- Robert Pius, Misty Holland, Chris Beachum, Zach Laws
- Film
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It’s been over 40 years since a 19-year-old comedian from New Jersey nearly single handedly saved “Saturday Night Live” from cancellation. The remaining members of the original Not Ready for Prime-Time Players departed from “Saturday Night Live” in 1980 as did executive producer Lorne Michaels. A new cast and producer started in the fall of 1980 to almost disastrous results. The cast and show were routinely panned by critics with the exception of featured player Eddie Murphy. Most of the cast and the new producer were quickly fired and eventually the show was brought back for the next season with him as the obvious star of the show.
In addition to that, he was shortly cast opposite Nick Nolte in his first feature film, “48 Hrs” (1982). It became a surprise Christmas hit only two years after Murphy had begun his featured stint on “SNL.”
He would go on to a string of hit films in the 1980s, but by the 1990s would stumble a bit in the with box office disappointments and critically panned roles. Perhaps stung by his bad reviews, Murphy seemed to pull back a bit from the limelight in the new millennium, only working occasionally. He did have one of his most acclaimed roles ever though in 2006 when he stunned audiences with his singing and dancing skills in the feature film version of the hit Broadway musical “Dreamgirls.” Murphy seemed Oscar bound after winning the Golden Globe and SAG Awards as Best Supporting Actor, but ultimately it was Alan Arkin’s name that would be inside the envelope for his work in “Little Miss Sunshine.”
Murphy came close to reaping a second Oscar bid for his comeback role in “Dolemite Is My Name” (2018). The comedic biopic about the making of Rudy Ray Moore‘s blaxploitation classic “Dolemite” (1975), the film brought its leading man Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards nominations.
He also made a triumphant return to “Saturday Night Live” in 2019, hosting the show for the first time since 1984 and winning an Emmy as Best Comedy Guest Actor for his efforts. Plus, he had the highly-anticipated “Coming to America” sequel in 2020.
Tour our photo gallery of Murphy’s 13 greatest film performances, ranked from worst to best. In addition to the movies mentioned above, our list also includes “Beverly Hills Cop,” “Trading Places,” “The Nutty Professor” and more.
13. TOWER HEIST (2011)
Director: Brett Ratner. Writers: Ted Griffin, Jeff Nathanson. Starring Ben Stiller, Casey Affleck, Alan Alda.
Murphy hasn’t had many hit films in recent years but he scored a box office success with this heist film about a group of employees who are swindled by their boss and plot revenge to rob his apartment. Ratner and Murphy were also scheduled to act as producer and host of that year’s upcoming Oscars but controversies caused them both to pull out of the ceremony.
12. BOOMERANG (1992)
Director: Reginald Hudlin. Writers: Barry W. Blaustein, David Sheffield. Starring Robin Givens, Halle Berry, David Alan Grier.
Murphy had a comedic success with this film that reversed the tables on sexual harassment and philandering in the work place. Murphy plays a guy who doesn’t really treat women well and then gets his comeuppance when his new female boss is difficult for him to deal with.
11. MULAN (1998)
Directors: Tony Bancroft, Barry Cook. Writers: Rita Hsio, Chris Sanders, Philip LaZebnik, Raymond Singer, Eugenia Bostwick-Singer. Starring Ming-Na Wen, B.D. Wong, Pat Morita.
Murphy provided voice work for this acclaimed Disney animated film that depicts a young Chinese girl who saves her father’s life by posing as him in the army. She ultimately becomes a hero in the line of battle. Murphy plays Mushu a dragon who brings a lot of humor to the film.
10. DOCTOR DOLITTLE (1998)
Director: Betty Thomas. Writers: Nat Mauldin, Larry Levin. Starring Ossie Davis, Oliver Platt, Peter Boyle.
The original “Doctor Doolittle” earned nine Oscar nominations including one for Best Picture in 1968. Thirty years later Murphy remade the film with a much different take on the role than the original Rex Harrison did. The basic plot though was the same in that the doctor is one who learns to literally speak with animals.
9. SHREK (2001)
Directors: Andrew Adamson, Vicky Jenson. Writers: Ted Elliott,Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, Roger S.H. Schulman. Starring Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, John Lithgow.
Murphy again found huge success voicing a Disney animated character in this story of an ogre who has to deal with fairytale creatures being banished to his territory. Murphy plays the talking Donkey who helps Shrek as he tries to standup to the Lord who is banishing people to his land. He once again has the comic scene stealing role of the film.
8. TRADING PLACES (1983)
Director: John Landis. Writers: Timothy Harris, Herschel Weingrod. Starring Dan Aykroyd, Ralph Bellamy, Jamie Lee Curtis.
