Richard Pryor

Guide Note:

Richard Pryor was an American comedian, actor, and writer. His racially charged and ribald humor influenced an entire generation of comedians including Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, and Chris Rock.

Fast Facts:

1. Born: December 1, 1940
2. Died: December 10, 2005
3. Was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in
4. Served in the U.S. Army from 1958 to 1960
5. Was inspired by Bill Cosby
6. Won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

Pryor spent his early life in a Peoria, Illinois brothel, where his mother worked as a prostitute and his father worked as her pimp. After serving in the U.S. Army, Pryor moved to New York City, where he began a career in stand-up opening for performers such as Nina Simone, Bob Dylan, and Woody Allen. He achieved some success and performed in Las Vegas regularly in the late 1960s.

In the 1970s, Pryor changed his brand of comedy to one more confrontational, profane and overtly racial, as evidenced by his comedy albums That Nigger's Crazy and Bicentennial Nigger. He soon became a sought-after film actor, mainly for comedic roles, such as in the 1980 Sidney Poitier-directed comedy Stir Crazy and Brewster's Millions, but he also appeared in dramatic films such Superman III. In 1980, Pryor set himself on fire while freebasing cocaine in an incident initially described as an accident but which he later claimed was a suicide attempt. The film Jo Jo Dancer Your Life is Calling starring Pryor appears to parallel the comedian's life before and after the incident although he always denied it was autobiographical. In later years, Pryor suffered from the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis and died of cardiac arrest in 2005.