Charlie Murphy (actor)
American comedian and actor (1959–2017)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Quinton Murphy (July 12, 1959 – April 12, 2017) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He was best known as a writer and cast member of the Comedy Central sketch-comedy series Chappelle's Show, and a co-star of the sitcom Black Jesus. He was the older brother of actor and comedian Eddie Murphy.
Charlie Murphy | |
|---|---|
Murphy in 2009 | |
| Born | July 12, 1959 New York City, U.S.[1] |
| Died | April 12, 2017 (aged 57) New York City, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Tisha Taylor
(m. 1997; died 2009) |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Eddie Murphy (brother) |
| Comedy career | |
| Years active | 1980–2016 |
| Medium |
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| Genres | |
| Subjects |
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Early life
Murphy was born on July 12, 1959, in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.[2] His mother Lillian Murphy was a telephone operator and his father, Charles Edward Murphy, was a transit police officer, actor, and comedian.[3]
As an adolescent, Murphy spent ten months in jail.[4] In 1978, on the day of his release,[5] he enlisted in the United States Navy and served for six years as a boiler technician.[6]
Career
Murphy made his first film appearance in the 1970 comedy-drama film The Landlord.[7] The film was shot in a neighborhood where Murphy lived and he appears in a brief scene as a boy stealing Beau Bridges's hubcaps.[7] Murphy had minor roles in several films in the late 1980s and early 1990s and worked behind the scenes with hip hop group K-9 Posse, a duo composed of his half-brother Vernon Lynch Jr. and Wardell Mahone. On their 1988 self-titled debut, Murphy was credited as the album's executive producer as well as songwriter on "Somebody's Brother" and "Say Who Say What."[8] He also made an appearance in the video for the duo's first single, "This Beat Is Military."[9] Murphy's first major role in a motion picture was in the 1993 film CB4, playing the antagonist Gusto.
Murphy gained national attention as a recurring performer on Chappelle's Show, particularly in the Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories sketches. In these, Murphy recounts his misadventures as part of his brother's entourage, including encounters with various celebrities such as Rick James and Prince.[10][11] After Chappelle's Show host Dave Chappelle left the show, Murphy and Donnell Rawlings hosted the "lost episodes" compiled from sketches produced before his departure.
In 2005, he appeared in King's Ransom (alongside Anthony Anderson and Jay Mohr). In the film, Murphy portrayed Herb, a gay ex-con who is hired by King (Anderson) to fake his kidnapping.[12] Murphy also did voiceovers for Budweiser radio commercials, provided the voice for Iraq War veteran/criminal Ed Wuncler III on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim series The Boondocks, and the voice for a pimp named Jizzy-B in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and as an albino Black graffiti artist named White Mike in Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. Murphy provided the voice for Spock on the G4TV's Star Trek 2.0 shorts, and the dog Lloyd in his younger brother Eddie's 2007 film, Norbit (which Murphy also co-created the story and co-wrote the screenplay for).[13]
On March 20, 2009, he began his own sketch comedy series Charlie Murphy's Crash Comedy on Crackle.[14] A stand-up special, Charlie Murphy: I Will Not Apologize premiered on Comedy Central in late February 2010.[15] Murphy also made special appearances in 1000 Ways to Die and the TBS sitcom Are We There Yet? as Frank Kingston. In 2014–15, Murphy played Vic on the Adult Swim live-action show Black Jesus.[16]
Personal life and death
