Richard Pryor may be considered the greatest comedian of all-time, but even his biggest fans will learn something new from the fascinating Richard Pryor stories on this list. The man used language as a weapon with comedy that was politically charged and broke down social and racial barriers. His standup comedy directly influenced the likes of Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Tracy Morgan, Louie CK, Dave Chappelle – and just about everyone else who has ever held a microphone on stage.
A quick review of any Richard Pryor biography proves he was no ordinary performer. Beginning his career in the early ‘60s, the man transcended the fine line between comedy and tragedy – often with stories of growing up poverty in his hometown of Peoria, IL. On screen, he starred in such movie comedy classics as Stir Crazy, Silver Streak, Blue Collar, and Which Way Is Up? In 1998, Pryor won the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Pryor was selected as the recipient because "as a stand-up comic, writer, and actor, he struck a chord, and a nerve, with America, forcing it to look at large social questions of race and the more tragicomic aspects of the human condition," said Kennedy Center President Lawrence J. Wilker. He evolved from being simply a popular, mainstream stand up comedian to become the seminal comedian of the last 50 years.
But who is Richard Pryor, really? Read through this list of Richard Pryor facts to learn a bit of little-known trivia about his comedy and the most intriguing details about his personal life.
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The Director of Wayne's World Made a Richard Pryor Movie but You Can't See It
In 1968, Wayne’s World director Penelope Spheeris collaborated with Pryor on a subversive satire called, Uncle Tom’s Fairy Tales: The Movie for Homosexuals (she was still a film student at UCLA at the time). The loose plot centered on a group of Black Panthers who kidnap a wealthy white man and put him on trial for all the racist crimes in American history.
This was going to be Pryor’s first starring film role, but the only negative was supposedly destroyed during an argument between Pryor and his then-wife. In 2005, a few scenes popped up during a retrospective of Pryor's work shown during an at the Director's Guild of America (Pryor was being honored). Pryor and his current wife sued Spheeris and Pryor's daughter, Rain. The suit was still pending at Pryor's death in 2005.
Before He Found His Groove, Pryor Imitated Bill Cosby
Pryor’s early act was highly inspired by the comedy of Bill Cosby. Early on, Pryor had a very physical style and he soon made regular TV appearances on the Ed Sullivan and Merv Griffin shows. He always wore an over-sized suit over his skinny frame. Though still very funny, Pryor’s act at the time was devoid of politics, religion, race, or any sort of confrontation - things that would define his act later on.
He Spent Time in Jail for Knifing Someone
Pryor joined the Army in 1958. He saw enlisting in the military as an opportunity for advancement. However, much of the two years he served were spent in a European jail after he slashed a soldier with a switchblade during a racially-charged incident.
Dropping the F-Bomb on Stage Was a Turning Point in His Career
The game-changer for Pryor was a 1967 gig at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. He walked off stage in front a sold-out crowd – that included members of the Rat Pack. Still imitating Bill Cosby’s style, Pryor felt that the nearly all-white audience was looking at him oddly. He exclaimed into the mic, "What the f*ck am I doing here!?" and walked off the stage. From that moment on he started developing his unique comedy voice.
Richard Pryor's Parents Sold Sex for a Living
Growing up, Pryor's home life wasn’t great, to say the least. Pryor’s father was a former Golden Gloves boxer and a pimp. His mother was a bookkeeper and a prostitute. He was abandoned at the age of 10 and raised by his grandmother – who ran a brothel. Pryor called his home, “ho-house.”
Pryor Is an Emmy-Winning TV Writer
Besides being a performer, Pryor was also a sought-after TV writer who worked on such shows as Sanford and Son and The Flip Wilson Show. In 1973 he earned an Emmy when he wrote for Lily Tomlin’s TV special.
Berkley in the '60s Blew Pryor's Mind
After practically throwing away his career by walking off stage in Las Vegas, Pryor moved to Berkeley, CA. This was 1969, in the height of the hippie counter-culture. The move shaped his comedy. Pryor had a spiritual conversion when he met Huey Newton – the head of the Black Panthers. The experience charged Pryor to throw away his act and center on the social and political inequalities in America – and make a difference with his comedy.
SNL's Five-Second Delay Was Created Because of Richard Pryor
Saturday Night Live instituted the five-second delay specifically because of Richard Pryor. In 1975, Pryor was scheduled to be the very first host of SNL. The execs at NBC were so nervous about the idea of letting Pryor loose on live television that they came up with the idea of a five-second delay, in case he spouted salty language. However, George Carlin ended up hosting the first episode instead.
When Pryor finally did host SNL, in December 1975, the appearance went off without a hitch. The show featured the now classic racist-word association sketch with Chevy Chase.
Richard Pryor Was Heavily Influenced by Doris Day
As a little kid, Pryor would listen to his grandmother’s Doris Day records, and they fueled his passion to perform. In an interview, Pryor said he’d listen to the records and “I’d imagine I was in a play in Hollywood.” So a partial thanks to squeaky-clean Doris Day for jump-starting the career of one of the the edgiest comedians of all time.
Pryor Was Debilitatingly Starstruck by George Carlin and Woody Allen
Greenwich Village became Pryor’s comedy stomping grounds in the early '60s. He’d perform in the coffee shop circuit alongside other such up-and-coming comedians as George Carlin and Woody Allen, as well as Bob Dylan.
Singer Nina Simone recalls seeing Pryor at New York's Village Gate: “He shook like he had malaria, he was so nervous. I couldn't bear to watch him shiver, so I put my arms around him there in the dark and rocked him like a baby until he calmed down. The next night was the same, and the next, and I rocked him each time.”