Image via Complex Original
Preaching about the comedic greatness that once was Eddie Murphy to people born after, say, 1995 must be a lot like trying to convince those same folks that O.J. Simpson was once a Hall of Fame-caliber NFL pro-bowler. As far as today's teenyboppers know, both celebrities are punchlines. Both Murphy and Simpson started off as elite members of their respective worlds, but then catastrophically ruined all of the good will they'd earned—Simpson by, um, being at the center of a worldwide phenomenon murder trial, and Murphy for spending the new millennium starring in movies that not even Cuba Gooding, Jr. would entertain.
But how can anyone call themselves a fan of comedy movies if they've never seen all of Murphy's early-to-mid-1980s classics, namely Coming to America? Anyone who's slacking on their Murphy knowledge would be wise to start fixing that problem by renting that 1988 gem, directed by the venerable John Landis (National Lampoon's Animal House, Michael Jackson's Thriller) and starring Murphy as an African prince who uproots his silver-spoon life to the mean streets of Queens to find his one true princess. Equal parts fish-out-of-water romp and charming romantic comedy, Coming to America has everything you could want in an Eddie Murphy film: classic one-liners ("The royal penis is clean, your highness."), great supporting characters (Arsenio Hall's Semmi, Eriq La Salle's slimy Darryl), and Murphy unrecognizably playing several different characters in all kinds of makeup.
Today, June 29, marks the film's 25th anniversary, an occasion that, for one, will make many people feel old as f*ck, but should also give longtime fans a good reason to revisit it and newbies the chance to stop sleeping on one of the funniest movies ever made. One that featured a slew of then-anonymous but now-famous actors, as well as seasoned vets at the top of their games. To catch up with them all, we present multiple answers to the following question: Where's the cast of Coming to America now?
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Written by Matt Barone (@MBarone)
Eddie Murphy
Most recent projects: Shrek Forever After (2010), Tower Heist (2011), A Thousand Words (2012)
Prognosis: One of these days, we're going to get the proper Eddie Murphy comeback we've all been eagerly waiting for—and he'll be forgiven for his acting sins over the last decade.
Already a big-time star when he made Coming to America (thanks to 48 Hrs., Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop, and the stand-up special Eddie Murphy Raw), the comedian turned actor kept his A-list clout going in full force long after, starring in smash hits like The Nutty Professor, Dr. Doolittle, and the Shrek franchise. He was even nominated for an Academy Award for 2006's Dreamgirls.
But people rarely talk about that when it comes to Murphy—the conversation usually revolves around his recent endless stream of god-awful comedies, and it's always disrespectful. With duds like The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Norbit, Meet Dave, and Imagine That to his name, Murphy's films have been nominated for an undesirable 11 Golden Raspberry awards.
Increasing the sting, a recent attempt to reboot Beverly Hills Cop as a TV show, in which Murphy would co-star as Axel Foley the police chief (whose son is the show's main character), was quickly abandoned by CBS, most likely due to a underwhelming pilot episode.
Arsenio Hall
Most recent projects: Black Dynamite (2009), The Celebrity Apprentice 5(2012, NBC), new syndicated talk show (fall 2013)
Prognosis: Before he solidified himself as a legitimate comedic movie star in Coming to America, arguably one-upping Eddie Murphy as Akeem's loyal buddy Semmi, Arsenio Hall was still an up-and-comer in Hollywood. Roles like "Apartment Victim" in the self-aware B-movie anthology Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) and "Dr. Mustapha Abdul Raheem Jamaal X Muhammad" on the TV show Elvira's Movie Macabre (1982) showed that Hall was game for anything, and once Coming to Americahit, the suits took notice.
One year later, he was back on screen with Murphy in Harlem Nights, hanging out with Paula Abdul in her David Fincher-directed "Straight Up" music video, and beginning his legendary five-year stint hosting his own late night talk show (The Arsenio Hall Show). In September, Hall will try to reclaim his after-primetime throne by hosting an all-new syndicated talk show.
Shari Headley
Most recent projects: All My Children (1991-2005, ABC), 10 Things I Hate About You (2010, ABC Family), White Collar(2011, USA)
Prognosis: Like Prince Akeem, every guy who's seen Coming to America has fallen in love with the warm-hearted Lisa McDowell. As played by Shari Headley, she's the ultimate around-the-way girl, a Queens gal whose New Yorker charms and lack of highfalutin vanity make her the perfect dreamgirl for Akeem, a prince who's not impressed by the royal lifestyle.
Headley herself hasn't stopped working throughout the last 25 years, finding the most success in television, with guest-starring roles on shows like New York Undercover, Quantum Leap, and Veronica Mars, as well as steady work in soap operas (The Bold and the Beautiful, All My Children).
James Earl Jones
Most recent projects: Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins (2008), House, M.D.(2009, Fox)
Prognosis: Frankly, we're surprised that there haven't been any Coming to America/Game of Thrones video mashups floating around the Internet over the last couple of years. Think about it—ing Jaffe versus King Joffrey. Get it? Hello, is this thing on?
