Edward Regan Murphy was born on April 3, 1961 in Brooklyn, New York City, and grew up in the Bushwick section of the borough.¹⁾

His mother, Lillian, worked as a telephone operator, while his father, Charles Edward Murphy, was a transit police officer who also dabbled in acting and comedy.²⁾

When Murphy's single mother fell ill, he and his elder brother were placed in foster care for a year.³⁾