You’d recognize that laugh blindfolded—it’s infectious. And it’s not just his cackle that has us smiling. There’s just something about Eddie Murphy that makes us happy. In fact, there are 10 things. Here are all the reasons we adore the one and only Mr. Murphy.
Murphy’s sense of humor came out of necessity. He wasn’t just goofing around or playing the part of class clown. He needed to laugh, so he made it happen. After his father died, his mother became very ill; and so an eight-year-old Murphy lived in foster care for one year. This trying, troubling experience forced him to find the funny in life. Not many people could do this, and so we’ve got to give him big-time credit.
When he was just an eager teenager, Murphy started to write and perform his own original material. From a young age, he knew what he wanted and wasn’t afraid to go for it.
Ever since his days on Saturday Night Live in the early ’80s, we’ve admired Murphy’s unique humor and style. And movies like Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, Doctor Doolittle, and Shrek just solidified our love for him.
His actions speak louder than words (which will be appropriate in his upcoming film A Thousand Words, where he’s not allowed to talk!). Whether he’s giving the audience his silly signature smile or his mouth is agape in mock shock, his facial expressions always make us laugh.
We knew Donkey sounded familiar. Murphy’s unmistakable voice instantly has us cracking a smile. And, like we said, his trademark laugh gets us going.
He’s one of the greats. And when it comes to physical comedy, we think he’s on par with Jim Carrey and Robin Williams. In fact, they should be the new Three Stooges.
Murphy is not a one-trick pony. And while comedy is his passion, he’s strong in other areas too. Did you see him in Dreamgirls? He rocked it.
Oh, yeah, and he's got a good singing voice as well. He's had hit singles including "Party All the Time" and also wowed us with his performances in Dreamgirls.
After a few quiet years in the early ’90s, Murphy made his big silver-screen comeback with his wacky comedy The Nutty Professor. Dr. Doolittle and Shrek followed shortly thereafter.
In his latest film, A Thousand Words, Murphy plays Jack McCall, a literary agent who's been stretching the truth on a deal with a spiritual guru. Soon he finds a Bodhi tree on his property, and with it comes a life lesson about the consequences of the words we speak. Suffice it to say, he has to keep quiet and learn how to communicate in other ways. We think it sounds pretty hilarious, and we know Murphy will play the part perfectly.
