Eddie Murphy
Comedy history · 10 facts, each from at least two of 13 independent sources · last reviewed 2026-10-17
Eddie Murphy is a Hollywood comedian and actor whose film work includes Beverly Hills Cop and Nutty Professor.1,2,3,4,5,6 He was once part of the Saturday Night Live cast, having joined the show in 1980.2,3,7,8,9
Saturday Night Live
Buckwheat was among the characters that made him famous during his time on the show.3,10 For the program's 40th anniversary special, he turned down the chance to portray Bill Cosby.5,11 He was scheduled to come back to the NBC program in December 2019.9,10
Film Career
Along with Beverly Hills Cop, Murphy had starring roles in Trading Places and Doctor Dolittle.3,12 He also starred in Coming to America.3,13 Another of his live-action film parts was in Tower Heist.6,12,14
Sources
- Eddie Murphy and fiancee have baby boy, his 10th child - Entertainment News - 13 WTHR Indianapolis (wthr.com) · archived copy
- Katt Williams, Bernie Mac, Chris Rock: 19 greatest comedians of all time (revolt.tv)
- Eddie Murphy: I’ll retire from films at 50 (today.com)
- Eddie Murphy Loses Oscar, Bolts From Show | Fox News (foxnews.com)
- Eddie Murphy to play Richard Pryor’s father, LeRoy Pryor, in Lee Daniels-directed biopic: report – New York Daily News (nydailynews.com)
- Eddie Murphy Explains His Awkward 'SNL 40' Appearance | GQ (gq.com)
- Eddie Murphy Says 'Ghostbusters' Is His 'Wish I Would Have Done' Movie (variety.com)
- The 5 Greatest Comedies Of All-Time, According To Chris Rock | Cinemablend (cinemablend.com)
- Why Eddie Murphy Stayed Away From ‘SNL’ for So Long (ultimateclassicrock.com)
- Emmy Eddie: Murphy snags his first trophy for 'SNL' episode (nydailynews.com)
- Eddie Murphy Turned Down Bill Cosby 'SNL' Impression (rollingstone.com)
- Eddie Murphy confirmed as Oscars 2012 host | Oscars 2012 | The Guardian (theguardian.com)
- Is this what a future Oscar winner looks like? - Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
- Eddie Murphy drops out as Oscars host | CNN (cnn.com)
Updated November 12, 2026.