For the first time ever, Eddie Murphy is reflecting on the extraordinary journey of his legendary career — and looking ahead to what’s still to come. Being Eddie, an upcoming Netflix documentary, traces his meteoric rise from teen comedy prodigy to Saturday Night Live breakout star, from stand-up powerhouse to Hollywood icon. In this intimate portrait, the Oscar-nominated actor invites viewers into his home and opens up about nearly five decades in the spotlight.
Two-time Academy Award winner Angus Wall, who directs the film, shared, “There’s truly no one like him. He’s been famous longer than almost anyone alive and has never lost himself in the process. He’s survived it all with grace. How did he do it? What drives him? We explore all of that in this film.”
Throughout the documentary, Murphy reflects on entertaining three generations of fans through an unparalleled body of work that spans comedy, action, drama, animation, musicals, and family favorites. Friends, collaborators, and fellow comics — including Arsenio Hall, Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Jamie Foxx, Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Hart, Pete Davidson, Tracee Ellis Ross, and Tracy Morgan — offer rare insights into Murphy’s enduring influence and genius.
From groundbreaking stand-up specials like Raw and box-office smashes such as Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, and Trading Places, to 1990s classics like The Nutty Professor, the Shrek franchise, and his Oscar-nominated turn in Dreamgirls, Being Eddie captures the full spectrum of his brilliance.
“There’s a clip of Eddie early in his career talking about how he could do all these voices, and his mom once asked him, ‘Who’s Eddie? What’s your voice?’” Wall explains. “This film answers that question. Eddie has played countless characters over the past 40 years, but this is the first time he’s truly playing himself. He opens up his world and his heart — and audiences are going to love spending time with him.”
Being Eddie is produced by John Davis, John Fox, Charisse Hewitt-Webster, Terry Leonard, and Kent Kubena, and premieres on Netflix, November 12. Stay tuned for more updates on this can’t-miss celebration of one of the greatest entertainers of all time.
It goes without saying that there is only one Eddie Murphy. No other teen comedian shared a stage with Jerry Seinfeld at 17, and joined the cast of Saturday Night Live right out of high school. No actor has ever played a cop, a doctor, and a donkey — and dominated every facet of Hollywood he’s touched. Fewer still have been an A-list celebrity for over four decades, and never succumbed to its darker side. Murphy’s unusual combination of explosive charisma, focused ambition, raw talent, and deep-set circumspection puts him in a league of his own, and is on full display in Being Eddie, directed by two-time Oscar® winner Angus Wall.
The documentary gathers comedy and Hollywood legends like Dave Chappelle, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jamie Foxx, Jerry Seinfeld, Reginald Hudlin and more to celebrate the Oscar®-nominated actor and his nearly 50-year career that’s seen him break barriers, invent genres, and inspire generations of talent. For the first time ever, Murphy invites the public into his home to revisit his breathtaking body of work, all the while revealing the dazzling interior life that has long driven — and grounded — this once-in-a-century star.
