Eddie Murphy will likely attend the upcoming 80th annual Golden Globes on Tuesday, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Eddie Murphy is this year’s recipient of the famous Cecil B. DeMille Award, which will be broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel at 8 p.m. EDT.
Since 1952, it has been awarded to recognize professional excellence. Murphy’s filmography includes “Trading Places,” “Coming to America,” “Beverly Hills Cop,” and the new streaming hit “Dolemite is my Name.”
Neil Phillips, chief diversity officer of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, told The Post, “Eddie’s incredible range as an artist and the universal appeal of his body of work aligns very well with our spirit of diversity.” “By honoring such a renowned talent with this award, we demonstrate our dedication to recognizing artists from all communities, whose range of skills is unmatched.”
And the DeMille puts Murphy in excellent company: Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, and Oprah Winfrey are among the previous winners.
Murphy was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 2007 for his part in “Dreamgirls.”
DreamWorks
Nonetheless, Murphy’s track record in dealing with prestigious award shows is somewhat inconsistent. In 2007, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in “Dreamgirls” as the James Brown-inspired James “Thunder” Early. Having won identical honors at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild Awards, he was the favourite.
A friend of Murphy told The Post, “Everyone told him it was 100% for him — that it was his time, that it was his due.” Then, when he did not win, everyone at the Academy Awards told him he had been robbed and that they felt sorry for him. Eddie is a pathologically optimistic individual. He is a Taurus. He is not a poor sport. And he did not like to be the target of pity from others. One by one, individuals expressed to him how bad they felt. He exclaimed, “I’m out of here!”
Murphy did leave the event following the announcement of Alan Arkin’s (“Little Miss Sunshine”) name.
In the same year he was nominated for an Academy Award, Murphy denied being Mel B.’s daughter Angel’s father (right). Later, his paternity was established.
Some in Hollywood thought that Murphy was his own worst enemy, which contributed to his loss. Just when voting for the Oscars was heating up, two occurrences overshadowed the actor’s superb performance in “Dreamgirls.”
One was the release of his lowbrow comedy “Norbit,” which received a nine percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and starred Murphy as both a henpecked husband and his tormenting fat-suited wife. An Oscar consultant told the LA Times in February 2007: “Every time I pass that billboard [for ‘Norbit,’ it makes me sick.”
Murphy, who was unavailable for comment, was also involved in a scandal at the time, according to tabloid reports. When former Spice Girl Mel B became pregnant, actor Cillian Murphy told a reporter, “I don’t know whose child that is until it’s born and a blood test is performed.”
Murphy’s acting resume includes “The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps,” in which he portrayed a variety of roles.
Universal
A blood test confirmed that he is the father of Angel, Mel B’s 15-year-old daughter, after a protracted paternity struggle. Murphy consented to monthly child support payments of $35,000 in October 2022.
All of this may have been too nasty for Oscar voters at the time. In spite of this, an Academy voter stated to The Post, “Eddie was robbed for ‘Dreamgirls.’” He earned the victory. Now, he deserves a trophy for his entire career.”
Nearly four years after the Academy snub, Murphy walked out of the Oscars in a different way. Brett Ratner (“Rush Hour,” “Red Dragon”) was hired to direct the 2012 awards presentation and recruited his friend Murphy to serve as host. After Ratner declared “rehearsal is for f-gs,” however, the situation swiftly degenerated. In 2013, the director apologized profusely and got a GLAAD award.
Murphy reveals that he cringes at some of his old gags from comedy specials such as “Delirious” and “Raw.”
Getty Images
(Murphy was no stranger to homophobia, making jokes about “nightmares about gay people” in his 1983 comedy special “Delirious” and calling a reporter a “f–got” after the individual defeated him in ping-pong in 1990. In 2019, Murphy, now 61 years old, told CBS News of his earlier stand-up: “Some of it makes me squirm when I see it. I’m like, ‘Oh, my God. I cannot believe I just said that.
In sympathy with Ratner’s fast expulsion from the Oscars, Murphy resigned. While it sparked controversy — one Academy member told Hollywood Reporter at the time, “This is like a big middle finger to the Academy and the industry” — Murphy’s friend was impressed by the actor’s dedication to Ratner, who had just directed him in “Tower Heist,” which was a mediocre film.
One Hollywood insider told The Post that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organization behind the Golden Globes, made a wise decision by selecting Murphy this year. Last year, the awards presentation was removed off NBC for ethical issues, including the absence of any black voting members. It quickly followed NBC’s condemnation of the former HFPA president’s “racist rhetoric.”
According to insiders, Murphy’s nomination for a major award will encourage other celebs to return to the Golden Globes.
Harrison Hill-USA TODAY/Sipa United States
A source told The Post that for its return, the HFPA had to find someone who would attract other stars.
