THE 18TH ANNUAL MARK TWAIN PRIZE FOR AMERICAN HUMOR: CELEBRATING EDDIE MURPHY

On Sunday, October 18, 2015, Dave Chappelle, Whitney Cummings, Kathy Griffin, Arsenio Hall, Sam Moore, Kevin Nealon, Trevor Noah, Jay Pharoah, Joe Piscopo, Chris Rock and Other Special Guests will gather in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall to salute Eddie Murphy, recipient of the 18th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The Prize, which is named to honor one of the world’s greatest humorists, will be given at a gala performance featuring some of the biggest names in comedy, and will be taped for broadcast nationwide. Upon learning he will receive the Mark Twain Prize, Eddie Murphy commented, "I am deeply honored to receive this recognition from the Kennedy Center and to join the distinguished list of past recipients of this award." ABOUT EDDIE MURPHY Eddie Murphy is the most commercially successful African American actor in the history of the motion picture business, and is one of the industry’s top-five box office performers overall. Murphy is on the very short list of actors who have starred in multiple $100 million pictures over the past three decades, from Beverly Hills Cop to Daddy Day Care.

He is also the voice of Donkey in the Oscar®-winning animated film Shrek and its sequel, Shrek 2, which is the top-grossing animated film of all time. Murphy won an Annie Award and earned BAFTA and MTV Movie Award nominations for his performance in the first Shrek, and reprised the role of Donkey in the final installment of the hugely successful franchise, Shrek Goes Fourth. Murphy began his career as a stand-up comedian nearly 40 years ago. In 1980, at the age of 19, he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live, and has since gone on to establish a successful career on the big screen. His films have been among the highest-grossing comedies in the industry, including 48 Hrs., Trading Places, Dr. Dolittle, Coming to America and the Beverly Hills Cop franchise. Murphy garnered Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actor in a Comedy for his performances in Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places and 48 Hrs. In 1989, Murphy made his directorial debut with Harlem Nights, a period comedy he also wrote and starred in, opposite Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx. In addition, Murphy starred in and produced the hit comedy Life co-starring Martin Lawrence, and starred opposite Steve Martin in the comedy Bowfinger. He was also the voice of Mushu the Dragon in the successful animated epic Mulan. In 2007, Murphy received rave reviews and critical acclaim for his portrayal of James "Thunder" Early in the Dreamworks film Dreamgirls, a performance which would garner him the Golden Globe®, Screen Actors Guild, and Broadcast Film Critics Association Awardsfor Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture as well as earning him his first Academy Award® nomination in the same category.