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Paul Mooney (born in Louisiana in 1940, USA) is an American comedian, writer, and television and film actor.
Background
Paul Mooney was born in Louisiana, and later grew up in Oakland, California. Mooney ran away from home as a youth, and became a ringmaster with the Charles Gody Circus. During his stint as ringmaster, he always found himself writing comedy and telling jokes, which would later help Mooney land his first professional work as a writer for Richard Pryor.
Career
Early years
Paul Mooney wrote many of Richard Pryor's routines for his appearance on Saturday Night Live, co-wrote his material for the Live on the Sunset Strip, Bicentennial Nigger, and Is It Something I Said albums, and Pryor's film Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling. As the head writer for The Richard Pryor Show, he gave many young stand-up comics, such as Robin Williams, Sandra Bernhard, Marsha Warfield, John Witherspoon, and Tim Reid, their first break into show business.
Mooney also wrote for Redd Foxx's Sanford and Son, Good Times, acted in several cult classics including Which Way is Up?, Bustin' Loose, Hollywood Shuffle, and portrayed singer/songwriter Sam Cooke in The Buddy Holly Story.
He was the head writer for the first year of Fox's In Living Color, creating the character Homey D. Clown, played by Damon Wayans. Mooney later went on to play Wayans' father in the Spike Lee film Bamboozled as the comedian Junebug.
Chappelle's Show
Paul Mooney initially appeared in the sketches Ask a Black Dude and Mooney on Movies on Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show, which he later replaced with Negrodamus, the African American version of Nostradamus. As Negrodamus, Mooney ad-libbed the "answers to life's most unsolvable mysteries" such as "Why do white people love Wayne Brady?" (Answer: "Because Wayne Brady makes Bryant Gumbel look like Malcolm X.") Mooney was planning to reprise his role as Negrodamus in the third season of the Chappelle's Show, before its unplanned hiatus.
25 most @#%! Moments in Black History
In 2006, Paul Mooney hosted the BET tribute to Black History Month titled 25 most @#%! Moments in Black History. In this show, he narrated some of the most shameful incidents involving African Americans since 1980. The top 25 moments included incidents involving Marion Barry, Terrell Owens, Wilson Goode, Michael Jackson, Flavor Flav, Whitney Houston, and Tupac Shakur amongst others.
The N Word
On November 26, 2006, Mooney appeared on CNN and talked about how he would stop using "the n-word", due to Michael Richards's outbursts on stage at The Laugh Factory. He referred to Richards as having become "his Dr. Phil" and "cured" him of the use of the epithet. Mooney also said, "We're gonna stop using the n-word. I'm gonna stop using it. I'm not gonna use it again and I'm not gonna use the B word. And we're gonna put an end to the n-word. Just say no to the n-word. We want all human beings throughout the world to stop using the n-word." On November 30, he elaborated upon these remarks as a guest of Farai Chideya on the National Public Radio program News & Notes. He declared that he would convene a conference on this controversial subject in the near future, as well as perform his first "n-free" comedy show in the upcoming days.
Trivia
- His twin sons, Darryl and Dwayne Mooney, are both comedians.
- Considers himself the 'first black ringmaster.' [1]
- Former morning radio show host on New York's WBLS, which also included Saturday Night Live alumna Ellen Cleghorne.
Television
- Chappelle's Show (2003), writer, actor as himself/Negrodamus
- In Living Color (1990), writer
- Pryor's Place (1984), writer
- The Richard Pryor Show (1977), writer, actor as himself
- Saturday Night Live (1975), writer
- Good Times (1974), writer
- Sanford and Son (1972), writer
Filmography
- The N-Word (2004) (documentary), himself
- Bitter Jester (2003) (documentary), himself
- DysFunktional Family (2003), consultant
- The Ketchup King (2002), actor as Padro Buyers
- Call Me Claus (2001), writer
- The Old Settler (2001), actor as man at counter
- Bamboozled (2000), actor as Junebug
- High Freakquency (1998), actor as Love Doctor
- In the Army Now (1994), actor as Lt. Col. Peter Hume
- The Legend of Dolemite (1994) (documentary), himself
- Hollywood Shuffle (1987), actor as President of NAACP
- Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986), writer
- Brewster's Millions (1985), production consultant
- Bustin' Loose (1981), actor as Marvin
- The Buddy Holly Story (1978), actor as Sam Cooke
- Which Way Is Up? (1977), actor as inspector
- F.T.A. (1972) (documentary), himself
- Carter's Army (1970), actor as soldier (uncredited)
Standup
- R.A.C.E. (1993) CD
- Master Piece (1994) CD
- Analyzing White America (2004) DVD
External links
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