Eddie Murphy net worth in 2024 continues to intrigue fans of the legendary comedian and actor. Known for his groundbreaking roles in films like Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, and The Nutty Professor, Murphy’s financial success reflects his remarkable impact on the entertainment industry over the past few decades.
Let’s take a closer look at her earnings, sources of income, and the journey that has led to her impressive net worth.
Eddie Murphy in Brief
| Full Name | Eddie Murphy |
| Date of Birth | April 3, 1961 |
| Place of Birth | Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA |
| Occupation | Actor, Comedian, Singer, Producer |
| Height | 5 feet 8 inches (175 cm) |
| Spouse | Nicole Mitchell Murphy (m. 1993–2006) |
| Children | Bria, Myles, Shayne, Zola, Bella, Miles, Angel, Eric, Christian, Max |
| Net Worth | $200 million |
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What is Eddie Murphy’s Net Worth in 2024?
Eddie Murphy is an American actor, comedian, and singer with a net worth of $200 million as of 2024. His movies have made nearly $7 billion worldwide, making him the sixth highest-grossing American actor. In the late 80s, 90s, and 2000s, Eddie was one of the highest-paid actors, earning around $20 million per film. Overall, he has earned over $300 million in salaries and royalties. In 2019, Netflix paid him $70 million for a series of comedy specials. Adding it all up, Eddie has made at least $420 million in his career.
In the early 1980s, Saturday Night Live (SNL) gave Eddie Murphy a big break and turned him into a huge star. He created memorable characters like Buckwheat, Mister Robinson, and Gumby on the show.
Eddie Murphy became obsessed with comedy after hearing Richard Pryor’s comedy albums as a teenager. When he joined SNL in 1980, the show was struggling. With Lorne Michaels gone and the original cast left, Murphy is credited with saving the show.
Murphy was in 65 episodes of SNL from 1980 to 1984. He was just 19 when he started on the show. His skits often dealt with race issues in bold ways. Sketches like “Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood” and “White Like Me” are now classics. The show made him a superstar. In 2015, he was ranked as the second greatest SNL cast member of all time, behind John Belushi.
Eddie Murphy Started his film career while still on SNL with the 1982 film 48 Hours. He followed with hits like Trading Places, the Beverly Hills Cop films, Coming to America, Harlem Nights, and Another 48 Hrs. Although his popularity dropped a bit in the 1990s, it picked up again with family-friendly movies like Mulan, the Shrek series, Dreamgirls, and The Nutty Professor films. In 2006, Murphy was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe for his role in Dreamgirls. In 2021, he appeared in the sequel Coming 2 America.
Eddie Murphy’s Early Life
Eddie Murphy was born in Brooklyn, New York City, and grew up in Bushwick. His mom Lillian Murphy worked as a telephone operator while his dad Charles Edward Murphy was both a transit police officer and a part-time actor/comedian. Tragically his father was murdered when Eddie was just eight years old.
After his parents split when he was three Eddie and his older brother Charlie Murphy went to live in foster care for a year when their mom fell ill. This experience along with growing up in Roosevelt New York shaped Eddie’s sense of humor something he often credits in interviews. Later on, their mom remarried Vernon Lynch who worked as a foreman at an ice cream plant.
Eddie Murphy’s Career
Early standup career
Eddie Murphy’s journey into comedy began at a young age. At 15 he was inspired by Richard Pryor’s comedy album “That Nigger’s Crazy” to pursue comedy himself. As a child, he loved imitating his acting hero Peter Sellers, and was influenced by comedians like Bill Cosby, Redd Foxx, and Robin Williams as well as figures like Muhammad Ali and Bruce Lee.
Murphy officially started his career on July 9, 1976, performing at a talent show where he impersonated singer Al Green. This led to gigs at local clubs and late-night shows that required him to sneak out of school causing his mom to send him to summer school after finding out.
Superstar status
In the early 1980s, Eddie Murphy gained fame on “Saturday Night Live” (SNL) where he created memorable characters like a grown-up Buckwheat from “Little Rascals” a streetwise version of Mr. Rogers named Mr. Robinson, and a gloomy Gumby. His work revitalized SNL during a critical period.
Eddie Murphy’s stand-up specials “Delirious” and “Raw” were huge hits especially “Raw” which was filmed at Madison Square Garden and grossed $50 million. His film career took off with hits like “48 Hrs.” “Trading Places” and “Beverly Hills Cop” making him a box office sensation.
Despite his early success, Eddie Murphy faced criticism for some film choices like “Best Defense” which flopped. His fame continued into the late 1980s with successful movies like “Coming to America” and “Beverly Hills Cop II cementing his status as Hollywood’s top star.
Commercial decline
In the 1990s, Murphy’s critical acclaim waned with films like “Beverly Hills Cop III” though he still found success with movies like “Boomerang”. He also directed and starred in “Harlem Nights” featuring his comedy idols Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx.
Despite his ups and downs Murphy’s influence on comedy and Hollywood is undeniable. He helped launch the careers of many black actors and left an indelible mark on pop culture even though he distanced himself from SNL for years due to personal conflicts later reconciling with his colleagues.
Eddie Murphy’s career has seen ups and downs. After “The Nutty Professor” he found success in family films like “Mulan,” “Dr. Dolittle,” and “Shrek.” However, his movies aimed at adults such as “Metro,” “I Spy,” and “Showtime” didn’t do well at the box office. “Holy Man” and “The Adventures of Pluto Nash” were major financial disappointments.
Family-friendly films and Dreamgirls
One exception was “Bowfinger” a comedy with Steve Martin that got good reviews and made decent money. Murphy shined in “Dreamgirls” winning awards for his role as James “Thunder” Early. Despite this success, his chances at an Academy Award were hurt by negative reviews of his next film “Norbit.”
