Who's More Successful? SNL Edition

[Soul Daddy]

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I'm a huge Murray fan, but even I can't think of any criteria in which Murphy should not be winning. Anyone who thinks otherwise is too young to realize how huge of a star he was in the 80's. And it was well earned.

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I don't know, I think Murrays continuous success vs Murphys 8 years of superstardom makes it close.

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This success you speak of is what exactly? Indie cred? He has undoubtedly made some great movies over the years. Somehow, the absolute stinkers and mail-ins go completely unnoticed. Regardless, a solid 30 year career is nowhere near as successful as being the biggest star in the world for a decade.

[samjjones]

Outside of Ghostbusters, Stripes, and Groundhog Day, Murray's pictures have not done great boxoffice.

[IndieMatty]

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I'm a huge Murray fan, but even I can't think of any criteria in which Murphy should not be winning. Anyone who thinks otherwise is too young to realize how huge of a star he was in the 80's. And it was well earned.

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I don't know, I think Murrays continuous success vs Murphys 8 years of superstardom makes it close.

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This success you speak of is what exactly? Indie cred? He has undoubtedly made some great movies over the years. Somehow, the absolute stinkers and mail-ins go completely unnoticed. Regardless, a solid 30 year career is nowhere near as successful as being the biggest star in the world for a decade.

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Ok, yeah, agreed.

[ChicagoTroy]

An oscar nomination is pretty serious cred for a former comic.

[Asufiji2004]

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An oscar nomination is pretty serious cred for a former comic.

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Beverly Hills cop did 230 million in 1984. His total US gross is approached 3 billion. Way more impressive.

[imported_The Vibesman]

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An oscar nomination is pretty serious cred for a former comic.

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But that doesn't equal "success." Plus it's just one role.

I read an interview with Steve Martin recently, for the release of his Pink Panther film (before it was pushed back to February release hell.) Steve, who has done some dramatic roles recently, was asked what he thought was harder, comedy or drama. Steve's reply (going from memory, so paraphrased):

Comedy is harder, it's really no contest. Listen, I have a friend, a comedian, who was getting acclaim for a dramatic role he did. I asked him, I said, "You're getting a lot of acclaim for this, that's great, was it tough?" He said, "Steve, comedy is so much harder. I'm getting great reviews because I stared at someone without blinking. And the only reason I was able to do it is because I was thinking about what I would have for dinner that night."


Personally, I immediately thought that Steve's friend was Bill Murray and the film was Lost in Translation. This story is neither here nor there, but I thought it was funny.

[Dominic]

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An oscar nomination is pretty serious cred for a former comic.

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Aykroyd and Downey Jr. also have had Oscar noms.

[imported_The Vibesman]

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This success you speak of is what exactly? Indie cred? He has undoubtedly made some great movies over the years. Somehow, the absolute stinkers and mail-ins go completely unnoticed. Regardless, a solid 30 year career is nowhere near as successful as being the biggest star in the world for a decade.

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Outside of Ghostbusters, Stripes, and Groundhog Day, Murray's pictures have not done great boxoffice.

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I think it's gotta be Murphy. He was the biggest thing in the prime of his career, and ushered in stand-up comedy's most successful era. Every stand-up comedian wanted to be Eddie Murphy, to come on stage to explosions and dancers, wearing a leather suit in front of a packed Madison Square Garden. He was a stand-up comedian that was as big as a rock star. As a movie star he was also A-list, one of the top paid film stars of his era, and every film was a guaranteed hit because he was in it. Beverly Hills Cop was one of the biggest movies ever, still 42st on top grossing movies of all time (Ghostbusters made almost 4 million more, but was not carried by Murray alone), and even the terrible sequel Bev Hills Cop II did better than superior movies like Gremlins, Lethal Weapon II and True Lies.

I also considered Mike Myers, due to the big success of Wayne's World, Shrek and the massive success of the Austin Powers films. But, despite his movie success, Mike never affected the world of stand-up the way Eddie did. It is however worth noting, when talking of "success" that there are four Mike Myers movies in the top 100 all-time grosses: Shrek II (3rd), Shrek (27th) and the 2nd and 3rd Austin Powers movies (58th and 55th respectively.)

So for me it's Eddie Murphy 1st and Mike Myers 2nd. If Steve Martin counts I'd put him 3rd, but he wasn't really a cast member.

[Soul Daddy]

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It is however worth noting, when talking of "success" that there are four Mike Myers movies in the top 100 all-time grosses: Shrek II (3rd), Shrek (27th) and the 2nd and 3rd Austin Powers movies (58th and 55th respectively.)

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Nice post. I do think I tend to underrate Myers. Not my cup of tea, but he has had a very good run. It's also worth noting that Murphy is featured in two of those movies as well.

[Army Eye]

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I also considered Mike Myers, due to the big success of Wayne's World, Shrek and the massive success of the Austin Powers films. But, despite his movie success, Mike never affected the world of stand-up the way Eddie did. It is however worth noting, when talking of "success" that there are four Mike Myers movies in the top 100 all-time grosses: Shrek II (3rd), Shrek (27th) and the 2nd and 3rd Austin Powers movies (58th and 55th respectively.)

So for me it's Eddie Murphy 1st and Mike Myers 2nd. If Steve Martin counts I'd put him 3rd, but he wasn't really a cast member.

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Sorry, Mike Myers goes not get credit for the SHREK movies. Come on now. Mike is pretty much a one-trick pony with the Austin Powers stuff.. I would put Sandler ahead of him who has opened many massively profitable movies.