Highlights From Three Decades Of Charlie Murphy’s Comedy Career

Charlie Murphy’s career spanned decades and although he was known as Eddie Murphy’s older brother, there was so much more to the actor and comedian than the family that he came from. Charlie was a regular on the standup circuit with a film and TV career that spanned nearly 30 years. Although he was best known for his work on Chappelle’s Show, Charlie Murphy had a hand in many comedy projects over the years.

Although many of Charlie Murphy’s roles over the years were smaller, he still made a huge impact on every television show and movie where he was cast. Here are some of the highlights of Charlie Murphy’s career. Comedy fans are really going to miss him after his shocking death at the age of 57. Here are some of Charlie Murphy’s most notable movie and TV projects in no particular order.

Chappelle’s Show

Okay, so Chappelle’s Show might actually be the show that made Charlie Murphy the most famous. “Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories” became some of Dave Chappelle’s most famous skits. In them, Charlie always played himself and Chappelle played both Rick James and Prince. That hilarious skit about when Rick James slapped Charlie Murphy is a true story, backed up by James himself prior to his death. “I’m Rick James, b***h” is possibly one of the most famous lines from the now-defunct Comedy Central show.

Charlie Murphy was in many skits on Chappelle’s Show and although his stories about Rick James have become iconic, he also talked about interactions with Prince that became some of the show’s other most famous clips.

The Player’s Club

Comedian and ‘Chapelle’s Show’ Actor Charlie Murphy Dead at 57 https://t.co/PNwKMXzsfu pic.twitter.com/XGpLY1EeDR

— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) April 12, 2017

While Charlie Murphy’s role in The Player’s Club wasn’t huge, but it was memorable. Charlie played the role of Brooklyn. A man who was always up in the strip club. The Player’s Club was Ice Cube’s directorial debut and it turns out that he would cast Charlie Murphy in a few more projects including Lottery Ticket and the Are We There Yet television series.

CB4

Charlie Murphy played Gusto in CB4. The 1994 Chris Rock comedy may not have become a huge hit but those who saw it definitely had a good laugh at Murphy’s character. The blinged out club owner who was surrounded by women confronted Chris Rock’s MC Gusto in CB4 and had everyone cracking up when he flipped his own table over and threw the rap posse right out the back door and into the alley.

The Boondocks

Charlie Murphy spent 10 episodes on The Boondocks playing the voice of Iraq war vet Ed Wuncler III. Wuncler was a white man who wore chains and baggy pants, trying to act like a gangster. Murphy’s voice attributed to the hilarity of the role.

Black Jesus

In 2014, Charlie Murphy moved on to play the role of Vic in another Adult Swim series Black Jesus. The comedy series ran for two seasons and 21 full episodes before being pulled from the air. Despite complaints from advertisers and outrage over the show being “sacrilegious,” the return of Black Jesus was just announced by Adult Swim after missing a full season. The network and the show’s creator Aaron McGruder are still facing a lawsuit to the tune of $75 million from author Saint Solomon who claims that the idea for Black Jesus was stolen from him according to Okay Player.

Do you have a favorite TV or movie role featuring Charlie Murphy? There’s no argument that Eddie Murphy’s older brother played a huge part in comedy both on and off screen for the past three decades. Tell us which of these was your favorite in the comments section below.

[Featured Image by Matt Sayles/AP Images]