Charlie Murphy does stand-up without celeb brother’s help

Murphy made a name for himself on ‘Chappelle’s Show.’

By JOHN BENSON

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

Living in the shadows is never easy.

Just ask actor/comedian Charlie Murphy, who for more than a quarter of a century has been known as Hollywood star Eddie Murphy’s older brother. In talking to the elder Murphy, you can’t help but notice the huge chip on his shoulder.

While polite, he’s honest about his situation, which over the past few years has included a successful foray into the world of stand-up comedy. However, his first 20 years in show business were spent in the movie world, where he had acting roles in “Roll Bounce,” “CB4,” “Jungle Fever,” “Mo’ Betta Blues,” “Harlem Nights” and “Vampire in Brooklyn.”

More recently, Murphy wrote “Norbit,” which opened at No. 1 at the box office last year and starred his brother. He also currently appears in Queen Latifah’s “A Perfect Christmas.” Invariably, funny is a commodity that Murphy provides. It doesn’t matter whether it’s for a feature film or a comedy club audience.

“I do both, and why would I stop doing one of them,” said Murphy, calling from his New Jersey home. “Acting might cool off but I still have to eat.”

While some comedians use their comedy as a vehicle that leads to acting, Murphy took a different approach. In fact, it wasn’t until he was cast in the three-time Emmy-nominated Comedy Central “Chappelle’s Show” that Murphy began to make a name for himself.

Specifically, it was hilarious “Charlie Murphy’s True Hollywood Stories” segments that drew attention to this C-level star. Do yourself a favor and YouTube Murphy’s bizarre story of meeting Prince. Seemingly, just as his star was beginning to rise, Dave Chappelle pulled the plug on the series. 

Next came an offer to join a 2004 tour with “Chappelle’s Show” cast members Donnell Rawlings and Bill Burr. The problem was, Murphy wasn’t a stand-up comedian.

“All of a sudden there’s an opportunity for me to do stand-up comedy,” Murphy said. “But that’s not an opportunity because I never really did stand-up comedy before, and I never had a desire to do it.

“Then you think about it, my brother is Eddie Murphy and I can’t go up there and rob people for their money. I just can’t go on stage and be a gimmick or anything like that. If I’m going to do this, it has to be real. We’re talking about not just having a brother who is a comedian but we’re talking about having a brother who is recognized as one of the best comedians to ever do it.”

Cognizant of not shaming his family name or appearing nepotistic, Murphy quickly developed a stand-up act that over the past three years has kept him on the road nearly every weekend. Murphy returns to Northeast Ohio with performances scheduled for Friday through Sunday at the Cleveland Improv.

In many ways, his current success has allowed this 48-year-old funny man to finally step out of his brother’s shadow. More important, he can hold his head up high.

“I did it my way, not how people would think — Eddie Murphy chaperoning and giving me advice,” Murphy said. “I didn’t do anything like that. I just went out there and thought, ‘If it’s going to happen, it’s going to be real. Nobody is going to be able to say that they helped you get to where you’re at.’

“I wrote all of my own material and walked this road by myself. I did my homework. I made the sacrifice that bought me a ticket to the dance and nobody can dispute it.”