Nicholas Daniel Murphy (1811–1890), Irish politician from Cork, Member of Parliament (MP) 1865–1880
• Nick Murphy (born 1979), American football player
• Oakes Murphy (1849–1908), Two-time Governor of Arizona Territory
• Paul Murphy, several people
• Peter Murphy, several people:
  • Peter Murphy (artist) (born 1959), English Stuckist artist
  • Peter Murphy (footballer born 1980) (born 1980), Irish international footballer
  • Peter Murphy (JAG), American lawyer and officer in the United States Marine Corps
  • Peter Murphy (musician) (born 1957), British musician with Bauhaus
  • Peter Murphy (politician) (born 1949), American politician, Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
  • Peter Murphy (UK footballer) (1922–1975), aka "Spud" Murphy, English footballer
  • Peter Murphy (executive) American entertainment executive
• Philip D. Murphy (born 1957), ambassador
• Richard Murphy, several people:
  • Dick Murphy (Richard M. Murphy) (born 1942), American retired Republican politician
  • Richard Murphy (architect), Scottish architect
  • Richard Murphy (poet) (born 1927), Irish poet
  • Richard Murphy (screenwriter) (1912–1993), American film and television writer
  • Richard L. Murphy (1875–1936), American Senator from Iowa
  • Richard W. Murphy (born 1929), American diplomat
• Rob Murphy, several people:
  • Rob Murphy (born 1960), American retired baseball player
  • Rob Murphy (basketball), American assista basketball coach
  • Rob Murphy (football player) (born 1977), professional Canadian football player
  • Rob Murphy (ice hockey) (born 1969), Canadian retired ice hockey player
• Robert Murphy, several people:
  • Irish Bob Murphy (1922–1961), American light heavyweight boxer
  • Bob Murphy (announcer) (1924–2004), American baseball announcer
  • Bob Murphy (golfer) (born 1943), American PGA winning golfer
  • Bob Murphy (musician), Canadian jazz pianist
  • Robert Murphy (Australian rules footballer) (born 1982), Australian rules football
  • Robert C. Murphy (1926–2000), American lawyer and judge
  • Robert Cushman Murphy (1887–1973), American ornithologist
  • Robert Daniel Murphy (1894&ndas1978), American diplomat
  • Robert F. Murphy, American retired Republican politician, Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 1957 to 1961
  • Robert F. Murphy (anthropologist) (1924–1990), American anthropologist
  • Robert P. Murphy (born 1976), American economist and author
  • Robert S. Murphy (1861–1912), American politician, Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania from 1907 to 1911
• Ryan Murphy, two people:
  • Ryan Murphy (Australian rules footballer) (born 1985)
  • Ryan Murphy (writer), American television writer, director and producer
• Scott Murphy, three people:
  • Scott Murphy (politician), current Democratic candidate in a special election for New York's 20th congressional district
  • Scott Murphy, a programmer behind the Space Quest series
• Sean Murphy, several people:
  • Sean Murphy (artist), cartoonist
  • Sean Murphy (cryptographer), professor at Royal Holloway, University of London
  • Seán Murphy (footballer), retired Irish football player
  • Sean Murphy (golfer) (born 1965), American professional golfer
  • Sean Murphy (journalist) (born 1958), Australian journalist
  • Sean Murphy (Oz), a fictional character on the television series Oz
  • Sean Murphy (racer) (born 1984)
• Shaun Murphy, several people:
  • Shaun Murphy (cue sports) (born 1982), English snooker player
  • Shaun Murphy (footballer) (born 1970), retired Australian soccer player
  • note: there also is a woman of this name: Shaun Murphy (singer), aka Stoney, American singer
• Stephon Murphy (born 1997), North Carolina's biggest pot dealer, Musical producer, American rapper
• Shawn Murphy (born 1951), Canadian Liberal politician
• Timothy Murphy, several people:
  • Tim Murphy (born 1959), retired Canadian politician
  • Tim Murphy, a fictional character in Jurassic Park
  • Tim Murphy (congressman) (born 1952), American Republican politician
  • Tim Murphy (football coach), currently at Harvard University
  • Timothy Murphy (1751–1818), sniper in the American Revolutionary War
  • Timothy D. Murphy (died 1928), aka "Big Tim", Chicago mobster and labor racketeer
  • Timothy J. Murphy (died 1949), Irish Labour Party politician
  • Timothy Patrick Murphy (1959–1988), American film and television actor
• Thomas Murphy (or Tom), several people
• Tom Murphy (athlete), American middle distance runner
• Troy Murphy, power forward for the Boston Celtics
• Turlach Murphy (born 1982), Irish gaelic gootballer, wing half back for Rostrevor GAC
• Vincent B. Murphy, NYS Comptroller 1925–1926
• Vincent J. Murphy, Mayor of Newark 1941–1949
• Wendell H. Murphy, North Carolina politician
• William Murphy, several people
• Yo Murphy, football player, CFL, NFL

