![]() He auditioned for the part six times, and finally earned a place as an extra on the show. When Murphy learned that the producers of the popular late-night comedy show, Saturday Night Live, were seeking a Black cast member for the 1980-81 season, he jumped on the opportunity. He continued to perform in local clubs and eventually worked his way into such New York City venues as the Comic Strip, billing himself as a disciple of the great comedian Richard Pryor.Īlthough his raunchy, profanity-ridden routines resembled his idol's, Murphy stayed away from drinking, smoking and drugs, and would later declare to Barbara Walters, "I don't have to sniff cocaine to make me funny." ![]() Responding to the pleas of his mother, Murphy enrolled at Nassau Community College after high school and worked part-time as a shoe store clerk. ![]() Murphy was voted the "most popular" boy in his graduating class. This early success ignited a passion for showbiz, and Murphy began working on his comedy routines after school and performing stand-up at local bars, clubs and "gong shows." His schoolwork suffered, however, and Murphy had to repeat the 10th grade as a result.īy doubling up on classes, and attending summer and night school, he graduated only a couple of months late. Hosting a talent show at the Roosevelt Youth Center at age 15, Murphy delighted his young audience with an impersonation of Al Green. "My mother says I never talked in my own voice," Murphy later said.Īlthough he was never a dedicated student, Murphy found a great forum for his verbal agility in grade school, excelling in the popular game of "ranking" - trading witty insults with classmates. Murphy watched a lot of television growing up and developed a great skill for impressions, doing such characters as Bugs Bunny, Bullwinkle and Sylvester the Cat. When Murphy was nine years old, his mother married Vernon Lynch, a foreman at a Breyer's ice cream factory, and the family moved to the primarily African American suburb of Roosevelt, Long Island. His parents divorced when he was three five years later, his father died and his mother went into the hospital for an extended period. He spent his early years in the projects of Bushwick with his father, Charles, a New York City police officer and amateur comedian, his mother, Lillian, a telephone operator, and his brother Charles. He continues to star in many movies, including comedies, dramas and family films.Įddie Regan Murphy was born on April 3, 1961, in Brooklyn, New York. At age 21, Murphy co-starred with Nick Nolte in 48 Hours, and he went on to further box-office success with Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, The Nutty Professor and Shrek. It’s 1996 and I’m a lot smarter about AIDS now.Eddie Murphy began doing stand-up comedy as a teenager and later joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. I know how serious an issue AIDS is the world over. I think it is unfair to take the words of a misinformed 21-year-old and apply them to an informed 35-year-old man. “Just like the rest of the world, I am more educated about AIDS in 1996 than I was in 1981. “I deeply regret any pain all this has caused,” he said in a statement at the time, adding that he was “misinformed” about AIDS. Back in 1996, he apologized for the homophobic material in Delirious, which includes the use of gay slurs and jokes about AIDS, as well as homophobic jokes he has told over the years in other sets. This isn’t the first time Murphy has looked back with some regret on his old material. “That’s a bit much, my goodness,” he quipped, doing an impression of himself watching the old stand-up set, which included homophobic jokes. “I was a young guy processing a broken heart, you know, kind of an asshole,” he said of Raw, noting that his old jokes made him cringe. He also revealed that he’s not terribly fond of the old stand-up material that made him a household name, specifically Raw, the 1987 follow-up to his hit Delirious. In an interview with the New York Times, the comedian-making a major career comeback this year with the Netflix film Dolemite Is My Name-got candid about his return to the big screen, calling this phase a “bookend” to his superstar days of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Consider Eddie Murphy’s awards-season campaign officially launched.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |