Eddie Murphy Biography

Eddie Murphy, actor

Birthdate: April 3, 1961

Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York

Sign: Aries

Eddie Murphy, born Edward Regan Murphy, is best known for his standout comedic roles in blockbusters like "Beverly Hills Cop", "The Nutty Professor", and his role as Donkey in the popular "Shrek" series. Murphy grew up in New York, along with his two brothers Charles Murphy, a comedic actor himself, and Vernon Jr. He began performing his stand-up comedy routines as early as high school. At 19, he was cast as a featured player on "Saturday Night Live" and originated such memorable characters as Gumby and the Tooth Fairy.

In 1982, Murphy became the first actor to receive $1,000,000 for his feature film debut when he starred alongside Nick Nolte in "48 Hrs." The film was a success with both critics and audiences. Murphy continued with commercial, well-reviewed hits like "Trading Places", with Dan Akroyd, and "Beverly Hills Cop", which spawned two sequels and cemented Murphy as an international superstar.

After another smash hit with 1988's "Coming to America", Murphy's film career became a string of box-office hits and misses, and most films were critically panned. His turn as the Klump family in his remake of the Jerry Lewis comedy" The Nutty Professor" became one of Murphy's biggest crowd-pleasers yet.

Murphy has since focused on more family-oriented fare, including Disney's "Mulan", the "Doctor Dolittle" series and starring as the voice of Donkey in the blockbuster "Shrek" series. In 2007, Murphy won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar for his supporting role as James 'Thunder' Early in the hit musical movie Dreamgirls, starring alongside Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé Knowles, and Jennifer Hudson.

His personal life has made headlines, including a 1997 arrest for reportedly picking up a transsexual prostitute and most recently for paternity issues regarding a daughter fathered with ex-girlfriend and former Spice Girl Melanie Brown, Angel Iris Murphy Brown, and a 2008 marriage to Tracey E. Edmonds which ended in separation after only 2 weeks.

Murphy will next be seen in the father-daughter comedy "Nowhereland" and reteams with his "Meet Dave" director Brian Robbins in "A Thousand Words", a comedy/drama about a man who learns he only has 1000 words left before he dies. A fourth Shrek movie is also in production.