Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer.
Murphy was a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1980 to 1984. He has worked as a stand-up comedian and was ranked No. 10 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time.
In films, Murphy has received Golden Globe Award nominations for his performances in 48 Hrs., the Beverly Hills Cop series, Trading Places, The Nutty Professor, and Dolemite Is My Name. In 2007, he won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor and received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of soul singer James "Thunder" Early in Dreamgirls.
Dan Aykroyd Says ‘I Wouldn’t Choose to Do Blackface’ Today, 40 Years After Doing It in ‘Trading Places’: ‘Nor Would I Be Allowed to Do It’
variety.comZack Sharf Digital News Director Dan Akyroyd admitted in a recent interview with The Daily Beast that he probably would not put on Blackface for a movie role today like he did 40 years ago in the blockbuster comedy “Trading Places.” Akyroyd starred in the John Landis-directed film as a rich investment broker who switches lives with a broke con artist, played by Eddie Murphy.
Akyroyd’s character appears in Blackface and sports dreadlocks and a Caribbean accent during one scene set on New Year’s Eve. “I was in Blackface in that film, and I probably couldn’t get away with it now,” Aykroyd said. “Eddie and I were improvising there.
Eddie is a Black man and his entourage were all Black people, and I don’t think they batted an eye. There was no objection then; nobody said anything.
It was just a good comic beat that was truthful to the story.” “I probably wouldn’t choose to do a Blackface part, nor would I be allowed to do it,” Aykroyd continued. “I probably wouldn’t be allowed to do a Jamaican accent, white face or Black.
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