Unlike in the world of real money online poker games, it’s difficult for stand-up comedians to get popular and into cinema, and many of those who succeed are consigned to secondary roles as “best buddy” and comedic relief for the rest of their lives. Occasionally, however, a comic can transcend and become a full-fledged movie star. Here are ten examples of such comedians.
Steve Martin
Steve Martin was among the world’s largest stand-up comedians the first one to book full concerts when he began his cinematic debut with The Jerk in 1979, and he’s never turned back ever. Though he began with crazy comedies like The Man With Two Brains, Martin quickly lightened and transitioned into romantic comedy, Roxanne, that he also penned) and even comic tragedies like Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Martin is also now ready to transition from broad “family” comedy (Cheaper by the Dozen) to popular Hollywood material to more intimate creative projects like Shopgirl. He is a genuine movie star.
Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy was a stand-up comedian and Saturday Night Live guest star at the age of 19, and he went on to become the show’s biggest hit. After he was featured in 1982’s 48 Hrs, he became a cinematic star within only 2 years. Murphy reigned the ’80s, starring in blockbusters like Coming to America, Beverly Hills Cop, and The Golden Child while also retaining a stand-up profession, even releasing two stand-up performance movies, Delirious and throughout the period. Poor screenplay selections and failed projects resulted in a succession of commercial and critical flops in the 1990s and 2000s including Meet Dave and Vampire in Brooklyn, even though Murphy is still a Hollywood star and also was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in Vampire in Brooklyn.
Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey did not simply shift from stand-up comedy to Hollywood star; he became the world’s largest and top star. Carrey shot to stardom with Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and rode a constant stream of huge names during the first half of the 1990s including The Mask and Dumb and Dumber till The Cable Guy, a dark comedy that earned Carrey his $20 million paychecks the largest at that time but also marked his first commercial flop. Carrey recovered, but the rest of his reputation was a shambles. Gradually, he started playing casinos français games and mixing dramatic work in smaller films including a revelation appearance in the Andy Kaufman biography Man on the Moon with his customary broad humor.
Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx is a unique comic who didn’t necessarily break out in film till he started acting in dramatic roles – such as his lead role in Ray, for which he won the 2004 Best Actor Oscar – and is now popularly known as a dramatic actor than a funny one. The funny guy who rose to prominence on the sketch comedy series In Living Color has become the star of films such as Miami Vice, Collateral, and The Soloist. Foxx returned to his comedy origins in Due Date, starring Zach Galifianakis and Robert Downey Jr.
