Seven Best

Seven Best: Eddie Murphy Characters

With the arrival of Dolemite, the completion of Coming to America 2, and in celebration of his birthday month, April is dedicated to the best Eddie Murphy characters of all time!!

I’ve been a fan of Eddie for literally decades at this point. From SNL to quoting all of this lines throughout high school, he set the groundwork for most of my comedic measurements, so this should be a fun month.

Keep in mind, this is not a list of his best movies, but rather his best characters. It’s also based on his movies alone. So while I would love to add Gumby, Mr. Robinson, and James Brown, SNL skits don’t count. Follow along!!

  • Reggie Hammond
  • Billy Ray Valentine
  • Axel Foley
  • Prince Akeem
  • Clarence
  • Saul
  • Randy Watson
  • Quick
  • Marcus
  • Thomas Jefferson Johnson
  • The Klumps
  • Buddy Love
  • Mushu
  • Dr. Doolittle
  • Donkey
  • Pluto Nash
  • Norbit
  • Rasputia
  • Mr. Wong
  • Dave
  • Rudy Ray Moore/Dolemite

1. Clarence

Quotability
5/5
Quality
4/5
Peak Eddie
5/5

Make your case:

This was pretty easy. My late teens were FILLED with Eddie Murphy movies, but Coming to America was easily at the top of the list. Every day I tried to mimic all the voices for my friends, and Clarence taught me an important life lesson as a kid: Joe Louis was 137 years old when he fought Rocky Marciano.

And honestly? It was awhile before I found out he played Saul too. AH HA…

"Oh, there they go! There they go! Every time I start talking about boxing, a white man gotta pull Rocky Marciano outta their ass! That's they one! That's they one! Rocky Marciano! Rocky Marciano! Lemme tell you something once and for all! Rocky Marciano was good, but compared to Joe Louis, Rocky Marciano ain't shit!"

Clarence Tweet

2. Randy Watson

Quotability
1/5
Quality
4/5
Peak Eddie
5/5

Make your case:

 

"Sexual Chocolate! SEXUAL CHOCOLATE!"

Randy Watson Tweet

3. Rudy Ray Moore/Dolemite

Quotability
3/5
Quality
5/5
Peak Eddie
4/5

Make your case:

 

"Dolemite is my name, and f**kin' up motherfu**ers is my game!"

Dolemite Tweet

4. Axel Foley

Quotability
4/5
Quality
5/5
Peak Eddie
5/5

Make your case:

 

"Can you put this in a good spot? 'Cause all of this shit happened the last time I parked here."

Axel Foley Tweet

5. Billy Ray Valentine

Quotability
4/5
Quality
4/5
Peak Eddie
5/5

Make your case:

 

Bonus: Nenge Mboko

“Merry New Year!!”

"That's called the "quart of blood" technique. You do that, a quart of blood will drop out of a man's body."

Billy Ray Valentine Tweet

6. Grandma Klump

Quotability
3/5
Quality
3/5
Peak Eddie
3/5

Make your case:

 

"Come on, Cletus! It ain't nothin' but a short walk. You might walk over, but you limpin' back! I ain't no easy win!"

Grandma Klump Tweet

7. Donkey

Quotability
3/5
Quality
3/5
Peak Eddie
3/5

Make your case:

 

"We can stay up late, swapping manly stories, and in the morning, I'm making waffles!"

Donkey Tweet

Honorable Mention: Rasputia

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  • Prosthetic makeup