Eddie Murphy has been making people laugh since his days on Saturday Night Live in the early 80s. He has shined as a successful comedian, actor, writer and producer. Now all of his accomplishments will be recognized by fellow comedians such as Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle and Arsenio Hall as Murphy is set to be honored with the 18th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.
BET reported that the Kennedy Center will honor the Coming To America actor on Sunday Oct. 18 for his "important and lasting impact on American culture." Past recipients include performers like Carol Burnett, Whoopi Goldberg, Jay Leno and Richard Pryor. Like these great entertainers, Murphy's body of work and longevity in his career, which really took off at the young age of 19, has shown that "he was years ahead of his time," as described by Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter.
The Kennedy Center press release provides ticket information for the two-hour show, which are on sale and available now for public purchase. The event will also air on PBS on Nov. 23 according to Vibe.
The Mark Twain Award will be the latest award received by the talented actor. Among the list of past awards include the NAACP Image Award for Entertainer of the Year (1988), the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in Dreamgirls (2007) and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor in The Nutty Professor (1997) among others.
Take a look at the clip of where it all began for Murphy, his Saturday Night Live debut in 1980.
