Richard Pryor, whose third standup comedy record encouraged Murphy to tell jokes when he was 15 years old, was Eddie Murphy’s biggest influence. Murphy was cast on Saturday Night Live by Lorne Michaels after his precocious comedy performance earned him the title of Most Popular Student at his high school in Roosevelt, New York, when he was 15 years old.
He was 19 years old at the time. When it comes to his SNL legacy, Murphy holds the distinction of being the only cast member to ever formally host the program while still being a part of the group. Murphy released three R&B albums during his career, but those born in 1990 or after are unlikely to know.
While Murphy has portrayed some of cinema’s most famous characters, the number of possible projects in which he could have appeared is endless. Murphy was originally cast in the role of Winston Zeddemore in Ghostbusters. Murphy received the 2015 Mark Twain Award for American Humor, in addition to a plethora of other awards and achievements.
Murphy’s mentor, Richard Pryor, was the inaugural recipient of the honor in 1998, and his protégé, Dave Chappelle, was the most recent recipient in 2019. Few people are aware of the charitable causes and philanthropic work Murphy has done over the course of his distinguished career since his public profile has been kept so low.