Comedian Eddie Murphy will host the 84th Academy Awards ceremony in February next year, it was announced today.
Murphy, whose movies range from Beverly Hills Cop to voicing the smart-mouthed donkey in Shrek, has been picked to host the Academy Awards for the first time in his career.
Today's announcement makes Oscar organisers appear as if they are aiming for laughs in 2012, after this year's performance by co-hosts, dramatic actors Anne Hathaway and James Franco, fell flat with critics and many viewers.
The hosting job pairs Murphy, who began performing stand-up comedy at age 15 before joining TV's Saturday Night Live, with director Brett Ratner, another Oscar first-timer best known for action movies and comedies.
Alongside Ratner's Oscar co-producer, Don Mischer, the pair bring a decidedly comic edge to the show that has tried to stay relevant among young and mainstream moviegoers as its major awards in recent years primarily have gone to dramas aimed mostly at older audiences.
In a statement, Murphy said he was honoured to be joining the likes of Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal, Steve Martin and Whoopi Goldberg, among the many hosts of the show that next year.
"Eddie is a comedic genius, one of the greatest and most influential live performers ever," Ratner said in a statement.
"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 Don and I want to produce in February," he said.
Mischer added: "Eddie is a truly ground-breaking performer, whose amazingly diverse array of roles has won him a devoted audience of all ages. His quick wit and charisma will serve him very well as Oscar host."
Murphy began his stand-up career at the age of 15, and in 1980, aged 19, he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. His 1983 album Eddie Murphy: Comedian won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording. In 2006, he earned an Oscar nomination in 2006 for his supporting role in the film Dreamgirls.
Agencies