Shrek Foever After
In 1980 Eddie Murphy was an unknown comic who was given a shot on Saturday Night Live by talent co-ordinator Neil Levy and from their Murphy's career took off.
From Saturday Night Live the stand up comic moved into movies making his big screen debut in 1982 with Nick Nolte in 48 Hrs.
This week he returns to the big screen in Shrek Forever After as he reprises the role of Donkey in the fifth movie in the franshise.
Here at FemaleFist we look back over a long and successful career and uncover Eddie Murphy's top big screen performances.
1. Dreamgirls
He may have been supporting actor to Jamie Foxx on this occasion in 2006 musical Dreamgirls but Murphy unleashed some sensational singing as James "Thunder" Early.
Set in the sixties and seventies Dreamgirls follows the career of Motown band The Dreamettes during the evolution of American R&B music and leading the way with the new Detroit sound is Early.
Effie White, Deena Jones, and Lorrell Robinson, accompanied by their songwriter C.C. White (Effie's brother), they travel to New York to compete in a talent show at the Apollo Theatre.
Although the girls lose this first bid for fame, their talent attracts an ambitious manager by the name of Curtis Taylor, Jr., who uses unscrupulous tactics to move the girls from backup singers of superstar James "Thunder" Early to superstars of their own.
Curtis reshapes the group to "crossover" from R & B to the lucrative pop music scene. Lead singer Effie gets replaced by the more attractive Deena and is eventually dropped from the trio.
The group evolves into a more sophisticated group, The Dreams, with a lighter sound and chic look. They successfully attract a "whiter" audience and The Dreams rise to international stardom. The money, fame, and adulation, however, doesn't bring them happiness.
For his performance Murphy secured a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, as the film secured seven more, but he lost out to Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine.
2. Beverly Hills Cop
In 1984 Murphy stepped into his first action movie of what turned out to be a successful franchise with Beverly Hills Cop, Axel Foley was born.
When his best friend is murdered, Axel heads off to Beverly Hills in an effort to track down the killer.
The resulting culture shock is only one of his difficulties: Often operating just outside the law in his determination to capture the murderer, he finds himself repeatedly clashing with the local authorities as well as his supervisor back home.
With the help of Beverly Hills detective Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and his partner, Sergeant Taggart (John Ashton), Axel is able to track down the killer, who turns out to be Victor Maitland (Steven Berkoff), a wealthy, powerful, and respected member of the California community.
It is up to Axel to outsmart the evil British criminal, who is protected inside his fortresslike mansion.
The film shot Murphy to international stardom as Beverly Hills Cop went on to gross in excess of $316 million at the global box office and landing Murphy a Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy nomination at the Golden Globes.
3. Shrek
In 2001 it was Murphy's vocal cords that were on display as he lent his voice to Dreamworks' new animation project Shrek as they tried to end Pixar's domination at the box office.
Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) is a fearsome green ogre living in isolation in his own cosy little swamp. He is not receptive to visitors, and fends off the occasional party of torch-wielding villagers with ease.
But when the power-hungry Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) turns Shrek's swamp into a relocation camp for dozens of banished fairy-tale characters... Shrek's quiet, introverted life is ruined.
Joined by the talkative Donkey (Eddie Murphy), Shrek makes his way to Farquaad's realm of Duloc, where the Lord promises makes Shrek and offer: He will rid Shrek's land of the unwanted visitors if Shrek will go on a simple quest to free Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from her remote, dragon-guarded castle and convince her to marry Farquaad.
The film was a runaway hit grossing well over $480 million at the box office spawning two sequels that have gone on to become one of the most successful movie franchises of all time.
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
In 1980 Eddie Murphy was an unknown comic who was given a shot on Saturday Night Live by talent co-ordinator Neil Levy and from their Murphy's career took off.
From Saturday Night Live the stand up comic moved into movies making his big screen debut in 1982 with Nick Nolte in 48 Hrs.
This week he returns to the big screen in Shrek Forever After as he reprises the role of Donkey in the fifth movie in the franshise.
Here at FemaleFist we look back over a long and successful career and uncover Eddie Murphy's top big screen performances.
1. Dreamgirls
He may have been supporting actor to Jamie Foxx on this occasion in 2006 musical Dreamgirls but Murphy unleashed some sensational singing as James "Thunder" Early.
Set in the sixties and seventies Dreamgirls follows the career of Motown band The Dreamettes during the evolution of American R&B music and leading the way with the new Detroit sound is Early.
Effie White, Deena Jones, and Lorrell Robinson, accompanied by their songwriter C.C. White (Effie's brother), they travel to New York to compete in a talent show at the Apollo Theatre.
Although the girls lose this first bid for fame, their talent attracts an ambitious manager by the name of Curtis Taylor, Jr., who uses unscrupulous tactics to move the girls from backup singers of superstar James "Thunder" Early to superstars of their own.
Curtis reshapes the group to "crossover" from R & B to the lucrative pop music scene. Lead singer Effie gets replaced by the more attractive Deena and is eventually dropped from the trio.
The group evolves into a more sophisticated group, The Dreams, with a lighter sound and chic look. They successfully attract a "whiter" audience and The Dreams rise to international stardom. The money, fame, and adulation, however, doesn't bring them happiness.
For his performance Murphy secured a Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination, as the film secured seven more, but he lost out to Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine.
2. Beverly Hills Cop
In 1984 Murphy stepped into his first action movie of what turned out to be a successful franchise with Beverly Hills Cop, Axel Foley was born.
When his best friend is murdered, Axel heads off to Beverly Hills in an effort to track down the killer.
The resulting culture shock is only one of his difficulties: Often operating just outside the law in his determination to capture the murderer, he finds himself repeatedly clashing with the local authorities as well as his supervisor back home.
With the help of Beverly Hills detective Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and his partner, Sergeant Taggart (John Ashton), Axel is able to track down the killer, who turns out to be Victor Maitland (Steven Berkoff), a wealthy, powerful, and respected member of the California community.
It is up to Axel to outsmart the evil British criminal, who is protected inside his fortresslike mansion.
The film shot Murphy to international stardom as Beverly Hills Cop went on to gross in excess of $316 million at the global box office and landing Murphy a Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy nomination at the Golden Globes.
3. Shrek
In 2001 it was Murphy's vocal cords that were on display as he lent his voice to Dreamworks' new animation project Shrek as they tried to end Pixar's domination at the box office.
Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) is a fearsome green ogre living in isolation in his own cosy little swamp. He is not receptive to visitors, and fends off the occasional party of torch-wielding villagers with ease.
But when the power-hungry Lord Farquaad (John Lithgow) turns Shrek's swamp into a relocation camp for dozens of banished fairy-tale characters... Shrek's quiet, introverted life is ruined.
Joined by the talkative Donkey (Eddie Murphy), Shrek makes his way to Farquaad's realm of Duloc, where the Lord promises makes Shrek and offer: He will rid Shrek's land of the unwanted visitors if Shrek will go on a simple quest to free Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from her remote, dragon-guarded castle and convince her to marry Farquaad.
The film was a runaway hit grossing well over $480 million at the box office spawning two sequels that have gone on to become one of the most successful movie franchises of all time.
Tagged in Eddie Murphy Shrek