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Eddie Murphy is a movie icon and comedy legend. As a Hollywood veteran who has been in the industry for many years, fans may wonder about how he got started, his age, height, and background. Eddie Murphy is 58-years-old, and stands 5’9″.
Winning an Oscar Isn’t Eddie Murphy’s Goal as an Actor
Murphy has received rave reviews for his work in the Netflix film Dolemite Is My Name. He already earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, among his many awards over the years.
Murphy spent some time away from the big screen and made 2020 a time that some may dub his “comeback” year. In an interview with IndieWire, Murphy was asked how he felt about the term “comeback” for his 2020 achievements. He said, “Man, I’ve been making movies for almost 40 years, and every few years when I do a movie, they say I’m coming back. I’m like, ‘Okay, that’s how you want to spin it.’ I’ve been making movies for almost 40 years. And my movies have made so much money. The whole comeback and stuff, you can’t really say that.”
Asked if he cares if he receives the Oscar or not, Murphy said, “Yeah, I never chase a trophy. But when your stuff gets well-received to the point that there’s even discussion about giving you a trophy, that’s a good thing. It’s a great feeling because most movies don’t work. Most TV shows don’t work. Most records don’t work. Success is the exception, not the rule. And when they want to give you an Oscar, or when they even have that conversation, that’s a good feeling because that just shows you how much people liked it.”
Eddie Murphy Was Born in Brooklyn
Murphy was born on April 3, 1961, in Brooklyn, New York. His early years were spent in the projects of Bushwick. His mother worked as a telephone operator, and his father worked as a transit police officer. After his parents divorced and his mother remarried, Murphy moved to a suburb in Long Island.
Murphy’s father was killed when he was very young. I Love Oldschool Music quotes him as saying of his father, ” A woman stabbed my father. I never got all the logistics. It was supposed to be one of those crimes of passion: ‘If I can’t have you, then no one else will’ kind of deal. Someone said to me one day, ‘That’s why you don’t trust women.’ Get the fu*k outta here. What are you, a fu*%ing psychiatrist?” said Eddie.
After graduating high school, he attended Nassau Community College, all the while performing in late-night comedy clubs. When the chance came to audition for SNL, he jumped on it and was eventually brought on as an extra before being bumped to a regular cast member.
Sitting down with Rolling Stone a few years ago, Murphy was asked if he ever reminds his own children of how he grew up. He said, “I never throw that in their face. When I’m having those kinds of conversations, usually it’s with someone else, not my kids.”
Today, Murphy is engaged to an Australian actress named Paige Butcher. He has ten children — his oldest daughter, Bria Murphy, is 30.
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