Charles Quinton "Charlie" Murphy (born July 12, 1959) is an American writer, actor, and stand-up comedian known for his role on the American television program Chappelle's Show.
Murphy was born in New York, New York. His mother, Lillian, was a telephone operator, and his father, Charles Edward Murphy, was a transit police officer and amateur comedian. Murphy's father left the family and was later stabbed to death. He was raised by his mother and stepfather, Vernon Lynch, and he is the brother of actor/comedian Eddie Murphy and Vernon Lynch Jr. He served in the United States Navy until 1984.. Murphy currently resides in Tewksbury Township, NJ. In the Chappelle's Show DVD box-set, Rick James confesses that he and Charlie Murphy did cocaine together.
Murphy achieved fame as a recurring performer on Chappelle's Show, particularly in the Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories sketches. In these, Murphy recounts his misadventures as part of his brother Eddie's entourage, including encounters with various celebrities such as Rick James and Prince.
After Chappelle's Show host Dave Chappelle left the show, Murphy and Donnell Rawlings hosted the "lost episodes" compiled from sketches produced before Chappelle's departure. In a radio interview, Charlie Murphy has stated that he will be starring in a new Comedy Central reality show with Rawlings. Murphy has done voiceovers for Budweiser radio commercials, Cartoon Network's Adult Swim series The Boondocks and voiced a pimp named Jizzy-B in Rockstar Games' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game. Recently, Murphy provided the voice for Spock on the G4TV's Star Trek 2.0 shorts, and the dog in his younger brother Eddie's 2007 film, Norbit.
Charlie Murphy's new show, Hot Ghetto Mess, is based on the website of the same name. The show has already come under criticism for reportedly perpetuating black stereotypes, with advertisers State Farm Insurance Cos., and Home Depot pulling out before the scheduled debut on the BET network on July 25. The show will go on as planned with the name changed to We Got To Do Better.