Murphy was a resident of Tewksbury Township, New Jersey.[17] He was married to Tisha Taylor Murphy from 1997 until her death from cervical cancer in December 2009.[1] The couple had two children together, and Murphy had a child from a previous relationship.[1] He was a karate practitioner.[18][19]
Murphy died from leukemia on April 12, 2017, at age 57 in New York City, New York.[20][21][22]
The third-season premiere of Black Jesus and his brother's film, Dolemite Is My Name, were dedicated to Murphy. Murphy was the one who piqued his brother's interest in the biopic's subject, Rudy Ray Moore.[23]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Harlem Nights | Jimmy The Muffin Man[24] | |
| 1990 | Mo' Better Blues | Eggy[25] | |
| 1991 | Jungle Fever | Livin' Large[25] | |
| 1993 | CB4 | Gusto[26] | |
| 1996 | The Pompatus of Love | Saxophone Man[25] | |
| 1998 | The Players Club | Brooklyn[25] | |
| 1999 | Unconditional Love | Detective | |
| 2002 | Paper Soldiers | Johnson[25] | Also writer |
| 2003 | Death of a Dynasty | Dick James/Dukey Man/Sock Head[25] | |
| 2005 | Lovesick | Damian | |
| King's Ransom | Herb Clarke[25] | ||
| Roll Bounce | Victor[25] | ||
| 2006 | Night at the Museum | Taxi Driver[25] | Cameo |
| 2007 | Three Days to Vegas | Andre[25] | |
| Mattie Fresno and the Holoflux Universe | Griss[27] | ||
| Norbit | Lloyd the Dog[25][28] | Voice cameo; Also screen and story writer | |
| Unearthed | Hank[25] | ||
| Twisted Fortune | Angel Robbins | ||
| Universal Remote | Various | ||
| The Perfect Holiday | J-Jizzy[25] | ||
| 2008 | Bar Starz | Clay the Doorman/Arnie[25] | |
| The Hustle | Junior Walker | ||
| 2009 | Frankenhood | Franklin[25] | |
| 2010 | Our Family Wedding | T.J.[29] | |
| Lottery Ticket | Semaj[30] | ||
| 2012 | Moving Day | Cedric[31] | |
| 2016 | Meet the Blacks | Key Flo[32] | (Final film role) |
| 2025 | Being Eddie | Himself | Documentary, archive footage |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Kid Who Loved Christmas | TV movie | |
| 1995 | Martin | Big Bro | 1 episode |
| Murder was the Case: The Movie | JC | Direct-to-video | |
| 2003–2006 | Chappelle's Show | Various | 14 episodes, also writer |
| 2004 | One on One | Senator Larry Eldrige | |
| 2005 | Denis Leary's Merry F#%$in' Christmas | Himself | TV special |
| 2005–2010 | The Boondocks | Ed Wuncler III (voice)[33] | 10 episodes |
| 2006 | Thugaboo: Sneaker Madness | Big Kid (voice) | TV movie |
| Thugaboo: A Miracle on D-Roc's Street | |||
| Wild 'n Out | Himself | ||
| 2007 | Beef IV | Himself/narrator (voice) | Video documentary |
| We Got to Do Better | Host | Unknown episodes | |
| Pauly Shore's Natural Born Komics | Himself | Direct-to-video | |
| 2009 | Nite Tales: The Series | Samson | Episode: "Pill Time" |
| 2010 | Freaknik: The Musical | Al Sharpton,[34] Perminator (voice) | TV movie |
| Charlie Murphy: I Will Not Apologize | Himself | Video documentary | |
| Lopez Tonight | |||
| 2010–2012 | Are We There Yet? | Frank Kingston | 5 episodes |
| 2010 | 1000 Ways to Die | Himself | Episode: "Today's Menu: Deep Fried Death" |
| 2011 | The Cookout 2 | Coach Ashmokeem | TV film |
| 2012–2014 | Black Dynamite | A Cat Named Rollo (voice) | 2 episodes |
| 2013 | Hawaii Five-0 | Don McKinney | |
| 2014–2015 | Black Jesus | Vic[25] | Main cast; 21 episodes |
| 2016 | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | Vrax Belebome / Bellybomb (voice)[35] | Episode: "Journey to the Center of Mikey's Mind" |
| 2017 | Power | Marshal Clyde Williams | 5 episodes |
| The Comedy Get Down | Himself | Posthumous release; 5 episodes |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Jizzy B.[33] | |
| 2006 | Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure | White Mike[33] | |
| 2021 | Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition | Jizzy B.[33] | Archival recordings Remaster of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas only. |
Music videos
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Murder Was the Case | JC |