Women[link]

• Caitlin Murphy (born 1986), Australian actress
• Brittany Murphy (1977–2009), American actress
• Caitlin Murphy (born 1986), actress who plays the Yellow Overdrive Ranger in Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive
• Dervla Murphy (born 1931), travel writer
• Carolyn Murphy (born 1975), American model
• Donna Murphy (born 1958), American Tony Award winning actress
• Erin Murphy, several people:
  • Erin Murphy (born 1964), American actress
  • Erin Murphy (poet), American poet
  • Erin Murphy (politician) (born 1960), Minnesota politician
  • Gillian Murphy. principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre
• Kelly Murphy (born 1977), American author and illustrator
• Mary Murphy, several people:
  • Mary Murphy (actress) (born 1931), American actress
  • Mary Murphy (choreographer), American choreographer
  • Mary Murphy (politician) (born 1940), American politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives
  • Mary Murphy (reporter) (born 1959), American reporter and anchorwoman
• Róisín Murphy (born 1973), Irish electronica singer, songwriter, and producer
• Shaun Murphy (singer), aka Stoney, American singer

Fictional[link]

• Alex James Murphy, the police officer who became RoboCop
• Alexis "Lex" Murphy, a character in Jurassic Park
• Bridey Murphy, historical character in a hypnotic regression case detailed in Bernstein's The Search for Bridey Murphy
• "Bleeding Gums" Murphy, a character on the cartoon television series The Simpsons
• Dr. Colin Murphy, character on the American soap opera Days of our Lives
• Sean Murphy, an Irish correctional officer in the HBO drama Oz
• Murphy, the eponymous protagonist in Samuel Beckett's first published novel
• Professor Michael Murphy, the protagonist in the Babylon Rising series by Dr Tim LaHaye
• Murphy MacManus, one of the two main characters from the movie The Boondock Saints
• Murphy, professional wrestler also known as Mikael Judas
• Randle Patrick McMurphy, one of the main characters in Ken Kesey's 1962 novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

See also[link]

• Murph

References[link]

External links[link]

• Murphys of Ireland website, featuring general information about the Murphy surname, including derivation and discussion of the major early Murchadha septs in Ireland.
• Official Home of the Murphy Clan, including a wealth of historical content about Ireland's Murphy Clan such as clan history, famous people, homelands, genealogy, discussion forums and blog articles.

This page or section lists people with the surname Murphy. If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.

Eddie Murphy
Murphy at the Tribeca Film Festival for Shrek Forever After in 2010.
Birth name	Edward Regan Murphy
Born	(1961-04-03) April 3, 1961 (age 51) Brooklyn, New York, United States
Medium	Film, television, stand-up, music, books
Nationality	American
Years active	1976–present
Genres	Observational comedy, musical comedy, black comedy, satire, physical comedy, Dance Pop
Subject(s)	African American culture, race relations, racism, marriage, everyday life, current events, pop culture, human sexuality
Influences	Bill Cosby,[1] Richard Pryor,[1] Peter Sellers, Redd Foxx[1] Robin Williams,[1]
Spouse	Nicole Mitchell (1993–2006) (divorced) 5 children Tracey Edmonds (2008) (unofficial)
Domestic partner(s)	Melanie Brown (2006–07) 1 child
Notable works and roles	Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop Various on Saturday Night Live Shrek series

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 make him the second-highest grossing actor in the United States.^[2][3] 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.^[4]

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.^[5]

Eddie 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, Norbit, and Meet Dave.

