Eddie Murphy was an iconic star throughout the '80s and 90's, being famous for stand-up comedy and in the movies. Height-wise he is someone who was not regularly talked about, blending seamlessly with the average around him, not standing out as either short or tall.
But we know that sometimes special tricks are used to make celebrities appear taller, so, is this the case with Eddie too?
What is Eddie Murphy's Real Height?
Eddie has always been an average height man. Today, as of 2021 Eddie stands at slightly over 5'9" (175.2 cm) tall. In his earlier years he stood slightly taller and was a comfortable 5'9.5" (176.5 cm), holding his own height wise when next to other celebrities of his era.
Next to Other Celebs in Earlier Years
Lifted Shoes
In the late '80s and early '90s Eddie's height is difficult to judge because he wore thick footwear, and in some instances, it appears he had lifted raises in his shoes to make him appear taller.
For instance, he could easily appear over 5'10" next to other celebs such as Mike Tyson and Michael Jackson, putting Eddie in a height range where he was able to look taller than average with some help from his shoes.
Mike Tyson 5'10.25 (178.4 cm)
Eddie held his own when next to Mike Tyson in pics, and even manages to look taller sometimes! This is most likely due to lifted footwear. However, this cannot be proven, so, with Mike Tyson, Eddie looks a solid 5'10" tall.
Michael Jackson 5'9" (175.2 cm)
Eddie always seemed to look comfortably taller than Michael Jackson. For Instance, when Jackson was wearing Cuban heeled shoes at the Lifetime achievement awards in 1989 Murphy still looked noticeably taller, but I was unable to closely view his footwear.
Therefore we can say that he once again appears a solid 5'10" tall.
Steve Martin 5'11.5 (181.6 cm)
When both actors were at peak height, Eddie looked around 2 inches shorter than Steve Martin at various film premiers and so on. This puts him in the 5'9.5" range of height. Steve could also sometimes pull off looking 6 feet, which would put Eddie nearer 5'10".
Next to Other Celebs in Recent Years
Jamie Foxx 5'9.25" (176 cm)
These two look almost identical in height at movie premiers, etc. It could go either way depending on who has the edge in footwear.
If I had to choose though, I would say Foxx has a very slight edge, but it is too slim to judge accurately. Therefore with Foxx, I would place Murphy at the same height of 5'9.25 inches tall.
Will Smith 6'1.5" (186.1 cm)
With similar footwear Murphy looks about 4 inches shorter than Will at various premiers, putting him at around 5'9.5" tall.
His Height Claims
Eddie has consistently claimed that he is 5'10".
One instance of an amusing height claim is in the movie the nutty professor, and he enters his height as 5'10" into a computer!
Another instance is him claiming 5'10" as his height and 165 pounds as his weight in his stand-up Raw (1987). However, if we look at his shoes, we can clearly see he is wearing higher heels, adding around 1.5-2 inches onto his height, making him seem easily over 5'10".
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What Others Say
Bridgett Nielson
In a behind-the-scenes clip for Beverly Hills Cop 2, in response to Eddie saying she is 6'2" and him 5'10", Bridget says it would be more accurate to put herself at 6 feet and Eddie close to 5'9'5" tall.
She also said in another interview that her height has caused her problems throughout her life, and she is clearly height aware, so this does indeed appear to be a statement clearer to the truth regarding Eddie's height.
Height Loss and Verdict
Putting aside the lifted shoes he sometimes wore in the 80's and 90's, Similar to other celebs, Eddie also looks slightly shorter today than he did 20 or 30 years ago, because as time goes by we all gradually lose height due to the shrinking discs in the spine.
So, Murphy appears to have lost around 0.25 of an inch of height from his peak years. He is doing well though, experiencing less height loss than many people in their 60's, still appearing comfortably average in height.
His peak height was 5'9.5" inches tall, and with raised shoes he could comfortably appear over the 5'10" range.
In 2021 however he stands at around 5'9.25 inches tall.
Associated Heights
Paige Butcher, Partner, 5'6" (167.6 cm)
Nicole Mitchell Murphy, Ex-wife, 5'10" (177.8 cm)
Charlie Murphy, Brother, 6" (182.9 cm)
Mel B, Ex-Flame, 5'4.25" (163.2 cm)
Arsenio Hall, Best Friend, 5'11" (180.3 cm)
