Eddie Murphy made his feature-film debut as Reggie Hammond in the 1982 action comedy 48 Hrs.
Murphy was already nationally known from Saturday Night Live, where he joined the cast in 1980 at age 19. His performance opposite Nick Nolte made him a major film star and helped establish the buddy-cop format that became prominent in 1980s Hollywood.
The film was directed by Walter Hill and pairs Nolte’s police detective with Murphy’s incarcerated convict, who is temporarily released to help solve a case. A common mix-up is confusing 48 Hrs. with Trading Places, which followed in 1983 and also featured Murphy, but 48 Hrs. was his first feature film.