Actor and comedian
Eddie Murphy is again the victim of social media murder after a website, Global
Associated News, set Twitter ablaze with reports of his death.
“Actor Eddie
Murphy is reported to have died shortly after a snowboard accident earlier
today - July 24, 2012,” read the article.
The site went on
to explain that the Dr. Dolittle star had gone on holiday with family and
friends in Zermatt ski resort, Switzerland when the “incident” happened.
“Witnesses
indicate that Eddie Murphy lost control of his snowboard and struck a tree at a
high rate of speed. Eddie Murphy was air lifted by ski patrol teams to a local
hospital, however, it is believed that the actor died instantly from the impact
of the crash”
Failing to notice
the fine print disclaimer at the bottom of the page, social media users
conveyed the death hoax causing a barrage of condolence tweets before the truth
was finally unveiled. Murphy’s representative confirmed that the rumor was
indeed a hoax.
"Trust me,
Eddie is very much alive and well…and definitely not in Switzerland
snowboarding.”
Ironically, this
is not the first time Eddie Murphy has been rumored dead. The same website
published a similar story in February this year saying the actor met his demise
in another snow boarding accident.
Murphy joins the
list of celebrities who have experienced death hoaxes such as Charlie Sheen,
Adam Sandler, Will Smith, Paris Hilton
and Tiger Woods.
Early
Life
Comedian. Eddie
Murphy was born April 3, 1961, in Brooklyn, New York. He spent his early years
in the projects of Bushwick with his father, Charles Murphy, a New York City
police officer and amateur comedian, his mother, Lillian Murphy, a telephone
operator, and his brother Charles. His parents divorced when he was three; five
years later, his father died and his mother went into the hospital for an
extended period.
When Murphy was
nine, his mother married Vernon Lynch, a foreman at a Breyer's ice cream
factory, and the family moved to the primarily African-American suburb of
Roosevelt, Long Island.
Murphy watched a
lot of television growing up and developed a great skill for impressions, doing
such characters as Bugs Bunny, Bullwinkle, and Sylvester the Cat. "My
mother says I never talked in my own voice," Murphy later said.
Although he was
never a dedicated student, Murphy found a great forum for his verbal agility in
grade school, excelling in the popular game of "ranking"—trading
witty insults with classmates. Hosting a talent show at the Roosevelt Youth
Center at age 15, Murphy delighted his young audience with an impersonation of
Al Green.
This early success
ignnited a passion for showbiz, and Murphy began working on his comedy routines
after school and performing stand-up at local bars, clubs, and "gong
shows." His schoolwork suffered, however, and Murphy had to repeat the
10th grade as a result.
By doubling up on
classes, and attending summer and night school, he graduated only a couple of
months late. Murphy was voted the "most popular" boy in his
graduating class. His declared career plan: comedian.
Mainstream
Success
Responding to the
pleas of his mother, Murphy enrolled at Nassau Community College and worked
part-time as a shoe store clerk. He continued to perform in local clubs, and
eventually worked his way into such New York City venues as the Comic Strip,
billing himself as a disciple of the great comedian Richard Pryor.
Although his
raunchy, profanity-ridden routines resembled his idol's, Murphy stayed away
from drinking, smoking, and drugs, and would later declare to Barbara Walters,
"I don't have to sniff cocaine to make me funny."
When Murphy
learned that the producers of NBC's popular late night comedy show, Saturday
Night Live, were seeking a black cast member for the 1980-81 season, he jumped
on the opportunity. He auditioned for the part six times, and finally earned a
place as an extra on the show. He appeared sporadically throughout the season,
until one fateful night when producers realized they had four minutes of
airtime remaining and no material. They pushed Murphy before the camera, and
told him to do his stand-up routine. His improvised performance was called
"masterful" by Rolling Stone, and Murphy became one of only two cast
members (along with Joe Piscopo) asked back for the next season.
Murphy became Saturday Night
Live' s strongest comedic presence, creating such
memorable characters as Mister Robinson, an urban version of TV's Mister
Rogers; an older version of the Little
Rascals character, Buckwheat;
and an illiterate convict and poet named Tyrone Green. He also continued his
skillful impersonations, adding Bill Cosby, Muhammad Ali, James Brown,Jerry Lewis, and Stevie Wonder to his repertoire. Murphy received criticism for
his satirical characterizations based on black stereotypes. He defended his
performances, claiming that his characters were far too absurd and abstract to
be taken seriously.
On the Big Screen
In 1982, Murphy received a Grammy
nomination for a live album of fresh stand-up material called Eddie
Murphy: Comedian. The album eventually went gold. That same year, at the
age of 21, he also landed his first major motion picture role alongside Nick Nolte in 48 Hours (1982).