Eddie Murphy also starred in “Tower Heist” and was slated to host the Oscars in 2012 but withdrew. He’s been involved in various film projects since including “Dolemite Is My Name” which earned praise on Netflix. His return to “Saturday Night Live” in 2019 was a big hit and he won an Emmy for it. He’s reprised his famous SNL characters and appeared in the sequel “Coming 2 America.”
Murphy announced a new “Beverly Hills Cop” film and signed a deal with Amazon Studios. He’s also set to play George Clinton in an upcoming biopic and revealed plans for a fifth “Beverly Hills Cop” movie.
Singing career
Eddie Murphy isn’t just a comedian and actor—he’s also made his mark in music. He started out doing background vocals for the “Bus Boys” and his singing career took off with hits like “Party All the Time” and “Put Your Mouth on Me” in the 1980s. Even earlier he had some humorous songs like “Boogie in Your Butt” and “Enough Is Enough” on his comedy album from 1982.
“Party All the Time” produced by Rick James was a standout from his debut music album “How Could It Be” in 1985. Despite its success, the song later earned a spot on VH-1 and Blender’s list of “50 Worst Songs of All-Time” in 2004. Another track from that album a duet called “How Could It Be” also found some success in R&B circles.
Eddie Murphy continued his music career into the 1990s with albums like “So Happy” and “Love’s Alright.” He collaborated with Michael Jackson on the single “Whatzupwitu” and with Shabba Ranks on “I Was a King.” His musical talents also graced the Shrek movies where he performed songs like “I’m a Believer” and “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”
Murphy returned to music with the reggae track “Red Light” featuring Snoop Dogg in 2013. He’s currently working on a new album titled “9” marking his ongoing journey in both comedy and music.
Eddie Murphy’s Personal Life
Relationships and children
Eddie Murphy had two sons very close together at the end of the 1980s: Eric born around 1989 to Paulette McNeely and Christian born around 1990 to Tamara Hood.
In 1988, Murphy met Nicole Mitchell at an NAACP Image Awards show and they started dating. They lived together for nearly two years before marrying at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on March 18, 1993. They have five children together: Bria, Myles, Shayne, Zola, and Bella. Mitchell filed for divorce in August 2005 citing irreconcilable differences and their divorce was finalized on April 17, 2006.
After divorcing Mitchell, Eddie Murphy dated Mel B a former Spice Girl. She became pregnant and claimed the child was Murphy’s. In December 2006, Murphy said in an interview that he would wait for a paternity test to confirm the child’s parentage. Brown gave birth to a girl named Angel Iris, Murphy Brown on April 3, 2007, Murphy’s 46th birthday. DNA tests later confirmed Murphy as the father although he did not initially seek a relationship with Angel.
In January 2008, Murphy had a symbolic wedding ceremony with film producer Tracey Edmonds on an island off Bora Bora. They decided not to have a legal ceremony and remained friends instead. Later that year Murphy bought property on Long Island, New York.
In May 2016, Eddie Murphy had a daughter with Australian model Paige Butcher whom he had been dating since 2012. They also have a son born in November 2018. They got engaged in September 2018 and their son’s middle name honors Murphy’s late brother Charlie who passed away from leukemia in 2017.
Philanthropy
Philanthropy is important to Murphy who has donated to various causes including AIDS Healthcare Foundation cancer research education arts family support health and homelessness charities. He has also supported the Martin Luther King Jr. Center and contributed $100000 to the Screen Actors’ Guild’s strike relief fund.
Religious beliefs
Murphy was baptized Catholic but has expressed in a 2011 Rolling Stone interview that he prefers not to align with any particular religion although he values Christian-based beliefs.
Eddie Murphy Rule
In a nod to his influence, Section 746 of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act which prohibits trading securities using non-public information from the government is nicknamed the “Eddie Murphy Rule” inspired by the film “Trading Places.”
Prostitute incident
In a controversial incident in May 1997, Murphy was stopped by police in West Hollywood with a transgender prostitute in his car at 4:45 a.m. His spokesperson clarified that Murphy was giving her a ride home and was not charged with any crime though the incident affected his public image.
Eddie Murphy’s Awards
Eddie Murphy has won many awards throughout his career such as an Emmy a Grammy, a Golden Globe, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He was also nominated for an Oscar for his role in “Dreamgirls” although he didn’t win. Murphy’s voice role as Donkey in “Shrek” earned him the Annie Award for Voice Acting in a Feature Production. This role also made history as the first voice-over performance nominated for a BAFTA Award.
In addition to these achievements, Eddie Murphy has received several honorary awards including the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2015 the Critics’ Choice Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, and the Golden Globe Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2023.
Eddie Murphy’s Real Estate
Eddie Murphy has owned several impressive homes over the years. In the 1990s, he lived in a custom-built mansion in Granite Bay, California. After selling that home, he bought a 3.7-acre lot in Beverly Park, Beverly Hills, for $10 million in 2001. Beverly Park is a gated community with famous neighbors like Mark Wahlberg, Denzel Washington, and Sylvester Stallone.
Eddie built a 40,000-square-foot mansion with 32 rooms, including 9 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms. The house features a pool, tennis court, library, and bowling alley. If sold today, it could easily be worth over $30-40 million. Eddie’s previous Beverly Hills home from the 1980s was listed for $85 million in 2016.
In 2007, Eddie bought Rooster Cay, a 15-acre private island in the Bahamas, for $15 million. He also owned another island, Pearl Island, before this.
In 2012, Eddie sold his New Jersey home for $12 million after trying to sell it for $30 million.
