Eddie Murphy

Born: 3rd April 1961
Where: Brooklyn, New York

Murphy's career was resuscitated with Dreamgirls after appearing to be firmly in the descendant with a string of roles that hardly saw his comedy engine hardly firing on all cylinders.

The nadir was probably Pluto Nash, a sad appearance from the man who was once the flashy mainstay of 48hrs, Beverly Hills Cop and Trading Places.

However, he clawed his way back as the singing star James "Thunder" Early in the acclaimed Bill Condon musical drama Dreamgirls in 2006.

Murphy's talent was evident from an early age, and by 15 he was writing and performing his own routines at youth centres and local bars.

Soon he was appearing at The Comic Strip and was strutting his stuff alongside Robin Williams and Whoopi Goldberg.

The club's co-owners were so impressed that they agreed to manage his career and landed him an audition for the new cast of Saturday Night Live.

Murphy was signed as a featured player, but by the end of the first season of the new show, he had moved up to star status.

He made his feature film debut in 48 Hours in 1982, alongside Nick Nolte where the pair's antagonistic chemistry, alongside Murphy's performance as a street-wise convict aiding a bitter, ageing cop, won over critics and audiences.

Next came the thoroughly enjoyable Trading Places with Dan Aykroyd and Denholm Elliott.

However, it was Beverly Hills Cop that made Murphy a box-office superstar, and most notably made him a celebrity worldwide.

Axel Foley became one of Murphy's signature characters, who he bought back for two sequels in 1987 and 1994.

In 1993, he married Nicole Mitchell with whom he has five children, and the following year's remake of Jerry Lewis' The Nutty Professor brought success again.

The movie saw Murphy playing several different roles, as the professor's parents and grandmother, with the help of Rick Baker's Oscar-winning makeup designs.

Next up was the remake of Dr Dolittle and the appealing comedy Bowfinger opposite Steve Martin.

However, with the notable exception of Shrek, a series of underpowered roles including Showtime, Pluto Nash and I-Spy failed to test his comedy talent.

In 2003, he starred in the passable Daddy Day Care and appeared in the comedy-by-numbers family outing The Haunted Mansion.

He reprised the role of Donkey for the enjoyable sequel Shrek 2 and bounced back in Dreamgirls alongside Beyonce Knowles and Jamie Foxx.