Eddie Murphy Movie Characters

Known for his history of outrageous stage performances, Eddie Murphy movie characters have larger than life personalities, luring millions of fans to the theater for over three decades. From overweight professors to talking donkeys, Eddie Murphy is a versatile Hollywood actor who knows how to entertain audiences. Murphy's most notable performance was in the Nutty Professor where he played eight characters. In 2001 Murphy joined the cast of the animated feature film series, Shrek, in which he was the voice of the donkey.

Eddie Murphy Movie Characters by Film

• Reggie Hammond, 48 Hours (1982): Jack Cates, a misdirected San Francisco cop, have 48 hours to clear his name from pending manslaughter charges. Cates sought the assistance of Reggie Hammond, a newly released convict. However, their plans turn sour when a group of bikers attempts to kill Reggie.
• Billy Ray Valentine, Trading Places (1983): Trading Places is a classic film battling the concept of "nature versus nurture," as two big-shot investment bankers bet they can transform a "bum" into a professional gentleman. Billy Ray Valentine stars as the beggar and bum who, with the help of the investors, leaves his life of crime behind.
• Lieutenant T.M. Landry, Best Defense (1984): Murphy stars as Lieutenant T. M. Landry, a trained police officer who specializes in combat warfare and armor. Landry meets Wylie Cooper, a lazy soon-to-be unemployed businessman who designed the tank Landry operates. Through on-the-go thinking, Wylie saves his - and his employer's careers.
• Detective Axel Foley, Beverly Hills Cop (1984): Long time friend Mike visits Detroit beat 'em up cop Axel Foley (Murphy) and is killed in front of his best friend by Zack, the probable suspect. Foley travels to California to monitor Zack's whereabouts, finding out that his old friend, Jenny, works in an art gallery that is a cover for a larger criminal operation.
• Chandler Jarrell, The Golden Child (1986): Chandler Jarrell is a detective who has a niche in finding lost minors. His next assignment leads him on a spiritual journey in which he must find the "Golden Child," a Buddhist who was taken hostage by demons.
• Detective Axel Foley, Beverly Hills Cop II (1987): Detective Axel Foley returns to the glamorous streets of Beverly Hills to help fellow law enforcement track down a series of odd thefts. After their captain suffers a gunshot wound, Foley is committed to avenging the shooter with the justice he deserves.
• Multiple, Coming to America (1988): Murphy plays four characters, Prince Akeem, Clarence, Randy Watson, and Saul in a comedic parody following an African American prince and his search of finding his new queen in the middle of the Bronx.
• "Quick" aka Vernest Brown, Harlem Nights (1989): Sugar Ray owns an illegal casino operation and tries to keep his business afloat while dealing with corrupt law enforcement officers and gangsters.
• Reggie Hammond, Another 48 Hours (1990): Jack Cates finds himself in another pickle and needs the help of ex-con Reggie Hammond to take down the prominent San Francisco drug lord, The Iceman.
• Marcus Graham, Boomerang (1992): Marcus is a professional womanizer and serves as an executive in a prestigious advertising firm who has the world at his disposal. That is, until he met his new boss, Jacqueline, who is gives Marcus a taste of his own medicine.
• Thomas Jefferson Johnson, The Distinguished Gentleman (1992): A conman, Thomas Jefferson Johnson, uses his name to entice constituents and run for Congress, only to find out that the lobbying money comes with strings attached.
• Detective Axel Foley, Beverly Hills Cop III (1994): Detective Axel Foley realizes the shooting of his captain was miniscule in comparison to the counterfeit money operation the crooks run out of a theme park in LA.
• Multiple, Vampire in Brooklyn (1995): Murphy stars as Maximillian, Preacher Pauly, and Guido, who are on a Caribbean island surrounded by vampires, fighting to stay alive and continue their legacies.
• Multiple, The Nutty Professor (1996): Murphy portrays Sherman, Papa, Mama, Grandma, and Ernie Klump in addition to Buddy Love and Lance Perkins in an oversized comedy following Sherman's experiment to lose weight by playing with chemicals rather than exercising.
• Inspector Scott Roper, Metro (1997): Inspector Scott Roger, a hostage negotiator, traps the murderers and thefts involved with a bank heist gone sour.
• Mushu (Voice), Mulan (1998): A young Chinese girl decides to join her father in the army, knowing he would not survive the warfare. Mushu, a tiny dragon contracted by her elders, joins her and attempts to convince her to abort her operations.
• Dr. John Dolittle, Doctor Dolittle (1998): After running over a dog in his car, Dr. John Doolittle has the innate ability to speak, and understand, his furry friends. Word spreads quickly and animals flock to his house, where he puts his wife, daughter, and career at risk.
• G, Holy Man (1998): Murphy plays "G," a television evangelist, who turns home shopping into a religious event.
• Kit and Jeffernson Ramsey, Bowfinger (1999): Murphy stars as Kit and Jefferson Ramsey in a comedic parody that highlights the challenges of filming bargain basement films. After their big-name actor ditches their film, the crew begins covertly filming the movie around the actor.
• Multiple, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000): Once again Murphy plays the Klump family in the sequel that redefines family embarrassment following the hideous attempts of Sherman's wedding.
• Donkey (Voice), Shrek (2001): Murphy stars as the voice of an annoying Donkey who follows an Ogre, who is in search of a princess, whom he must bring to his lord who wants to become King.
• Dr. John Dolittle, Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001): Dr. John Doolittle proved himself to the animal kingdom and must now save a rainforest and protect a bear.
• Officer Trey Sellers, Showtime (2002): Officer Trey Sellars must team up with another cop, who is the exact opposite of himself, in order to appear on a new reality television series.
• Pluto Nash, The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002): In a futuristic space film, Pluto Nash, played by Murphy, struggles to keep his nightclub afloat by protecting the club from the infringing mafia.
• Kelly Robinson, I Spy (2002): Portraying a former professional boxer, Kelly, played by Murphy, is contracted by the United States government to find a missing jet.
• Charles Hinton, Daddy Day Care (2003): Two recently laid off men are forced to stay at home with their kids while their wives are at work. Desperate to find work, the comedic adventure follows their attempts to open a home daycare center.
• Donkey (Voice), Shrek 2 (2004): Princess Fiona's parents invite Shrek to an eventful dinner celebrating their impending marriage.
• James Early, Dreamgirls (2006): The Broadway remake follows a group of African American soul singers in the 1960s that make their way into Pop history.
• Multiple, Norbit (2007): Eddie Murphy movie characters, including this mildly entertaining gentleman, finds himself in love with an overly obese woman; however, he was determined to be with her despite her size.
• Donkey (Voice), Shrek the Third (2007): After Shrek's father in law became seriously ill, he was sent to look after his estate and protect it from intruders.
• Multiple, Meet Dave (2008): A spaceship that lands on Earth is overtaken by a flock of attractive female earthlings.
• Evan Danielson, Imagine That (2009): Murphy stars in a Disney movie as a financial executive who lacks creativity, until he enlists the creative thinking powers of his daughter's imaginary world.

The Future of Eddie Murphy

Murphy is currently in the midst of producing several new films, including Beverly Hills Cop IV, Marshals, Fantasy Island, and the Misadventures of Fluffy. Murphy finished working on Shrek, Forever After (2010) and A Thousand Words (2011). With 24 Oscars and 46 nominations, Murphy has no plans of leaving Hollywood anytime soon.