Although arguably the biggest movie star ever to come out of "Saturday Night Live" (1975), he has never attended a cast reunion and is not known to even talk about having been on the show.

Most successful ex-SNL star.

Chosen as #10 in Comedy Central's 100 Greatest Stand-Up Comics of All Time.

Close friends with former late night talk show host Arsenio Hall

Hosted the MTV Movie Awards in 1993

Dated Robin Givens.

Named one of E!'s Top 20 Entertainers of 2001.

Scored two hits on the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts with "Party All the Time" (US #2, 1985) and "Put Your Mouth on Me" (US #27, 1989).

Ranked #78 in Empire (UK) magazine's Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time list (October 1997).

Dated actress Halle Berry.

His wife Nicole Mitchell Murphy gave birth to their daughter Bella Zahra(30 January 2002).

Was in a relationship with singer Whitney Houston before she married former husband, Bobby Brown.

One of 115 people invited to join AMPAS in 2007.

Married Tracey E. Edmonds in a private ceremony on an island off Bora Bora (1 January 2008).

Ex-girlfriend Melanie Brown gave birth to a daughter, Angel Iris Murphy Brown, on 3 April 2007.

Although he frequently plays multiple characters in films and television, and has lent his voice to a dozen animated projects, he has never once voiced more then one character in the same animated project.

Set a new Razzie Award record for most nominations by one person in a single year, with five nominations total. All of which were for the movie Norbit (2007). Murphy was nominated for Worst Actor (as the character Norbit), Worst Supporting Actor (as the character Mr. Wong), Worst Supporting Actress (as the character Rasputia), Worst Screen Couple (Eddie Murphy as Norbit and either Eddie Murphy as Mr. Wong or Eddie Murphy as Rasputia) and Worst Screenplay. He went on to "win" all three of the acting nominations, becoming the first person to ever "win" in both male and female acting categories in one year.

Was considered for the move Star Trek: The Voyage Home (1986) as a UFO-file who gets involved with Captain Kirk`s search for a hump back whale.

Supports Senator Barack Obama`s bid to win the Democratic nomination for the 2008 presidential election.

He is an avid fan of professional wrestling, with Hulk Hogan as his all time favorite wrestler.

Born to Charles Edward Murphy, a transit police officer, and his wife Lilian, a telephone operator, his father left the family when Eddy was three years old and was stabbed five years later.

Was heavily influenced by Bill Cosby.

After picking up a pre-op transsexual prostitute on Santa Monica Boulveard in West Hollywood, he was arrested by LAPD deputies, but finally released (2 May 1997).

Married Tracey E. Edmonds in a private ceremony on an island off Bora Bora on 1 January 2008, but their nuptials were not legal in the U.S. They initially decided to renew their vows in America, but eventually separated 2 weeks after their island wedding.

Got the idea of playing multiple roles in one film after watching another one of his idols, Peter Sellers, in one of his all time favorite films Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964).

A huge fan of the bands "Ratt" and "Cinderella", particularly the former as can be seen in The Golden Child (1986) where their song "Body Talk" (from their 1986 album "Dancing Undercover") is featured.

He and his ex-wife, Nicole Mitchell Murphy, celebrated their first wedding anniversary in Montego Bay, Jamaica where they stayed for one week.

Is mentioned, along with Vanessa Redgrave, and Joe Piscopo in the song "Jammin` Me", by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Huge fan of Elvis Presley.

The first actor to receive $1,000,000 for his first film.

Nephew of Uncle Ray Murphy.

His favorite TV show is "Star Trek" (1966).

Chris Rock is an admirer of Murphy and considers him his role model and inspiration to become an actor and comedian.

Was one of the last movie actors to sign an exclusive contract with a studio. In this case, it was Paramount Pictures, which released all of his early films.

Met Nicole Mitchell Murphy in 1988 at an NAACP Image Awards show. They lived together for a year and a half before they married. They were married at the Grand Ballroom of The Plaza Hotel in New York City.

At one time, was considered to play The Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000).

Hosted the MTV Movie Awards in 1993.

Stepson of Vernon Lynch.

Has a house in Englewood, New Jersey.

His brother Charles Q. Murphy is a regular performer on the hit sketch comedy show "Chappelle`s Show" (2003) on Comedy Central.

In 1997, he and his late-night encounter with Shalimar Seiuli was ranked #61 on E! TV`s The Greatest Shocking Moments In Entertainment History.

Former wife, Nicole Mitchell Murphy, is an Associate with Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc.

Is the only cast member of "Saturday Night Live" (1975) to host while still a cast member. Nick Nolte was to host but fell ill and Eddie replaced him.

Was criticized tremendously by Spike Lee for not using his show business stature to help black actors break into film.

Paid for the funeral of comedic inspiration Redd Foxx.

Close friends with former late night talk show host Arsenio Hall.

At the height of his popularity in the mid 1980s, he began a music career, spawning the popular song "Party all the Time," which he recorded with Rick James. Also recorded an album in the early 90s, entitled "Whazzupwitu," in which he performs in a video of the single of the same name, alongside Michael Jackson. Murphy appeared in Jackson`s "Remember the Time" video in 1992 alongside fellow celebrities Magic Johnson and Iman.

Idolized Richard Pryor and was inspired by him to do comedy. Went on to cast Pryor in his directorial debut Harlem Nights (1989).

Turned down the role of Winston Zeddemore in Ghost Busters (1984).

Won a Grammy for his 1983 comedy album "Comedian," which featured his stand-up routine.

Older brother Charles Q. Murphy is also an actor. Younger brother Vernon Jr. was half of the hip-hop group K-9 Posse, which released two albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Was voted Most Popular while attending Roosevelt Junior-Senior High School in Roosevelt, New York, due to the stand-up comedy routines he would perform in the school`s auditorium and jokes he would tell classmates during lunch.

Did stand-up comedy at the same Bay Area Comedy Club as Robin Williams and Caryn Johnson (whose stage name eventually became Whoopi Goldberg) before getting into acting.

Attended Nassau Community College in Garden City, New York, before beginning his acting career.

Has eight children: Has a son each with Tamara Hood and Paulette McNeely; Five children with Nicole Mitchell Murphy: daughter Bria (born on 18 November 1989 in Sacramento); son Miles Mitchell (born on 7 November 1992); daughter Shayne Audra (born on 10 Ocotber 1994); daughter Zola Ivy (born on 24 December 1999 in Los Angeles); and daughter Bella Zahra (born on 29 January 2002); and, One child with ex-girlfriend Melanie Brown a daughter, Angel Iris Murphy Brown (born on 3 April 2007).

In a TV commercial never shown in the USA, Eddie Murphy kissed the front bumper of a Toyota sedan.

Born at 1:30pm-EST.

Was cast by "Saturday Night Live" (1975) and NBC when he was 19 years old.