Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall in Coming to America.Photo: Photo courtesy Paramount
It’s been 35 years sinceEddie Murphy’s Prince Akeem Joffer, well, came to America in search of a bride. Yes, the classic comedyComing to Americacelebrates its anniversary on June 29, 2023, and to honor the milestone, we’re catching up with the super starry cast (Arsenio Hall!James Earl Jones!Garcelle Beauvais!) then and now.
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Eddie Murphy as Prince Akeem Joffer
Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection; Paramount Pictures
Eddie Murphybegan his career as a stand-up comedian and cast member onSaturday Night Live. Then, in 1988, he took on the star-turning role of the crown prince of the fictional Zamunda inComing to America, along with other characters, including Sexual Chocolate singer Randy Watson, barber Clarence and Jewish barbershop customer Saul.
In addition to Murphy reprising his roles in theBeverly Hills Cop,Nutty Professor,Dr. DolittleandShrekfilm series, he returned as Akeem in theComing 2 Americasequel, which premiered on Amazon Prime Video in March 2021.
In 2007, Murphy won aGolden Globefor his performance as James “Thunder” Early in the 2006 film adaptation ofDreamgirls. That same year, he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Murphy isengaged to fiancéeand Australian modelPaige Butcher, with whom he shares two children:Izzy OonaandMax Charles. Murphy and Butcher have been together since 2012. He was previously married toNicole Murphyfor 12 years and had a symbolic union with Tracey Edmonds.
ThroughoutMurphy’s relationship history, he hasfathered 10 children, including Izzy and Max. Murphy referred to his kids as “amazing” whenhonored with the Cecil B. DeMille Awardat the 2023Golden Globesin January.
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Arsenio Hall as Semmi
As Semmi,Arsenio Hallplayed the sidekick to Murphy’s Prince Akeem, accompanying him on his journey to America to find a princess. Like Murphy, Hall also portrayed multiple characters in the film, most notably elderly barber Morris, Reverend Brown and an unattractive woman during the club scene.
From there, Hall starred on the short-lived ABC sitcomArsenioin 1997 and the CBS seriesMartial Law.He also hostedStar Searchand regularly appeared onThe Jay Leno Show,Lopez TonightandAccess Hollywood Live. Hall won The Celebrity Apprentice 5 in 2012 before he revivedThe Arsenio HallShow, which aired from 2013 to 2014.
His film credits includeBlankman(1994),Black Dynamite(2009) and, of course,Coming 2 America(2021).
In 2016, he suedSinead O’Connorfor $5 million over claims Hall was Prince’s drug dealer. Thelawsuit was droppedafter O’Connor apologized.
Hall has one son from his previous relationship with Cheryl Bonacci.
03of 09Shari Headley as Lisa McDowellParamount/Courtesy Everett Collection; Paramount PicturesShari Headley played Prince Akeem’s love interest and heiress of McDowell’s in her debut feature film role.She would go on to appear in a few films, includingThe Preacher’s Wife(1996),Johnson Family Vacation(2004) andTowelhead(2007), as well as on soap operas such asAll My Children,The Guiding Light,The Bold and the Beautiful.Headley also had a recurring role on413 Hope St.,The Haves and Have NotsandOn Becoming a God in Central Floridain 2019 before reprising her role as Lisa in 2021’sComing 2 America.She has a son from her previous two-year marriage to Christopher Martin, the actor and rapper “Play” ofHouse Partyfame and the hip-hop duo Kid ‘n Play.
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Shari Headley as Lisa McDowell
Shari Headley played Prince Akeem’s love interest and heiress of McDowell’s in her debut feature film role.
She would go on to appear in a few films, includingThe Preacher’s Wife(1996),Johnson Family Vacation(2004) andTowelhead(2007), as well as on soap operas such asAll My Children,The Guiding Light,The Bold and the Beautiful.
Headley also had a recurring role on413 Hope St.,The Haves and Have NotsandOn Becoming a God in Central Floridain 2019 before reprising her role as Lisa in 2021’sComing 2 America.
She has a son from her previous two-year marriage to Christopher Martin, the actor and rapper “Play” ofHouse Partyfame and the hip-hop duo Kid ‘n Play.
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James Earl Jones as King Jaffe Joffer
James Earl Jonesalready had threeStar Warsfilms under his belt when he joined the cast ofComing to America, showing his comedic side as Prince Akeem’s disapproving dad.
Additional film credits includeWelcome Home Roscoe Jenkins(2008),Gimme Shelter(2013),The Angriest Man in Brooklyn(2014) andComing 2 America(2021). Jones voiced Darth Vader for 40 years beforestepping down from the rolein September 2022. Though it was reported that Jones would return to voice the iconic villain on the Disney+ limited seriesObi-Wan Kenobi, it was actually AI-generated, according toVanity Fair.
Jones is technically anEGOT winner— having won two Emmys, two Tonys, a Grammy and an honorary Academy Award — but has never won an Oscar in a competitive category.
Jones had a son with wife Cecilia Hart, who died in 2016 from ovarian cancer.
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Eriq La Salle as Darryl Jenks
Paramount/courtesy Everett; KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP/ Getty
Classically trainedEriq La Salleplayed Headley’s egotistical boyfriend before finding fame — and garnering a Golden Globe nomination and Emmy nods — as Dr. Peter Benton onER.
He also reunited with his formerERcostarGloria Reubenin the 2022 Hallmark movieA Second Chance at Love.
In addition to acting, La Salle has had a successful career behind the camera. He directed the 1996 HBO filmRebound: The Legend of Earl “The Goat” Manigault,as well as episodes ofLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit, CSI: Cyber,Chicago P.D. andFirst Kill.
