Culture
Black History Month : Richard Pryor – Comedian, Actor
Richard Pryor was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer and MC.

Richard Pryor was a stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer and MC. Pryor was known for harsh critique and examinations of racism and contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets.
He reached a broad audience with his piercing observations and storytelling style. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of his era: Jerry Seinfeld called Pryor “The Picasso of our profession”; Bob Newhart has called Pryor “the seminal comedian of the last 50 years.”. This legacy can be attributed, in part, to the unusual degree of intimacy Pryor brought to bear on his comedy. As Bill Cosby reportedly once said, “Richard Pryor drew the line between comedy and tragedy as thin as one could possibly paint it.”
His body of work includes the concert movies and recordings Richard Pryor: Live & Smokin’ (1971), That N–ger’s Crazy (1974), …Is It Something I Said? (1975), Bicentennial N–ger (1976), Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979), Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982), and Richard Pryor: Here and Now (1983). He also starred in numerous films as an actor, such as Superman III (1983) but was usually in comedies such as Silver Streak (1976), and occasionally in dramatic roles, such as Paul Schrader’s film Blue Collar (1978). He collaborated on many projects with actor Gene Wilder. Another frequent collaborator was actor/comedian/writer Paul Mooney.
Pryor won an Emmy Award (1973), and five Grammy Awards (1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, and 1982). In 1974, he also won two American Academy of Humor awards and the Writers Guild of America Award. The first ever Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor was presented to him in 1998. Pryor is listed at Number 1 on Comedy Central’s list of all-time greatest stand-up comedians. — richardpryor.com
Discover more from Unheard Voices Magazine
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
-
News2 weeks ago
Son Discovers Mother Deceased After Devastating St. Louis Tornado : “Our House Is Gone and My Mom Is Gone”
-
News2 weeks ago
Officials declare suicide as cause of death for Georgia twins found on mountain
-
News4 days ago
George Floyd’s 11-year-old daughter says she’s being bullied in school
-
Crime & Justice2 weeks ago
9-year-old hero killed while trying to get younger siblings to safety amid gunfire
-
Social Justice4 days ago
Community rallies to preserve Knoxville African American cemetery and memorialize Black Veterans buried in unmarked graves
-
Black Excellence1 week ago
Teen goes viral for working at Burger King after graduation, GoFundMe raises more than $100,000
-
In Memoriam1 week ago
Brian McKnight’s son Niko dies at 32 after cancer battle
-
Black Excellence1 week ago
Teen who lived in his car graduates high school, earns full-ride college scholarship