Net Worth: $200 Million
Eddie Murphy’s net worth has grown to an estimated $200 million thanks largely to his work as an actor, voice actor, comedian, and producer.
Over the course of his career, Murphy has starred in numerous hit movies, including Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, Dreamgirls, and Shrek, earning him a place as one of the highest-grossing actors in film history. Moreover, his work as a stand-up comedian has also garnered him a ton of praise from both critics and fans alike.
Along with his pursuits in screenwriting, and comedy, Eddie Murphy’s financial success is also attributed to his collaborations with various production houses that have provided several studios with lucrative “first looks” at the actor’s potential projects.
What is Eddie Murphy’s Net Worth Today?
s_bukley / Depositphotos.comWith an impressive career spanning over four decades, Eddie Murphy’s net worth of $200 million has been well earned, with his films generating nearly $7 billion worldwide, making him the sixth top-grossing American actor at the box office.
Here’s how Eddie Murphy’s box office breakdown has occurred by type of role according to The-Numbers.
| Role | Number of Roles | Domestic | International | Worldwide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leading | 42 | $3,505,016,859 | $3,094,810,371 | $6,599,827,230 |
| Supporting | 2 | $223,986,210 | $235,134,140 | $459,120,350 |
| Lead Ensemble Member | 2 | $78,046,570 | $72,376,376 | $150,422,946 |
| Producer | 5 | $97,683,717 | $72,376,376 | $170,060,093 |
| Story Creator | 3 | $243,463,055 | $223,947,699 | $467,410,754 |
| Screenwriter | 2 | $156,530,869 | $98,300,000 | $254,830,869 |
| Director | 1 | $60,857,262 | $35,000,000 | $95,857,262 |
During the late 80s, 90s, and 2000s, Eddie ranked among the world’s highest-paid actors, frequently earning $20 million per film. To date, he has amassed over $300 million, thanks to his high salaries and royalties.
Eddie Murphy’s Saturday Night Live Earnings
Murphy gained nationwide recognition through Saturday Night Live in the early 80s, where he created iconic characters such as Buckwheat, Mister Robinson, and Gumby. He discovered his comedic passion after encountering one of Richard Pryor’s comedy albums as a teenager. As an essential driving force behind SNL during its most challenging times, Eddie Murphy saved the show and subsequently became its second-greatest cast member to date, just after John Belushi.
For his starting pay on SNL, the comedian was earning a reported $4500 per episode in his first season in 1981. The actor, who started with the show at just 19 years old, quickly became a star, and his salary was reportedly bumped up to $30,000 per episode in season two. Murphy appeared in a total of 65 episodes of the long-running live comedy series.
A $70 Million Netflix Deal
In 2019, Netflix provided a monumental boost to his career earnings by paying him $70 million for multiple comedy specials. His first move with Netflix was Dolemite Is My Name. There were also talks of Murphy performing his first stand-up special in 30 years, a special that has yet to come to fruition.
In 2023, Murphy appeared in the Netflix Original movie, You People.
Murphy is also slated to appear in 2024’s Netflix original Beverly Hills Cop: Axel Foley which co-stars Kevin Bacon and Joseph Gorden-Levitt.
Netflix is no stranger to offering big money to A-List comedians. Dave Chappelle’s net worth skyrocketed thanks to a $20 million deal with the streamer and Jerry Seinfeld’s net worth also ballooned even more with his deal for a stand-up special and for the right’s to new episodes of his newest hit series Comedian in Cars Getting Coffee.
Eddie Murphy’s Three Picture “First Look” Deal With Amazon
It’s not just Netflix that came calling for Eddie Murphy, the actor in 2021 signed a three-picture “first look” deal with Amazon. That deal was announced in September 2021, around six months after Coming To America 2 debuted on March 5, 2021.
with an estimated per movie cost of $15 million to $20 million per project, Eddie Murphy’s Amazon deal could easily be worth upwards of $60 million.
With multiple streaming services vying for his attention, Eddie Murphy’s net worth in 2023 is impressive and it’s going to continue to grow in the years ahead.
Eddie Murphy Movie Salary Highlights
Jean_Nelson / Depositphotos.comEddie Murphy’s remarkable career has seen him earning impressive salaries over the years. Back in 1981, he earned a modest $4,500 per episode for Saturday Night Live, which was later increased to $30,000 in 1982.
Let’s take a look at some significant salary milestones from various roles in his career. We’ve only included movies with publicly available information and this is by no means an all-inclusive list of Eddie Murphy’s movie earnings.
| Movie | Salary | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 48 Hours (1982) | $450,000 | |
| Best Defense (1984) | $1 million | His first $1 million paycheck |
| Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) | $8 million | around $18 million adjusted for inflation |
| Coming to America (1988) | $8 million | |
| Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) | $15 million | approximately $25 million in today’s dollars |
| The Nutty Professor (1996) | $16 million | |
| Doctor Dolittle (1998) | $17.5 million | |
| Nutty Professor II (2000) | $20 million | Apart from the salary, he received 20% of the gross receipts, resulting in over $60 million total |
| Shrek (2001) | $3 million | |
| Doctor Dolittle 2 (2001) | $20 million | |
| The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) | $20 million | |
| Shrek 2 (2004) | $10 million | |
| Shrek Forever (2010) | $4 million | potentially up to $12 million including backend points |
| Tower Heist (2011) | $7.5 million |
Based on his salary from the Shrek movies and his back-end points on Shrek Forever that franchise along was potentially worth up to $35 million. Not bad for simply voicing a character.
Throughout the 1980s, 90s, and early 2000s, Murphy accumulated at least $250 million from film salaries and backend points, which likely puts his career film earnings above $300 million.
Endorsement Deals
Murphy has most notably appeared in a 1990 commercial for Toyota.
We don’t have pay Murphy has received fr his Toyota Celica spot but it sure is a blast from the past.
Editor’s note: Upon conducting our own research for Eddie Murphy’s net worth we came across various other brand deals on other websites that the actor reportedly signed. We could not find any brand endorsements for those products and therefore we only included his spot with Toyota on our list.
Real Estate
Eddie Murphy has owned multiple luxurious properties throughout his career.
In the 1990s, he lived in Granite Bay, California, in a custom-built mansion within a high-end gated community.
Later, he invested $10 million in a 3.7-acre undeveloped lot in Beverly Park, an exclusive neighborhood in Beverly Hills. After purchasing the land, Eddie constructed a 40,000-square-foot mansion with 32 rooms, including nine bedrooms and nine bathrooms. The property also features a large pool, tennis court, library, and bowling alley.
A previous Beverly Hills house he owned during the 1980s has been listed for $85 million by a subsequent owner, but we don’t have info on his purchase or sale price for that property.
In 2007, Eddie bought Rooster Cay, a 15-acre private island in the Bahamas, for $15 million. He also owned another private island named Pearl Island at one point.
Eddie eventually sold his New Jersey home in 2012 for $12 million after initially listing it for $30 million seven years prior.
While the actor owns several properties and an Island, they appear to be solely for his personal use and not built or maintained for the sole purpose of selling them at a later time. Still, the properties are likely to grow in value, increasing Eddie Murphy’s net worth over time.
