4. 48 Hrs
48 Hrs was Murphy's big screen debut that paired him with actor Nick Nolte that is often regarded as one of the best and first buddy movies.
Jack Cates (Nick Nolte) is a tough, super-jaded cop who springs a hard luck robber, Reggie Hammond (Eddie Murphy), from jail for two days to help nab his former partners.
The two men form a kind of friendship (based on mutual hatred) as they chase a trio of remorseless villains through the streets of San Francisco and Cates finds that Hammond's streetwise method of finding the criminals is possibly even more effective than his own by-the-book police procedures.
5. The Nutty Professor
Murphy turned to family friendly movies in 1996 comedy The Nutty Professor, as Murphy took on several roles in the film.
Sweet-natured, university scientist Sherman Klump is understandably insecure about his immense weight, particularly after meeting pretty grad student Carla Purty. He is conducting experiments in the hopes of inventing a formula that will instantly make one thin.
After a disastrous date with Carla (in which a vitriolic stand-up comic makes Sherman his target), the desperate researcher swallows the formula before it's been perfected. The solution not only makes Sherman thin, it transforms him into a smug, obnoxious cad named Buddy Love.
Buddy also begins dating Carla (and gets sweet revenge on that comic), but drinks more and more of the solution in an effort to erase Sherman Klump forever.
The film received mixed reviews from the critics but it was a success at the box office which put his career back on track after it had waned slightly in the early nineties.
Shrek Forever After is released 2nd July
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw
Tagged in Eddie Murphy Shrek