Eddie Murphy to receive Kennedy Center’s 2015 Mark Twain Prize



http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/museums/eddie-murphy-to-receive-kennedy-centers-2015-mark-twain-prize/2015/04/09/aaef3c0e-de2e-11e4-a500-1c5bb1d8ff6a_story.html



By Peggy McGlone <http://www.washingtonpost.com/people/peggy-mcglone> April
9 at 11:00 AM

Eddie Murphy, known for his sharp comic observations and salty language,
will receive the Kennedy Center’s 2015 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Murphy will be honored with the 18th-annual prize at a gala performance Oct.
18 featuring as yet unnamed comedians. The program will be televised
nationally.

Murphy, 54, was a teenager when he helped reinvigorate “Saturday NightLive”
with his impressions of James Brown and Michael Jackson and such characters
as Little Richard Simmons — a composite of the singer and the fitness guru
— and Mr. Robinson of “Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood.”

The comedian also honed a classic Bill Cosby impression, a bit he chose not
to resurrect
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/02/19/eddie-murphy-way-too-smart-to-make-fun-of-bill-cosby-on-snl-40/>for
SNL’s recent 40th-anniversary celebration.

“Eddie Murphy has kept us laughing for 30 years. He’s like Mark Twain. He
gets to the heart of a provocative issue, and he’s damn funny while he’s
doing it,” said Cappy McGarr, one of the show’s executive producers. “He
has had incredible influence over so many comedians who have followed him.”

Murphy has had a long and successful movie career, starring in some of
Hollywood’s highest-grossing comedies, including “48 Hrs.,” “Trading
Places” and “Beverly Hills Cop.” He was the voice of Donkey in the “Shrek”
series, and his performance as James “Thunder” Early in “Dreamgirls” earned
him Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards and an Oscar nomination.

“Through his appearances on ‘Saturday Night Live,’ groundbreaking stand-up
comedy and work as a movie star, Eddie Murphy has shown that like Mark
Twain he was years ahead of his time,” Kennedy Center President Deborah
Rutter said in a statement announcing the 2015 winner.

Named for 19th-century author and satirist Samuel Clemens — whose pen name
was Mark Twain — the prize was created in 1998 to celebrate America’s best
humorists. Previous winners include Richard Pryor, Carol Burnett, Bob
Newhart, Tina Fey and Jay Leno, who received last year’s award
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/stand-up-guy-mark-twain-prize-recipient-jay-leno-returns-to-his-comedy-roots/2014/10/09/2151ea42-3f68-11e4-9587-5dafd96295f0_story.html>
.

“I am deeply honored to receive this recognition from the Kennedy Center
and to join the distinguished list of past recipients of this award,”
Murphy said in a statement.

Each year, the show’s producers seek input about potential honorees from
previous winners, arts center officials and the public. A short list is
presented to a panel of senior Kennedy Center officials and trustees who
select the winner.

McGarr said the producers have a long list of actors and comics to approach
about performing in the show.

“Chris Rock has been generous in his praise of Eddie Murphy,” he said. “We
will go out to people that love him. I think it’s going to be a terrific
show, and more importantly, a funny show.”