Profile of Comedian Richard Pryor

Profile of Comedian Richard Pryor

Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor, III, was a legendary American comedian, actor, and writer. He was born on December 10, 1940, and died on December 10, 2005. Pryor was born in Peoria, Illinois. His mother was a prostitute and his father was her pi

mp. He was raised in a brothel until the age of ten when he was abandoned by his parents. His grandmother took over his care. This bad start was made even worse by the rough conditions in Peoria at the time. Pryor related later that he began telling jokes to keep fellow gang members from beating on him.

In his early career, Richard Pryor developed a moderate comedy act that was influenced by comedians like Bill Cosby. He was careful to not be offensive, but his wit and timing were very good, and his act was successful. He had guest appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and the Tonight Show, and began playing Las Vegas nightclubs. One night, a few minutes into his performance, he turned and walked off the stage in disgust. The pressure of conforming to an image totally foreign to the reality of his upbringing had finally gotten to him. Moving to California, he became immersed in the counterculture scene. When he began to perform again, his act was totally changed.

The new Richard Pryor attacked racial issues head on. His routines began to contain profanity. He had to tone his act down when he signed to do a television series called The Richard Pryor Show. He was unable to totally tone down his act, and the show was a constant battle with the Network censors. The series lasted only five shows before being cancelled. Shortly after this, Pryor signed a five year movie contract. This led to a long series of movie rolls. Many of his movies were comedies, but some were dramatic parts. He had a long time association with Gene Wilder, and was a co-writer on "Blazing Saddles".

Trouble was no stranger in this talented comedian's life. He is remembered by many for an incident that may have involved drug use. He was said to have caught himself on fire while freebasing cocaine, and ran out into the street burning. Although several conflicting versions of the story emerged, it haunted Pryor for the remainder of his career. He also was stricken with multiple sclerosis, and by the end of his life he was in a wheel chair. He died of cardiac arrest in 2005.

In 2004, when Comedy Central published its list of the top 100 Stand Up Comedians of All Time, Richard Pryor's name was on the top of the list. He was awarded with a string of Emmys and Grammies. Some of the most popular and successful comedians of our time cite Richard Pryor as the source of their inspiration. He was groundbreaking in his honest approach to racial issues in this country. Today, his style of raw and honest comedy is practiced by a host of comedians, both black and white. The language and style is taken for granted by comedy fans, but Richard Pryor was the one who paved the way and set the standard for all who would follow.
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