He approached the role with confidence and ingenuity, convincing director
Walter Hill to adjust some of the dialogue to more genuinely depict a black
speaker. His charming and inspired performance as the fast-talking convict
stole the film, and48 Hours grossed over $5 million in its first
week.
Murphy followed this success with
the 1930s style farce Trading Places (1983). Playing alongside
fellow SNL alumnus Dan Aykroyd, Murphy's street-wise Billy Ray
Valentine becomes the victim, then the victor, of two Wall Street moguls' short-sighted
bet. Paramount Pictures proceeded to sign the 23-year-old to a $25 million
contract for six pictures.
Murphy's next film, Beverly
Hills Cop (1984), hit No. 9 on the list of all-time box office hits.
He played bad boy/good cop Axel Foley, a role originally slated for Sylvester
Stallone. His performance was a hit with fans, and earned the actor a Golden
Globe nomination. Taking advantage of his status as a hot commodity, Murphy
released his first album How Could it Be?, which was produced by
music legend Rick James. The first single off the album,
"Party All the Time," peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot
100.
Murphy went on the make Beverly
Hills Cop II in 1987, which received mixed reviews from critics, but
major rewards from the box office. His other efforts of this period—including The
Golden Child (1986) and his directorial debut, Harlem Nights (1989)—were
deemed failures by critics and audiences alike.
A highlight of his career during
this time was the romantic comedyComing to America (1988),
co-starring Arsenio Hall. In the film, both Murphy and Hall were
able to demonstrate their comedic versatilty by playing multiple characters within the
film. Audiences loved Murphy's performances and the movie became a box office
smash, grossing more than $128 million in the U.S. alone.
Prostitution Incident
In 1990, Murphy starred in a
sequel to his popular film, 48
Hours called Another 48 Hours. The second
film did not perform to the same standards as the first, and Murphy decided to
take a break from the Hollywood scene.
He returned in 1992 as a
smooth, impeccably dressed bachelor in the film Boomerang, co-starring Halle Berry. The film
met mixed reviews, but many critics found Murphy's performance as a romantic
lead a step in the right direction. He followed the success of the film with Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) and Vampire in Brooklyn (1995), both low performers at the box
office.
In 1996, Murphy rediscovered
his love for over-the-top comedic invention in a hit remake of the Jerry Lewis film The Nutty Professor. Murphy
earned a Golden Globe nomination and an Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy
& Horror Films Award for his role in the film.
In May of 1997, Murphy earned
some unfortunate publicity when he was discovered by L.A. police with a
transsexual prostitute. He claimed he was merely trying to give the prostitute
a ride. The incident made him the target of jokes nonetheless.
Continued Success
Despite the scandal in his
personal life, Murphy went on to feature in a variety of family films. He
played the voice of Mushu the Lizard in Disney's animated picture Mulan (1998) to enormous critical praise,
and starred in the family film, Doctor
Doolittle (1998).
In 1999, Murphy starred in the
comedy Bowfinger,
costarring Steve Martin, who also
wrote the screenplay. Nutty
Professor II: The Klumps was
released in the summer of 2000, with Murphy featured as all six lead
characters. He also voiced the lead character, superintendent Thurgood Stubbs,
on The PJs, an animated TV
show for which he also serves as executive producer. In the summer of 2001,
Murphy had two more big box office successes, starring inDr. Doolittle 2 and lending his voice to the character
of Donkey in the animated feature Shrek,
also featuring the voices of Mike Myersand Cameron Diaz.
In 2003, Murphy starred in yet
another family comedy, this time as an overwhelmed babysitter in Daddy Day Care. The following
year, he revived Donkey for the hit sequel Shrek
2. In 2006, Murphy signed on for what was arguably his most demanding film
to date, a screen adaptation of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, featuringJennifer Hudson. His performance as soul singer James
"Thunder" Early earned him a Golden Globe award and an Academy Award
nomination. In 2007, Murphy appeared in Norbit and Shrek
the Third.
Personal Life
In January of 2008, Murphy
announced his split with film producer Tracey Edmonds. The couple married in
French Polynesia on New Year's Day of that year in front of 25 family members
and friends. When it turned out that the celebration was not legally binding,
Murphy and his new wife planned to renew their vows on American soil. The
second ceremony never took place, however, and the couple officially separated.
Murphy continues to work as an
actor and comedian. His filmTower Heist is slated to be released later this
year.
1 comments:
Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive learn something like this before.
So good to search out somebody with some original ideas on this
subject. realy thanks for starting this up. this website is one thing that's wanted on the internet, someone with somewhat originality.
helpful job for bringing one thing new to the web!
my web blog: facebook of sex (facebookofsex.yaforia.com)
Post a Comment