Charlie Murphy

I'll put it like this: When I was in high school, I would never win a popularity contest back then... it was always somebody else that got picked first for whatever reason. But all those people that went before me usually dropped the ball... then I'd get my shot. ”

When I was nine, my father passed away. It's one thing when you're a kid and your father wasn't there for you. My father was there, and then he was taken away. ”

In the Navy, you're around a lot of people from different parts of the country. They've got different accents, different upbringings. I learned to love country-western music. ”

Back when Sammy Davis, Jr. and Dean Martin were doing roasts, they were all friends. They knew each other's children, each other's wives, each other's families. It wasn't about being disrespectful. It was about being funny. ”

Most actors can't write. Most writers can't act. Most comedians can't act. I can do all three, so why wouldn't I do that? ”

There's no one on the road that I tried to pattern myself after. There's no one in history that I tried to pattern myself after. Because one thing I was told that in standup you want to develop your own voice. ”

It's easy to go on television and say horrible things about somebody. And it's cowardly. ”

I've become a writer, an actor, producing films, and having a TV show. I'm pretty successful and proud of it. ”

My own son called me Eddie Murphy's brother once. Once. ”

When I first started, it was a dare. Someone basically said, 'You're a tough guy... but I'll bet you won't get on a microphone in front of a bunch of people.' I was terrified, but I did it. Once I broke the ice and got onstage and got some laughs, I thought, 'That's not so bad.' ”