During this period, Murphy was criticized by filmmaker Spike Lee for not using his status to help black actors break into film, although as Murphy's prominence increased, his films (especially those he produced) often had a mainly black cast ("Coming to America", "Harlem Nights", "Boomerang", "Vampire in Brooklyn", "Life"). Many black actors who would later receive greater recognition made early appearances in Murphy's films, such as Damon Wayans in "Beverly Hills Cop", Halle Berry and Martin Lawrence in "Boomerang", Samuel L. Jackson and Cuba Gooding Jr. in "Coming to America", Dave Chappelle in "The Nutty Professor", and Chris Rock in "Beverly Hills Cop II". Naming "The Nutty Professor" his favorite comedy, Chris Rock regards Murphy's performance in the film as being so great he had "been robbed of an Oscar", adding his various performances were "Peter Sellers-esque".