He wasn't exactly a softie, but compared to Got's supreme jerk-off king, Jaffe (played by the great James Earl Jones) is a saint, finally allowing his son, Akeem, to marry non-royal Queens girl Lisa. It's fitting that Jones played a king, since he's one of the movie industry's most experienced and adored still-working actors—in 2011, in fact, he received an honorary award at the Oscars. These days, he's mostly voicing animated characters. Good for him—50 years in the business gives you every right to take it easy.
Madge Sinclair
Most recent projects: Me and the Boys (1994-1995, ABC)
Prognosis: She'll forever be remembered as Akeem's humorless, no-bullshit-taken mother in Coming to America. Not that the late Madge Sinclair wasn't already a busily working actress prior to becoming Eddie Murphy's fictional mom—before Coming to America, the Kingston, Jamaica, native was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series, for Roots.
After the 1988 film, she was a primary cast member on the ABC sitcom Me and the Boys, playing Steve Harvey's character's mother-in-law. Unfortunately, seven months after the series ended its one-season run, Sinclair passed away due to leukemia in December 1995.
Paul Bates
Most recent projects: Hesher (2010), Bad Teacher (2011)
Prognosis: "She's your queen…to be!" By singing those five words as if his life (and, literally, career) depended on it, Paul Bates cemented his place within the all-time quotable comedy scenes pantheon. As the jolly royal servant Oha, Bates made the most of his reasonably small role, proving himself as a portly crooner who can hit one truly mean high note.
It's too bad Hollywood hasn't needed much singing of that kind in the years since. Though he's appeared in a few noteworthy films, whether legitimately special (8 Mile) or historically bad (Showgirls), Bates hasn't done anything nearly as memorable as serenading that queen-to-be.
Eriq La Salle
Most recent projects: How to Make It in America (2011, HBO), A Gifted Man (2011-2012, CBS)
Prognosis: What's an '80s comedy without the antagonistic, douchey alpha male character? Basically William "Johnny Lawrence" Zabka with a Soul Glo hairdo, Eriq "Darryl Jenks" La Salle made quite the impression in Coming to America, playing the asshole boyfriend of Akeem's love interest with enough Jheri curl juice to fill a biggie-sized soft drink cup.
Following Coming to America, La Salle worked in a string of forgettable movies until landing a career-making gig on NBC's medical drama ER, playing Dr. Peter Benton in various degrees of prominence throughout the show's 1994-2009 duration. Recurring roles on a couple of cancelled shows (How to Make It in America, A Gifted Man), however, haven't been as fruitful.
John Amos
Most recent projects: Two and a Half Men (2010, CBS), Madea's Witness Protection (2012)
Prognosis: Don't hold that Madea's Witness Protection credit against John Amos—Tyler Perry movie notwithstanding, the 40-plus-year acting veteran (who played Akeem's McDowell's employer in Coming to America) has been in some of first-class TV shows. Starting with Good Times back in the mid-1970s, Amos has enjoyed multi-episode arcs on shows like Mary Tyler Moore and, following Coming to America, Hunter, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and The West Wing.
Though he's been quiet as of late, Amos is the kind of respected, always welcome character actor who'll undoubtedly pop up in another worthwhile show or movie. Just hopefully not the Madea's next wacky misadventure.
Louie Anderson
Most recent projects: Splash (2013, ABC)
Prognosis: Every good black comedy movie's got one: the token white character who's a total goof. In Coming to America, it's Maurice, Akeem's dorky McDowell's fast food joint co-worker played by stand-up comedian Louie Anderson. Being that, you know, he's not very funny, Anderson hasn't done much to pick up the fat-white-guy-comedian torch left by the late John Candy and Chris Farley.
Well, not unless you count turning himself into a joke as sufficient criteria—Anderson recently participated in the ridiculous ABC reality competition Splash, a diving contest hosted by Joey Lawrence, featuring the esteemed Nicole Eggert and Kendra Wilkinson, and during which Anderson would've drowned if not for the heroic efforts of Detroit Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh. Hilarious!
Samuel L. Jackson
Most recent projects: Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012), Django Unchained (2012)
Prognosis: Is anyone surprised to learn, or be reminded of the fact that, Samuel L. Jackson? Dude was in pretty much every black movie throughout the late '80s and early '90s, mostly in one-memorable-scene roles, like his Coming to America appearance as a robber.
As for what the baddest motherfucker in Hollywood has been up to in the 25 years since, you already know—Nick Fury in all of the blockbuster Marvel movies, a scene-stealers in multiple Quentin Tarantino movies, and co-star of more flicks than probably all of Coming to America's cast, minus Eddie Murphy and James Earl Jones, combined. Who would've thought—Coming to America's token "black criminal" would go on to become the film's biggest actor. Perhaps crime does pay.
Garcelle Beauvais
Most recent projects: Franklin & Bash (2011-2012, TNT), Flight (2012), White House Down (2013)
Prognosis: Ironically, the actress with the least important role in Coming to America is now its most successful female veteran. After playing the lowly role of "Rose Bearer" servant to Eddie Murphy's Akeem, the apparently never-aging Beauvais (seriously, she looks just as good now as she did back in '88) worked her way through the Hollywood ranks in a series of small-screen roles, ranging from the 1994-1995 Melrose Place wannabe Models Inc. to Family Matters and, most effectively, The Jamie Foxx Show.