Ralph Bellamy and Oscar winner Don Ameche play two millionaire brothers who decide to conduct a social experiment to explore the idea of nature vs. nurture and whether money changes the basic personalities of individuals. To do this they make a rich man poor (Dan Aykroyd) and a poor man rich (Murphy.) Murphy received a Golden Globe nomination for the film which did surprisingly well at the BAFTA awards winning both Best Supporting Actor and Actress for Denholm Elliot and Jamie Lee Curtis.
7. DREAMGIRLS (2006)
Director and writer: Bill Condon. Starring Beyonce, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson.
It took roughly twenty-five years for the highly acclaimed Broadway musical to make it to the big screen. (The musical opened on Broadway right around the same time Murphy began appearing on SNL.) Murphy had at various times been discussed as a potential actor to play the lead male role of the manager who discovers an all-girl singing group loosely based on Diana Ross and the Supremes. When the film was made though Jamie Foxx took the manager role and Murphy got the plum supporting role of James Thunder Early, a successful yet self-destructive singer loosely based on James Brown. Murphy had dabbled in music in the past but wasn’t quite taken seriously with his hit single “Party All the Time.” It was a shock to audiences then when Murphy displayed genuine musical talent in this film. He won the Golden Globe and SAG awards as Best Supporting Actor but in a huge Oscar upset, he lost that award to Alan Arkin for “Little Miss Sunshine.”
6. COMING TO AMERICA (1988)
Director: John Landis. Writers: David Sheffield, Barry W. Blaustein. Starring Arsenio Hall, James Earl Jones, Madge Sinclair.
Murphy plays a fish out of water type character in this story of an African prince who wants to find a woman he can connect with to be his princess. He and his cohort (talk show host Arsenio Hall) come to America and start looking for a “normal” woman for the Prince to marry in Queens, New York. The Prince and his friend obviously experience quite a culture shock when they come to the new city.
5. BOWFINGER (1999)
Director: Frank Oz. Writer: Steve Martin. Starring Steve Martin, Heather Graham, Christine Baranski.
Murphy took on dual roles in this film written by his co-star Steve Martin. Martin plays an aspiring filmmaker who wants to cast a famous actor (Murphy) in his film. When the actor declines, he uses various methods to make the film anyway including having other actors approach Murphy on the street and say their lines to him in effect casting Murphy in the film without his knowledge. Later on Martin hires a good natured double for the arrogant actor (also played by Murphy) who then stars in the film.
4. 48 HRS. (1982)
Director: Walter Hill. Writers: Roger Spottiswoode, Walter Hill, Larry Gross, Steven E. de Souza. Starring Nick Nolte, Annette O’Toole, James Remar.
After his breakout success on “Saturday Night Live” Murphy made his first film at the age of 21 and scored his first Golden Globe nomination for his effort. The film cast Murphy as a joking ex-con who is paroled for 48 hours to help a cantankerous, hostile cop track down a murder suspect. The film became a surprise hit and gave birth to Murphy’s film career.
3. DOLEMITE IS MY NAME (2019)
Director: Craig Brewer. Writers: Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski. Starring: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Tituss Burgess, Wesley Snipes.
Murphy made a triumphant return to the big screen with this highly entertaining biopic about a Hollywood dreamer who managed to succeed against all odds. He stars as Rudy Ray Moore, a low-level entertainer who shoots to stardom after creating a jive-talking alter ego known as “Dolemite.” Never one to rest on his laurels, Moore decides to bet it all on producing a micro-budget schlock flick that became a blaxploitation classic called… what else?… “Dolemite.” The role brought Murphy Golden Globe and Critics Choice nominations as Best Actor, and proved that, like Moore, this veteran performer will never give up, no matter how many lumps he takes.
2. BEVERLY HILLS COP (1984)
Director: Martin Brest. Writer: Daniel Petrie Jr. Starring Judge Reinhold, Ronny Cox, Jonathan Banks.
Murphy had the number one box office hit of 1984 with this cop comedy initially written as a vehicle for Sylvester Stallone. He plays a Detroit cop who pursues a lead in Beverly Hills where he experiences culture shock by way of the town’s wealthy inhabitants. Murphy received his third consecutive Golden Globe nomination for the film as Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, and returned for two sequels of varying quality.
1. THE NUTTY PROFESSOR (1996)
Director: Tom Shadyac. Writers: David Sheffield, Barry W. Blaustein, Tom Shadyac, Steve Oedekerk. Starring Jada Pinkett Smith, James Coburn, Larry Miller.
Murphy earned a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for this remake of the Jerry Lewis classic of the same name. Murphy plays a kindly professor who drinks a potion that makes him into a slick lady’s man named Buddy Love. He also played various other characters in the film including the professor’s relatives, the Klumps. The family was so beloved that they became a more central role in the 2000 sequel, “The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps.” And it’s little wonder why, since the entire Klump family is among the most endearing characters Murphy has ever created.
