Norbit? Nutty? Donkey? Defining Eddie Murphy's 'Best' Role

There are some things that are almost impossible to make a choice on — a favorite child, the best pizza parlor in New York City and the age-old debate of Prince vs. Michael Jackson are just some examples of when it’s perfectly appropriate to take that proverbial Drink Champs shot.

This could also be the case when it comes to choosing a definitive character played by living Hollywood legend Eddie Murphy, which we were reminded sums up to a lot of roles following the recent release of his new autobiographical Netflix documentary, Being Eddie.

Virtually every year since his theatrical debut in 1982 — save for the years when he chose to make music instead!— Eddie Murphy has been a constant face in front of our screens, be it big or small. His expertise in the industry extends from movie theaters and television sets at home to the writing room, being a perfect fit for the producer’s hat and everything in between when it comes to the world of entertainment.

It’s why we had to ask the question, clear as day:

Does Eddie Murphy have a definitive acting role?

It’s a simple question, yet garners very complex results. We tried it here on the BAW staff, and let’s just say no one film came up twice. One editor excitingly exclaimed Norbit for its top level use of prosthetics to bring the polarizing Rasputia Latimore to life; another quipped back that Eddie did that multiples times in one single film playing the title character and his entire family in The Nutty Professor. A hot debate broke out on whether Mushu The Dragon from Disney’s Mulan or Donkey from the still-ongoing Shrek series is his magnum opus when it comes to voice acting. Of course, the quintessential New Yorker on the squad gave a nod to Harlem Nights, and another said his best homage to the Big Apple happened in Coming To America. That ignited a sub-debate on if the latter film could be considered his best franchise, which erupted in a fire round of suitable contenders — ‘Beverly Hills Cop’! ‘The Klumps’! The one that started it all with ’48 Hrs’!

We never even got to fan-favorites deep cuts like Metro, The Golden Child, Trading Places or Boomerang before we all realized that it’s a question we simply cannot come to an agreement on as a collective, and probably is best to stay that way.

It hadn’t even occurred to us that his television roles, particularly as a veteran cast member on SNL in the early ’80s combined with his cult classic voice acting gig on The PJs in the late ’90s and early 2000s, were equally as impactful to our culture. You can confidently say that without even mentioning his standup comedy special that defined an era in 1983 with Delirious and led him back to the big screen a few years later in 1987 with Raw, the highest-grossing stand-up comedy concert film ever released.

Still, we extend the question to our BAW family to see if in fact there might be a majority rule. Keep in mind though: this man has hits! He brought out the best in Beyoncé for Dreamgirls, turned Angela Bassett into a blood-sucking baddie for Vampire In Brooklyn and most recently had Keke Palmer hitting licks in The Pickup. He infamously lived through a trifecta of box office bombs in a single year (Showtime; The Adventures of Pluto Nash; I Spy), only to re-up on his next two films the following year by doubling (The Haunted Mansion) and almost tripling (Daddy Day Care) those monetary box office returns, respectively.

Who but he?!

1. After watching the Eddie documentary on Netflix & finding out that Eddie Murphy had just finalized his divorce prior to his award winning performance as Jimmy Early in Dreamgirls makes sense now. It’s still my favorite acting role of his, comedic but deeply emotional & vulnerable

via @TheAfrocentricI

2. Favorite Eddie Murphy performance… For me… Chandler Jarrell in ‘The Golden Child’ 🖤

via @2ndaryProtocol

3. Daddy Daycare is top 5 Eddie Murphy flicks. Easily

via @iH8Meccavellii

4. Eddie Murphy deserved an Oscar nomination for the work he did in Bowfinger. The entire film is hilarious and it’s a comedic look at the lengths that independent filmmakers will go to get their stuff made.

via @Tim_D_Morrill

5. Axel Foley, Chandler Jarrell, and Billy Ray Valentine are my favorite Eddie Murphy characters #BeingEddie

via @fromBKtoGA

6. Coming To America (1988) is probably Murphy’s most balanced comedy performance, here he aims for sweetness and hits a bullseye. This is Eddie in his prime and would be the last great comedy that director John Landis would make!!

via @GRCinemaTicket

7. Dolemite Is My Name is the best modern Eddie Murphy movie

via @themasternelson

8. Martin Lawrence and Eddie Murphy in Life was some the best casting I’ve ever seen.

via @RaveenTheDream

9. Shrek is a Mike Meyers movie. Eddie just happened to be in it. The best Eddie Murphy role is Vampire in Brooklyn.

via @PfieffeSamuel

This is Eddie Murphy’s best role. Even better than Axel Foley.

via @RossRead

Norbit? Nutty? Donkey? Defining Eddie Murphy's 'Best' Role