Early life[link]

Murphy grew up in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick.^[6] His mother, Lillian, was a telephone operator, and his father, Charles Edward Murphy, was a transit police officer and an amateur actor and comedian.^[1][7][8][9] 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.^[10] 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.^[1] Around the age of 15, Murphy was writing and performing his own routines, which were heavily influenced by Bill Cosby and Richard Pryor.^[1]

Career[link]

Stand-up comedy[link]

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 gay people). This racy content was akin to that of Richard Pryor, whom Murphy has credited as his inspiration to enter comedy;^[1] 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 gay people and HIV. The stand-up shows Delirious and Raw have been recorded and released.

1980s acting career[link]

Murphy in 1988

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.^[11] Some of his notable characters included a grown version of the Little Rascals character Buckwheat,^[12] impoverished but street-wise children's show host Mr. Robinson (a spoof of Fred Rogers, who found it amusing),^[13] and Gumby,^[12] 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.^[14]

In 1982, Murphy made his big screen debut in the film 48 Hrs. with Nick Nolte.^[1] 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.^[1] 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.^[1] 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).^[1] 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, as of March 2011^[update].^[15]

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^[16] 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.^[1] 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[link]

Murphy is also a singer and musician, having frequently provided background vocals to songs released by The Bus Boys, which their song "The Boys Are Back in Town" was featured in 48 Hrs. and Murphy's comedy special Eddie Murphy Delirious. 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" alongside Magic Johnson and Iman.

Though uncredited, Murphy provided vocal work on SNL castmate Joe Piscopo's comedy single, "The Honeymooners Rap."^{[citation needed]} 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.

Early 1990s career[link]

From 1989 until the mid 1990s, box office results and reviews for Murphy's films dropped, hitting a low point with the critically panned Beverly Hills Cop III (1994),^[17] a movie Murphy would ultimately denounce during an appearance on Inside the Actors Studio,^[1] although he did find box office success with Boomerang and Another 48 Hrs. 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.^[1]

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 predominantly 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[link]

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 $98 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.^[18] 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.^[19] 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 co-starred in Tower Heist, directed by Brett Ratner. Murphy played a thief who joins a group of hardworking men who find out they have fallen victim to a wealthy businessman's Ponzi scheme, and conspire to rob his high-rise residence. Ben Stiller, Matthew Broderick, and Casey Affleck also starred in the film, released on November 4, 2011.^[1][20][21]

It was reported in late 2011 that Murphy would host the 84th Academy Awards in 2012. However, he dropped out of his hosting duties on November 9, 2011, in the wake of the Brett Ratner scandal.^[22]

Personal life[link]

Family[link]

Eddie Murphy in Hollywood Walk of Fame

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.^[23] 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.^[24]

He also has a child by Tamara Hood: son Christian Murphy (born on 29 November 1990).^[25]

Murphy as of 2008 resided in Long Island, New York.^[26]

Following his divorce from Mitchell, in 2006, Murphy began dating former Spice Girl Melanie Brown, 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.^[27] Brown has stated in an interview that Murphy has not sought a relationship with Angel.^[28][29]

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.^[30] On January 16, the couple released a statement saying, "After much consideration and discussion, we have jointly decided that we will forego having a legal ceremony as it is not necessary to define our relationship further," and called the Bora Bora wedding a "symbolic union". The two had planned on having a legal ceremony upon their return to the U.S. but did not, and their wedding was never official.^[31]

Legal problems[link]

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.

Philanthropy[link]

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.^[32]

Filmography[link]