Eddie Murphy was born in Brooklyn, New York on April 3rd, 1961. He was always entertaining his friends and family with his gift for voices and characterization. In his late teens he started entering talent contests and working in local clubs on Long Island. He eventually hit clubs in New York City. He worked hard, supporting himself with a job in shoe store while he performed in clubs and attended Nassau Community College.
Eddie Murphy's stint as one of the stand-out performers on Saturday Night Live (1981-84) led to a successful movie career and made him one of the top earners in Hollywood. He became a star with the success of his first three movies: 48 Hrs. (1982, opposite Nick Nolte), Trading Places (1983) and Beverly Hills Cop (1984). After some disappointments in the early 1990s, Murphy bounced back with a remake of the Jerry Lewis comedy The Nutty Professor (1996). He followed up with a string of successes, including Dr. Doolittle (1998), Bowfinger (1999, with Steve Martin) and voice roles in Mulan (1998) and Shrek (2001). Murphy has also had success with his comedy recordings, winning a Grammy for Eddie Murphy: Comedian (1983), and he even had a hit dance single in 1986 ("Party All The Time").
In 2001, Murphy lent his vocal and comedic talents to Dreamworks' Shrek. He then teamed up with Robert De Niro in 2002's Showtime. Murphy also spread his wings by executive-producing and voicing the claymation show The PJs. His home life has been succesful too. He married model Nicole Mitchell in 1993, and the couple are the proud parents of four children. A star with independent control of his work, his trademark in the movies is to play several different roles in the same movie, often under heavy makeup.
