Eddie Murphy is going to the Golden Globes.
The legendary comedian, 61, has been confirmed to receive one of the night’s highest honors, the Cecil B. DeMille Award, given as a way to honor “outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment,” per the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The selection is made by the HFPA’s board of directors.
Murphy, a six-time Golden Globe nominee, picked up one trophy in 2007 for his critically acclaimed turn in the movie musical Dreamgirls.
He snagged noms for 48 Hrs., Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop, The Nutty Professor and, more recently, for Dolemite Is My Name.
The award is among two of the night’s highest honors, with the other being the Carol Burnett Award. News on that recipient is expected this week, per HFPA president Helen Hoehne.
In accepting the Cecil B. DeMille prize, Murphy will join a list of recipients that includes Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, George Clooney, Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks, Jane Fonda, Morgan Freeman, Robert De Niro, Audrey Hepburn, Harrison Ford, Jodie Foster, Sophia Loren, Robin Williams and more.
“We’re honored to present this year’s Cecil B.DeMille Award to the iconic and highly esteemed Mr. Eddie Murphy,” said Hoehne. “We’re thrilled to be celebrating the lasting impact on film and television that his career — in front of and behind the camera — has had through the decades.”
Murphy has received several career achievement honors in recent years. In 2020, he accepted a lifetime achievement award from the Critics Choice Association, and last year, he was inducted into the NAACP’s hall of fame during the org’s Image Awards. “To make your living making people laugh is the highest blessing on Earth,” he said at the CCA ceremony.
The performer most recently starred in Amazon’s Coming 2 America, the long-awaited sequel to his 1988 box-office hit. In 2020, he received an Emmy for guest actor for his return to NBC’s Saturday Night Live. In a career that spans five decades, Murphy’s resume includes the Shrek franchise, Dr. Dolittle, Life, Bowfinger, Daddy Day Care, Norbit and Mr. Church, among many more. Murphy’s upcoming projects include the romantic comedy You People as well as producing and starring in Beverly Hills Cop 4. In 2015, Murphy received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Award from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
The Golden Globes ceremony will return live after one year off the air amid a scandal with the Globes’ parent organization. As a result, HFPA underwent an overhaul, a new voting class was added, and its previous PR firm, Sunshine Sachs, parted ways with the organization.
The ceremony, hosted by comedian Jerrod Carmichael, will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 10. The broadcast will air live across the nation at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on NBC and its streaming service Peacock from the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Nominations were announced on Monday.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which presents the Golden Globes, is owned by Eldridge Industries. The Hollywood Reporter is owned by PME Holdings, LLC, a joint venture between Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge.
