Comedian, actor, producer, and singer Eddie Murphy was born in Brooklyn and raised on Long Island, New York, where he cultivated his talent for writing and performing stand-up comedy routines. At age 19 Murphy was cast in the 1980-81 season of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, first as a part-time actor, then as a full cast member. Between Murphy’s first appearance on SNL and the 1983-84 season (when he left the show), Murphy became a full-fledged superstar. Murphy’s first comedy album appeared in 1982, the same year as his big screen debut in 48 HOURS. The year 1983 saw the appearance of the film TRADING PLACES, the album COMEDIAN, and the DELIRIOUS concert tour, which was documented in a concert film. Murphy’s star rose higher when the 1985 film BEVERLY HILLS COP became one of the highest grossing films of all time. He also released an album as a musical artist in 1985, a collection of contemporary dance-pop entitled HOW COULD IT BE. In the years following, Murphy lost much of his commercial pull, but continued to make concert films (RAW), musical albums (LOVE’S ALRIGHT), and films (the BEVERLY HILLS COP sequels, BOOMERANG, THE NUTTY PROFESSOR, and the SHREK series, among others).