“They had to choose honorees who would convince lesser stars and public relations professionals that it was acceptable for them and their stars to attend the Golden Globes if Eddie Murphy was coming. They know that no one in Hollywood can resist receiving an award,” a Hollywood insider stated. “One of the factors that got [the HFPA] into serious problems was a lack of diversity — everywhere. In their own ranks, among the honorees they selected. They never nominated black series or black actors in the past. That is well-known in the area. Thus, variety was a problem. Big name was a problem.”
The source noted that Murphy is “completely” deserving.
Murphy was up in Roosevelt, Long Island, and sharpened his wit on “Saturday Night Live.”
NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal Images Provided by Getty Images
Murphy recounted in a 1982 interview that he sharpened his edge while growing up in Roosevelt, Long Island, with his late actor brother, Charlie, in a “all-black community.”
When he was only 19 years old, in 1980, the actor shot to fame on “Saturday Night Live,” helping to reinvigorate the flagging sketch show until 1984.
Despite developing a taste for domestic luxury – “He visited me in Alpine, NJ, and then bought the nicest house in town,” his former “SNL” castmate Joe Piscopo told The Post – Murphy resided in Roosevelt during his first season on the NBC show.
“I traveled the Long Island Railroad back to Long Island without removing my makeup because I was on television. In a promotional video for “SNL,” he said, “I thought people would see me with makeup on and realize I was on television.” “And, you know, nobody was aware. I undoubtedly appeared to be a rather odd-looking young man.”
In no time at all, though, he took on the trappings of a star on the rise. “I recall going with Eddie to purchase a pair of Jaguars,” Piscopo recalls. “I prefer black while he prefers white. We were traveling to a shopping mall in Paramus in Eddie’s Rolls-Royce convertible the next time he struck it rich. The radio played “Party all the Time” [Murphy’s 1985 smash] while everyone shouted his name. It cannot get much worse.”
Murphy made his Hollywood debut in 1982, as inmate Reggie Hammond with Nick Nolte in “48 Hours” Mand collecting the first of six Golden Globes nominations.
Murphy made his cinematic debut alongside Nick Nolte in 1982’s “48 Hours” and was nominated for the first of six Golden Globes.
Directors vied for opportunities to work with Murphy. “Eddie is not only an actor, but he also created many of the characters he played,” said a friend who has also collaborated closely with Murphy. “His memory is photographic. Once he reads a script, he remembers it. In addition, he understands timing, lighting, and filmmaking… He’s never stuck for lines and is always prepared.”
But while Murphy’s profession flourished, his personal life was not devoid of publicly humiliating incidents. In a 1987 paternity suit, Murphy was proven to be the father of a child. In a 1989 sexual harassment suit, actress Michael Michele claimed that she was fired from “Harlem Nights” after refusing Murphy’s advances. Murphy denied this and settled out of court. In a lawsuit over who actually conceived “Coming to America,” the film’s studio, Paramount, settled with the plaintiff. In 1997, Murphy was stopped by police in West Hollywood while driving with a transgender prostitute. There were no charges filed. Murphy stated via his representative at the time, “I was trying to be a Good Samaritan, and this is what happens.”
However, Murphy was able to dodge the substance problems that destroyed the careers of comedians John Belushi, Richard Pryor, and Chris Farley. In 2016, he told Hollywood Reporter that Belushi and Robin Williams “offered me a blow, but I declined.” As a result, he added, Belushi labeled him a “tight-ass.”
Murphy is a father of 10 kids, including five with his ex-wife Nicole Mitchell and two with fiancée Paige Butcher.
Murphy is currently the father of ten children, five with his ex-wife Nicole Mitchell and two with his actress fiancée Paige Butcher. A bit of a real-estate mogul, he lived in a $20 million mansion the North Beverly Park district of Los Aneles — complete with a tennis court, deep BBQ pit and underground vault — and squandered $15 million on a Bahamian island called Rooster Cay.
Variety reports that in 2021, he inked a three-picture deal with Amazon and is now filming a fourth “Beverly Hills Cop” film for Netflix. Additionally, he is rumored to be in talks to play George Clinton in a biopic about the godfather of funk.
Does he really need recognition from the Golden Globes in light of this?
While the prize is undeniably prestigious and demonstrates a stature that emerging comedian Leonard Ouzts described to The Post as “being a hop, skip, and a jump away from Richard Pryor in terms of comedic influence,” one has to ask if getting the DeMille is a huge deal for Murphy.
“I don’t know if he cares about awards or not,” remarked the friend. “I believe he is concerned about box office and audience enjoyment. The end for Eddie.”
»Eddie Murphy’s Golden Globe revenge against the Oscars«