Richard Pryor

Also known as Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor

American comedian and actor (1940–2005)

OverviewAI-generated

Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor was an American television actor, film actor, comedian, and screenwriter. Born in Peoria, Illinois, on December 1, 1940, he began his work period in 1963 and continued until 1997. He served in the United States Army and resided in New York City and Berkeley. Pryor spoke English and is recognized in the Hollywood Walk Of Fame collection.

He received several awards, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, and a Primetime Emmy Award. He was also nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor. His notable works include *Pryor convictions, and other life sentences*, *Is it something I said?*, *The Legend of Comedy*, *Cactus Pryor Inside Texas*, and *Richard Pryor Anthology 1968-92 (Funny as F**k)*.

Pryor died of natural causes due to myocardial infarction and multiple sclerosis on December 10, 2005, in Encino. He had previously experienced a myocardial infarction and coronary artery bypass surgery. He had one child, Rain Pryor.

Synthesized by Vinony from 32 facts across 4 sources: Wikidata, TMDb, Open Library, Vinony collections. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born: 01 December 1940
Died: 10 December 2005
Works: 7

Top works

Pryor convictions, and other life sentences
Is it something I said?
The Legend of Comedy
Cactus Pryor Inside Texas
Richard Pryor Anthology 1968-92 (Funny as F**k)

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Peoria, Illinois, U.S.

Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, film director, social critic, satirist, writer, and MC. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant…

Known for

Breakdown: 1975 — Self (archive footage)2025
John Candy: I Like Me — Self - Actor (archive footage)2025
I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not — Self (archive footage)2025
Remembering Gene Wilder — Self (archive footage)2024
Zeitgeist: Requiem — Self (archive footage)2024
Outstanding: A Comedy Revolution — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)2024
Group Therapy — Self (archive footage)2024
Stand-Up: The Laughing Therapy — Self (archive footage)2024
Hollywood Black — Self (archive footage)2024
Betye Saar: Drifting Toward Twilight2023

via TMDB

Key facts

Born: ( 1940-12-01 ) December 1, 1940, Peoria, Illinois , U.S.
Died: December 10, 2005 (2005-12-10) (aged 65), Los Angeles , California, U.S.
Children: 7, including Rain
Years active: 1963–1999
Medium: Stand-up film television
Genres: Observational comedy black comedy improvisational comedy sketch comedy racial humor
Subjects: African-American culture American politics race relations sex pop culture self-deprecation recreational drug use
Website: richardpryor .com

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Given name: Franklin
Gender: male
Citizenship: United States
Place of birth: Peoria
Place of death: Encino
Child: Rain Pryor
Occupation: film director
Languages spoken: English language
Award: star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Military branch: United States Army
Official website: www.richardpryor.com
Image: Richard Pryor (1986) (cropped)-2.jpg
Residence: Berkeley
Significant event: coronary artery bypass surgery

Show 13 more facts

Commons category: Richard Pryor
date of birth: 1940-12-01
date of death: 2005-12-10
cause of death: multiple sclerosis
birth name: Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor
manner of death: natural causes
Commons gallery: Richard Pryor
start of work period: 1963-00-00
end of work period: 1997-00-00
nominated for: Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actor - Razzie Award
name in native language: Richard Pryor
member of: Writers Guild of America West
sexual orientation: bisexuality

Sources (15)

via Wikidata · CC0

~33 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential comedians of all time. Pryor won a Primetime Emmy Award and five Grammy Awards. He received the first Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 1998. He won the Writers Guild of America Award in 1974.

Pryor's body of work includes numerous concert films and recordings. He won the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for That Nigger's Crazy (1974), ...Is It Something I Said? (1975), Bicentennial Nigger (1976), Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982), and Richard Pryor: Here and Now (1983). He is also known for Richard Pryor: Live & Smokin' (1971), Wanted: Live in Concert (1978), and Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979). Pryor served as a co-writer for the Mel Brooks satirical western comedy film Blazing Saddles (1974).

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Richard Pryor” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.