Poll: Which Eddie Murphy Do You Prefer?

We've known many Eddie Murphys throughout the years, from his beginnings in riotously raunchy '80s comedies to his brief flirtation with drama to his unquenchable thirst for the fat suit.

With 'Imagine That,' Murphy is back in prosthetic-less PG zone, entertaining families as a single father who discovers his daughter's blankie may have magical powers.

Which Eddie Murphy do you prefer? We've narrowed down the funnyman's acts into six categories. Take a look and vote below.
-- By Kevin Polowy


Animated Eddie
As the voice of the gregarious "Donkey" in the cash cow known as 'Shrek' (what's an odd-toed ungulate gotta do to get a character name?), Murphy swiftly and easily surpassed 1966 French film star Balthazar as the world's favorite ass.
See also: 'Mulan'



Classic '80s Eddie
Whether cracking the case ('Beverly Hills Cop,' '48 Hrs.') or playing fish out of water ('Coming to America,' 'Trading Places'), the wise-cracking, f-bomb-dropping comic was one of the decade's biggest and most consistent stars.
See also: 'The Golden Child,' 'Harlem Nights'

Dramatic(al) Eddie
Surprisingly, Murphy has only brought the drama once, as the tragic James 'Thunder' Early in 'Dreamgirls.' The result? An Oscar nomination. Spoiler alert: The Academy loves death by drug overdose. (Perhaps devastated by his surprising defeat, Murphy turned toward 'Meet Dave.')

Family-Friendly Eddie
The father of eight treated his brood and ours to some funny bone-tickling with 1998's megahit 'Dr. Dolittle.' He subsequently punished all of us with the far inferior sequel, not to mention 2003's 'Daddy Day Care' and 'The Haunted Mansion.'
See also: 'Imagine That'




Fatsuit Eddie
Murphy played no less than five super-sized Klumps in 'The Nutty Professor' -- a comedy hit that made no less than $128 million at the box office. An inevitable side effect to Murphy in prosthetics? Flatulence. Lots and lots of flatulence.
See also: 'The Nutty Professor II,' 'Norbit'



Uncensored Eddie
As the tagline to his standup special 'Raw' warned, "You may be offended if you're black, white, male, female, rich or poor, Bill Cosby, Mr. T or Richard Pryor." And we were offended ... in all the right ways. (No word, though, from middle-class Latino hermaphrodites.)
See also: 'Delirious'