Eddie Murphy Will Host The 84th Annual Academy Awards

Eddie Murphy signs on to host 84th Academy Awards ceremony, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday, September 6.

In a press release on Tuesday, Eddie Murphy said:

“I am enormously honored to join the great list of past Academy Award hosts from Hope and Carson to Crystal, Martin and Goldberg, among others.”

Eddie Murphy, 50, was reported to be the Brett Ratner’s top choice to host the 84th Academy Awards show.

Brett Ratner, who is the “Rush Hour” director and recently directed Eddie Murphy in the upcoming movie “Tower Heist”, is producing the ceremony.

“Eddie is a comedic genius, one of the greatest and most influential live performers ever,” Brett Ratner said in a press release.

“With his love of movies, history of crafting unforgettable characters and his iconic performances – especially on stage – I know he will bring excitement, spontaneity and tremendous heart to the show.”

This will be Eddie Murphy’s first hosting stint on the Oscars.

Eddie Murphy earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2006 for his role in “Dreamgirls.”

Previously, there were rumors that Billy Crystal, who hosted the awards show eight times between 1990 and 2004, was to be in the running for hosting duties before Eddie Murphy was officially tapped to host.

Eddie Murphy began his career at the age of 15 as a stand-up comedian.  In 1980, at the age of 19, he joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live,” becoming the show’s youngest cast member to that point, and bringing to life many of the show’s most memorable  characters. His 1983 album “Eddie Murphy: Comedian” won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording.  It included portions of his groundbreaking HBO special “Eddie Murphy Delirious.”  In 1987, “Eddie Murphy Raw” was theatrically released and went on to gross over $50 million. Murphy made his feature film debut in 1982 with the classic “48 Hrs.” and would go on to star in such box-office hits as “Beverly Hills Cop” and the “The Nutty Professor” and “Shrek” franchises. All told, movies in which he has performed have earned in excess of $7 billion worldwide during their theatrical releases.

The 84th edition of the Annual Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2011 will be presented on Sunday, February 26, 2012, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live on the ABC Television Network.  The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.