Richard Pryor is a black American comedian who used comedy to fight racial injustice.
Pryor was born in Peoria, Illinois, on December 1, 1940. As a child, he had a troubled home life. He was also a victim of racial discrimination.
Pryor left school at 14 and worked at low-paying jobs to support himself. He started learning how to be a comedian at a local community center. Later, he served two years in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany. There, he took part in amateur talent shows to work on his comedy skills.
In 1960, he went to New York City and began working in comedy clubs. Before long, his success in New York led him to Hollywood.
In 1961, he became a movie actor, as well as a comedian. In 1966, he began to do his comedy act on national TV shows. This made him famous throughout the United States.
Pryor’s fame and success increased when he began to talk about racism in his comedy act. In the 1970s, he made two comedy record albums that dealt with racial injustice in America. Both were very popular, especially with young white people. During the 1970s and 1980s, Pryor made 20 comedy albums and starred in many films.
His films were popular and made a great deal of money.
Pryor’s personal life was very difficult. He was married and divorced five times. He abused cocaine and alcohol for many years.
In 1977, he had a heart attack. In 1980, he lit himself on fire when he was taking drugs and suffered severe burns. In 1986, he announced that he has multiple sclerosis, a lifelong disease.
Pryor had not performed for many years, but his comedy has inspired many young black comedians. He has received national awards for humor and for his work to fight racial injustice.
Pryor died of a heart attack on December 10, 2005.