Dolemite Is My Name: True Story Behind Eddie Murphy’s Biopic

There’s something irresistible about a movie that celebrates the underdogs who made it on their own terms. Dolemite Is My Name tells the true story of Rudy Ray Moore, a struggling entertainer who created the iconic Dolemite character and self-financed a cult film in 1975.

Release Date: October 4, 2019 (limited) / October 25, 2019 (Netflix) ·
Director: Craig Brewer ·
Starring: Eddie Murphy ·
97% ·
IMDb Rating: 7.2/10 ·
Box Office (Limited): $2.4 million

The six key details below show the film’s production footprint and its place in both the original blaxploitation canon and modern bo landscape.

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.0 td>Release October 4, 2019 (limited) / October 25, 2019 (Netflix) Director Craig

< Writers Scott Alexander, Cast Eddie Murphy, Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Tituss Burgess, Wesley Snipes

< $30 million

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The implication: modest box office returns for a limited run, but Netflix’s global reach turned it into a word-of-mouth hit.

Is Dolemite Is My Name based true story?

Who was Rudy Ray Moore?

• Rudy Ray Moore was born March 17, 1927, in Fort Smith, Arkansas (Britannica).
• He created thee character after stories from a man named Rico while working at Dolphin’s of Hollywood record (Oprah Daily).
• Moore first performed Dolemite on stage and released comedy albums before moving into film (Britannica).

What parts of the film are factual?

• The film accurately shows Moore self-financing the 1975>Dole88/ite after being turned downby studios ().Some characters, such as the white film studen based on Nicholas von Sternberg, are fictionalized composites (History vs Hollywoodica).