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John Amos as Cleo McDowell
Good TimesactorJohn Amosplayed Lisa’s father and the owner of McDowell’s, Cleo McDowell, a role he reprised forComing 2 America.
Amos has been featured in additional films such asLock Up(1989),Die Hard 2(1990),For Better or Worse(1995),The Players Club(1998),Dr. Dolittle 3(2006),Madea’s Witness Protection(2012) andMe Time(2022).
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Louie Anderson as Maurice
Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty; Paramount Pictures
Louie Andersonplayed Semmi and Akeem’s co-worker Maurice, an aspiring assistant manager at McDowell’s. He later reprised the role in the 2021 sequel.
Since his appearance inComing to America, Anderson created and starred on the short-livedThe Louie Showin 1996 andon all five seasons ofthe Emmy-winning animated seriesLife with Louie. He also hostedFamily Feudfrom 1999 to 2002 and had guest spots on shows, includingAlly McBeal,Grace Under Fire,ScrubsandYoung Sheldon.
In 2016, Anderson won an Emmy for his performance as Christine Baskets onBaskets. He was nominated again in 2017 and 2018 for the FX series, which he starred on from 2016 to 2019.
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Samuel L. Jackson as Hold-Up Man
Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection; George Pimentel/Getty
He continued working with Tarantino inJackie Brown(1997),Kill Bill: Vol. 2(2004),Django Unchained(2012) and The Hateful Eight (2015) while also packing his resume with notable roles inA Time to Kill(1996),Eve’s Bayou(1997),The Negotiator(1997),Deep Blue Sea(1999),Shaft(2000),Unbreakable(2000),S.W.A.T.(2003),Coach Carter(2005),Black Snake Moan(2006) and theStar Warsprequels.
In the latter half of the 2000s, Jackson was featured inUnthinkable(2010),Reasonable Doubt(2014),Big Game(2014),Kingsman: The Secret Service(2014),Cell(2016), Kong: Skull Island (2017),The Hitman’s Bodyguard(2017),Glass(2019) andSpider-Man: Far From Home(2019).
The actor first appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in a post-credit scene of 2008’sIron Manand has since become a mainstay as Nick Fury inThe Avengersmovies. He will headline a Marvel storyline for the first time in June 2023 on the Disney+ seriesSecret Invasion. Jackson has also lent his voice to animated films, includingThe Incredibles(2004) andIncredibles 2(2018).
He starred in the Broadway revival of August Wilson’sThe Piano Lessonin 2022, a role he originally played early in his career at Yale Repertory Theatre.
Though the actor never formally won an Oscar, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciencespresented Jackson with an Honorary Awardin 2022.
Jackson has beenmarried to actress LaTanya Richardsonsince 1980. The two share one daughter, Zoe.
09of 09Garcelle Beauvais as Rose BearerParamount/Courtesy Everett Collection; Paramount PicturesGarcelle Beauvaisportrayed a royal rose bearer, dishing out flower petals for Prince Akeem to walk on in the firstComing to America. She returned for the 2021 sequel, only this time her character, according to Beauvais, was “upgraded” from rose bearer to a rose bearer priestess. In March 2021, the actress jokinglytold theChicago Tribune, “I guess she got a promotion.“After the release of the original, the Haitian-American actress appeared onModels Inc.,The Jamie Foxx Show,NYPD Blue,Franklin & Bash, GrimmSirenandTell Me a Story. Beauvais was featured in the filmsWhite House Down(2013) andSpider-Man: Homecoming(2017) and starred in the Lifetime original moviesCaught in His Web(2022) andBlack Girl Missing(2023).Beauvais has been a cast member onThe Real Housewives of Beverly Hillssince 2020 and served as co-host of the now-canceled talk showThe Real. Shereleased her memoir,Love Me As I Am,in April 2022, and three children’s books celebrating diversity and addressing identity issues.She is amother of three sons. Beauvais shares her eldest,Oliver, with producer and ex-husband Daniel Saunders, whom she divorced in 2000. She also has fraternal twin boys, Jax Joseph and Jaid Thomas, from her former marriage to CAA agent Michael Nilon; the twodivorced in 2011afterBeauvais discovered Nilon was having an affair.
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Garcelle Beauvais as Rose Bearer
Garcelle Beauvaisportrayed a royal rose bearer, dishing out flower petals for Prince Akeem to walk on in the firstComing to America. She returned for the 2021 sequel, only this time her character, according to Beauvais, was “upgraded” from rose bearer to a rose bearer priestess. In March 2021, the actress jokinglytold theChicago Tribune, “I guess she got a promotion.”
After the release of the original, the Haitian-American actress appeared onModels Inc.,The Jamie Foxx Show,NYPD Blue,Franklin & Bash, GrimmSirenandTell Me a Story. Beauvais was featured in the filmsWhite House Down(2013) andSpider-Man: Homecoming(2017) and starred in the Lifetime original moviesCaught in His Web(2022) andBlack Girl Missing(2023).
Beauvais has been a cast member onThe Real Housewives of Beverly Hillssince 2020 and served as co-host of the now-canceled talk showThe Real. Shereleased her memoir,Love Me As I Am,in April 2022, and three children’s books celebrating diversity and addressing identity issues.
She is amother of three sons. Beauvais shares her eldest,Oliver, with producer and ex-husband Daniel Saunders, whom she divorced in 2000. She also has fraternal twin boys, Jax Joseph and Jaid Thomas, from her former marriage to CAA agent Michael Nilon; the twodivorced in 2011afterBeauvais discovered Nilon was having an affair.
source: people.com
