The legendary actor poked fun at his own career in his touching speech.
Eddie Murphy's groundbreaking and triumphant career received the recognition it has long deserved at this year's Critics' Choice Awards, where he was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
After a heartfelt introduction by comic Keegan-Michael Key -- who co-stars with Murphy in Dolemite Is My Name -- Murphy took the stage to accept the honor with a genuine and hilariously self-deprecating speech.
"I've been making movies, next year, for 40 years," Murphy said, holding the award with reverence. "I've been doing it for a minute now, and being able to make a living as an actor is a privilege and a blessing, and to make your living making people laugh -- you're the luckiest person on Earth to be able to do that."
Murphy also addressed the epic clip montage that played right before he came out, which included clips from some of his most celebrated films and influential sketches from his time on Saturday Night Live.
"I've played everything, I've been a cop and a robber and a doctor and a professor, I've played different ethnicities, I've been animals, I've been a donkey."
"I even played a spaceship once," Murphy said with a laugh, referring to his critically panned 2008 comedy Meet Dave.
"That's the one thing, when young actors come up to me on the street and they say, 'Do you have any advice?' I say, 'Never play a spaceship,'" he added, laughing.
Murphy wrapped up his speech with a touching thanks to the Critics' Choice Association for the honor.
"This is perfectly timed. I had a great year, and this is a great way to top the year off. And thank you, Critics' Choice Association, for giving me something to acknowledge my whole body of work. I really appreciate it," Murphy shared.
Recently, Murphy made his acclaimed return to Saturday Night Live, hosting the final episode of the year. The triumphant appearance marked his first time hosting the show in 35 years, and Murphy knocked it out to the park, bringing back several of his beloved SNL characters and earning the show its highest ratings in seasons.
Check out the video below to hear more about Murphy's return to Studio 8H.
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