Pryor, Richard (1940-2005), was a controversial and influential African American comedian . Pryor gained fame for his outspoken comic observations about social issues, especially the racial injustice he saw in the United States. He is credited with pushing the boundaries of satirical comedy and became a role model for many later comedians, both black and white. Pryor was also an actor and comedy writer and made a number of best-selling comedy albums recorded at his live concerts.
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III was born on Dec. 1, 1940, in Peoria , Illinois. His mother was a prostitute who abandoned Pryor when he was 10 years old. Pryor was raised by his grandmother in her Peoria brothel. Pryor dropped out of school at the age of 14 and eventually served in the U.S. Army. During the early 1960’s, he worked as a stand-up comedy in various nightclubs. By the mid-1960’s, Pryor had become successful enough to perform in Las Vegas and make guest appearances on major television variety shows.
Pryor did not perform the controversial comedy that made him famous until about 1970, when he began emphasizing vulgar language in his satirical humor. Pryor made his motion-picture debut with a small role in Busy Bodies in 1967. He made his first appearance in a featured role in Lady Sings the Blues in 1972. Pryor eventually appeared in more than 40 films, most of them comedies. These films included Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Car Wash and Silver Streak (both 1976), Stir Crazy (1980), and Harlem Nights (1983). He also was featured in the action movie Superman III (1983). Pryor co-wrote, directed, and starred in the semi-autobiographical motion-picture Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986).
Pryor also co-wrote the screenplay for Blazing Saddles. He wrote scripts for the popular television shows “Flip“ (1970-1974) and “Sanford and Son” (1972–1977).
Pryor led a troubled personal life that included drug addiction and legal problems with the federal government for failing to file an income tax return in 1974. He was married seven times to five different women. He wrote an autobiography, Pryor Convictions: And Other Life Sentences (1995). Pryor spent the final years of his life fighting multiple sclerosis , a disease of the nervous system. In 1998, he was awarded the first Mark Twain Prize for humor from the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. Pryor died on Dec. 10, 2005.
