Eddie Murphy received the Lifetime Achievement honor at the Critics’ Choice Awards Sunday.

The comedian legend and actor shared his appreciation with the audience and viewers while giving his acceptance speech.

“To make your living making people laugh is the highest blessing on Earth,” Murphy said, and mentioned he’s graced the big screen nearly 40 years making movies.

“I’ve played everything: a cop, a robber, a doctor, different ethnicities, animals,” he said with a laugh. “I’ve been a donkey. I’ve even played a spaceship once. When young actors come up to me on the streets and say, ‘Do you have any advice?’, I say, ‘never play a spaceship.’”

His recent work was the portrayal of the filmmaker, Rudy Ray Moore in Dolemite Is My Name on Netflix. It premiered on September 7, 2019, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Murphy,58, stars in the movie along with Wesley Snipes and Mike Epps.

Murphy hosting ‘SNL’ after 35 years was also another great highlight. The show aired on December 21 and gave the television sketch comedy its highest ratings in two and a half years. Murphy called the moment “nostalgic and surreal,” and was glad he went back. “It was just a great feeling.” 

The father of 10, is also happy to be back in the spotlight with several projects lined up in 2020 like his stand-up comedy tour and the Coming to America sequel. Murphy, who is engaged to Paige Butcher,40, and share two kids; daughter Izzy Oona,3, and son Max Charles,1, said it was time to get up from the couch in a previous interview with Entertainment Weekly. 

“I was on the couch because I was rested, I mean I was tired,” said Murphy. “I’d been making movies and doing this stuff for so long I just needed time to be on the couch. Now, I’m off and [Dolemite] kind of lit a spark because it turned out so well and it got the creative juices flowing.”

The actor is also dad to his oldest son, Eric, 30, with Paulette McNeely. Daughters Bria, 29, Shayne Audra, 24, Zola Ivy, 19, Bella Zahra, 17, and 26-year-old son Miles Mitchell are with ex-wife Nicole Mitchell Murphy. His 11-year-old daughter Angel is with Mel B or Melanie Brown of the Spice Girls.

Congratulations Eddie Murphy!

By BSM Media

Feature Photo: Rob Latour/Shutterstock