Black Men/Silver Screen | The Class Clown

Eddie Murphy

For over 25 years, Eddie Murphy has consistently made people laugh at his collection of various characters. From his legendary run on Saturday Night Live to becoming the largest box-office star of his generation, Murphy was, is and continues to be a comic trailblazer. His films have grossed over $3 billion and earlier this year, he received his first Oscar nomination for his incredible dramatic work in Dreamgirls. Murphy has reinvented himself into a family friendly movie star with his hilarious portrayal of Donkey in the Shrek trilogy. Although, Murphy’s films don’t always hit their mark, one thing is for certain that he has and will continue to inspire all subsequent comics.

Up Next: Axel Foley returns to familiar ground in the fourth installment of Beverly Hills Cop, due in 2008.

Cinematic Forefather
Richard Pryor

If Murphy is his generation’s biggest comic star, then here’s the man that he needs to pay homage to for the rest of his days, none other than the King, Richard Pryor. Beginning with a sensational dramatic performance in the Oscar-nominated film, Lady Sings the Blues, Pryor appeared in a succession of memorable films during the 1970s which included, The Mack, Uptown Saturday Night, Car Wash, Silver Streak, Greased Lightning, Which Way Is Up, Blue Collar and The Wiz. In 1980, Pryor starred in Stir Crazy, the first film directed by a Black director, Sidney Poitier, to gross over $100 million. Due to illness, Pryor appeared sporadically in films, but his large comic legend continues to live on.

Next Generation
Dave Chappelle

Although he does not currently boast the body of work of either Murphy or Pryor, Dave Chappelle is the heir to their cinematic comedy throne. Born with a comic’s fearlessness, Chappelle has created a series of memorable characters in his sketch comedy and on the big screen. He first gained notoriety as a foul-mouth comedian who mercilessly heckles Sherman Klump in The Nutty Professor. Chappelle also starred overly suspicious Conspiracy Brother in the spy comedy spoof, Undercover Brother. Along with his writing partner, Neal Brennan, he created the hilarious weed classic, Half Baked. Chappelle took a break from the big-screen to create “The Dave Chappelle Show,” which ran for two short seasons.

Up Next: Currently, Chappelle has no projects in development