Eddie Murphy

Edward Regan Murphy was born on April 3, 1961 in Brooklyn, New York. Murphy started out as a stand-up comedian and was often known to joke about controversial subjects. His acting career began as a cast member of Saturday Night Live. His comedy characters such as Buckwheat and Gumby quickly gained Murphy recognition.

His film debut was in action comedy 48 Hrs (1982). Starring opposite Nick Nolte, his performance won him a Golden Globe nomination for New Star of the Year. Building on this success he went on the star in cult comedy classics such as Trading Places (1983) and Coming to America (1988).

His first solo leading role was in Beverly Hills Cop (1984) a role he reprised in Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) and Beverly Hills Cop III (1994). More recently he won a Golden Globe for his performance in Dream Girls (2006) and has regularly voiced the character Donkey in Disney Pixar’s Shrek movies.