On this day in comedy on July 12, 1959 Comedian, Actor, Writer, Voice-Over Artist, Charles Quinton “Charlie” Murphy was born in Brooklyn, New York.
Charlie Murphy got started in comedy after a short jail stint as a minor, followed immediately by a six-year stint in the US Navy. During this period his younger brother, Eddie had become a star and when Charlie came to town the first thing casting agents wanted was an Eddie Murphy look alike. They soon found out after a lot of four letter words, that Charlie was nobody’s look alike. He didn’t have to be – he was funny.
Murphy took comedy seriously and got into standup, working out in small spots to hone his craft. However ,there was no need to squander his in born celebrity so while getting good enough to use the title of ‘standup comedian’, Murphy acted in films: Harlem Nights, Mo Better Blues, Jungle Fever, CB4, King’s Ransom, The Players Club, Roll Bounce, Night at the Museum, Paper Soldiers (which he wrote), Norbit (which he co-wrote with Eddie), The Perfect Holiday, Lottery Ticket, Meet the Blacks and others. He wrote songs for the hip hop group, K-9 Posse and was the executive producer of their debut album and his television credits include Martin, One on One, Wild ‘n Out, Are We There Yet? and Black Jesus
Charlie Murphy became a public celebrity when he was featured on Chappelle’s Show. He tapped into the public’s thirst for Hollywood gossip with his Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories, where he would regal the audience with pre-taped sketches of his adventures with stars, most popularly Rick James and Prince. The show was a surprise hit and Murphy was credited as part of the reason for its success. So when Dave Chappelle left his own show and Comedy Central made the decision to broadcast the remaining footage without Chappelle’s participation, it was Charlie Murphy and fellow cast member, Donnell Rawlings who got the call to host those shows. They came to be known as The Lost Episodes, but the only thing lost was the opportunity for more Chappelle’s Show. It was over and Murphy moved on.
Charlie Murphy toured the nation as a standup comedian – solo and as part of packaged celebrity comedian tours. He had his own sketch comedy show on Crackle called Charlie Murphy’s Crash Comedy and a Comedy Central standup special, Charlie Murphy: I Will Not Apologize. Besides his work in front of the camera and on the road, Murphy has been heard providing voices for The Boondocks, Thugaboo and Grand Theft Auto. And he not only wrote Paper Soldiers and Norbit, Murphy also penned Vampire in Brooklyn, which starred his brother Eddie and Angela Bassett.
By Darryl “D’Militant” Littleton
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