This weekend, she can be seen in what's easily the biggest (in terms of budget, at least) movie to date, White House Down, playing the first lady to old friend Jamie Foxx's POTUS.
Vanessa Bell
Most recent projects: Shameless (2012-present, Showtime)
Prognosis: No one watching Coming to America should feel all that bad for Eddie Murphy's Akeem and his pre-arranged marriage to a woman not named Lisa McDowell. Seriously, Vanessa Bell Calloway—who played his original pre-fixed spouse, Imani—was gorgeous then and, as the above photo makes clear, still a total looker.
She's also quite the experienced Hollywood journeywoman, having constantly worked since Coming to America in one small role after another. Her TV credits include episodes of Boston Public, CSI: Miami, The Closer, Dexter, and, most recently, Shameless. Hopefully there's more where that came from, because, on the movie side, her next project is the abysmal-sounding horror-comedy Holla II, led by former 3LW singer Kiely Williams and one-time Jay-Z minion Teairra Mari. Apparently Missy Elliot's old friend Tweet was too busy to join them.
Vondie Curtis-Hall
Most recent projects: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans (2009); directed episodes of The Starter Wife (USA), Gossip Girl (The CW), and Boston Legal (ABC)
Prognosis: In 1988, Vondie Curtis-Hall was an unknown actor looking for his big break, which, technically, didn't happen with Coming to America, since, well, he played the not-so-pivotal role of "Basketball Game Vendor." Two years later, however, he scored an actual speaking part in Die Hard 2, and he hasn't stopped since.
Today, Curtis-Hall is an accomplished actor/director who's shared screen time with stars like John Travolta (Broken Arrow, 1996), the late James Gandolfini (a 2002 episode of The Sopranos), and Don Cheadle (Talk to Me, 2007). Behind the camera, his credits include the 1997 Tupac Shakur/Tim Roth crime comedy Gridlock'd and episodes of shows like The Shield and Gossip Girl, which, yes, is about as diversified as you can get.
Frankie Faison
Most recent projects: One Life to Live (2009-2012, ABC), Banshee (2013, Cinemax)
Prognosis: From Akeem's shell-shocked landlord to Lucas Hood's I'm-too-old-for-this-shit confidante—not a bad trajectory for Frankie Faison, a bit player in Coming to America who's currently playing the awesomely named Sugar Bates on Cinemax's brutal action/drama original series Banshee, one of TV's most underrated shows.
Overlooking 2011's The Cookout 2 (hey, everyone's got to eat), Faison has amassed a respectable resume of character-actor roles on various television programs, including The Wire, The Good Wife, and Grey's Anatomy. On the big screen, he's been partial to Hannibal Lecter, appearing in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), Hannibal (2001), and Red Dragon as former hospital orderly Barney Matthews.
Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Most recent projects: Red Tails (2012), One in the Chamber (2012)
Prognosis: In any other movie, Cuba Gooding Jr.'s credit of "Boy Getting Haircut" wouldn't be anything to brag about, but in Coming to America, the then-unknown, young actor's presence during the funniest barbershop scene ever filmed is admirable by association.
Gooding, Jr.'s post-Coming to America career has been the stuff of high-and-low legend. He starred in the groundbreaking hood flick Boyz N the Hood (1991), appeared in A Few Good Men (1992), and eventually won an Academy Award for yelling "Show me the money!" in Jerry Maguire (1996). His lively, memorable acceptance speech promised a vibrant new Hollywood star.
His decisions after the Oscar, though, betrayed that promise. Aside from the occasional pop-up role in a respectable film (American Gangster, 2007), Gooding, Jr. has mostly slogged through laughably bad comedies (Snow Dogs, Boat Trip, both 2002) and lessened his worth in straight-to-DVD thrillers like The Devil's Tomb (2009) and The Hit List (2011).
By year's end, he'll have co-starred in two movies that, for whatever it's worth, will at least open theatrically: Machete Kills and The Butler. A far cry from Jerry Maguire, but much better than Daddy Day Camp.
John Landis (Director)
Most recent projects: Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project (2007), Burke and Hare (2010), Monsters in the Movies (book, 2011)
Prognosis: Prior to directing Coming to America, John Landis was already a comedy institution in Hollywood. Amongst his previous humor classics: National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), The Blues Brothers (1980), An American Werewolf in London (1981), and Three Amigos (1988).
Unfortunately, Coming to America was the last great comedy Landis has made. In the years since, he's made awful spoofs (Oscar, 1991), unnecessary sequels (Blues Brothers 2000, 1998), and the underwhelming 2010 serial killer period romp Burke and Hare. He did, however, direct the excellent HBO documentary Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project, and in 2011 he put together the comprehensive, entertaining, and visually superb book Monsters in the Movies, a photo-heavy look back at all of cinema's greatest, and lamest, creatures.
Landis can also take pride in the fact that his son, Max, wrote last year's impressive, dark sci-fi hit Chronicle.