
Richard Pryor
Highest Rated: 100% Blue Collar (1978)
Lowest Rated: 9% The Toy (1982)
Birthday: Dec 01, 1940
Birthplace: Peoria, Illinois, USA
Exploiting his own life experiences with a brutal honesty, which he delivered in a profanity-laced urban lyricism, Richard Pryor was arguably the most influential and groundbreaking comedian of his generation. Emerging from a youth of violence and abuse, Pryor used that history to inform his comedy, more as a raconteur than as a traditional teller of jokes. His material was profane and socially astute, provoking thought as well as laughter. As a writer, he earned an Emmy, in addition to five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums. Although a veteran of more than 40 feature films, Pryor's creative apex came with the seminal performance movie "Richard Pryor Live in Concert" (1979). Then, at the height of his fame and in the depths of a debilitating drug addiction, Pryor nearly died after lighting himself on fire while he "freebased" cocaine in 1980. To the astonishment of many, he rose like a phoenix from the ashes and went on to become one of the biggest movie stars of the day in films like "Stir Crazy" (1980) and "Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip" (1982). The rebirth was short-lived, unfortunately, after the effects of multiple sclerosis began to erode his once formidable ability, beginning in 1986 and ultimately debilitating the comedian by the end of the decade. Cited as a major influence by the likes of Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock, Pryor not only expanded the definition of comedy, but also the social and racial boundaries that had previously defined its audience.
Photos
Highest Rated Movies
Filmography
Movies
Credit | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
61% | 87% | Lost Highway | Arnie (Character) | $3.9M | 1997 |
17% | 47% | Mad Dog Time | Jimmy the Grave Digger (Character) | $102.9K | 1996 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Three Muscatels |
Narrator/ |
- | 1992 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Wake Up Donna |
Narrator/ |
- | 1992 |
11% | 34% | Another You | Eddie Dash (Character) | $2.5M | 1991 |
28% | 72% | See No Evil, Hear No Evil | Wallace "Wally" Karue (Character) | $45.4M | 1989 |
21% | 80% | Harlem Nights | Sugar Ray (Character) | $58.5M | 1989 |
33% | 64% | Moving | Arlo Pear (Character) | $10.7M | 1988 |
No Score Yet | 35% | Critical Condition |
Eddie Lenahan/ |
$20.1M | 1987 |
50% | 79% | Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling |
Jo Jo Dancer/ Director |
$16.4M | 1986 |
35% | 55% | Brewster's Millions | Montgomery Brewster (Character) | - | 1985 |
30% | 23% | Superman III | Gus Gorman (Character) | - | 1983 |
83% | 81% | Richard Pryor Here and Now |
Self, Director |
- | 1983 |
9% | 53% | The Toy | Jack Brown (Character) | - | 1982 |
40% | 28% | Some Kind of Hero |
Cpl. Eddie Keller/ |
- | 1982 |
No Score Yet | 85% | Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip | Self | - | 1982 |
60% | 61% | Bustin' Loose |
Joe Braxton (Character), Producer |
- | 1981 |
14% | 39% | Wholly Moses! | Pharaoh (Character) | - | 1980 |
67% | 75% | Stir Crazy | Harry Monroe (Character) | - | 1980 |
No Score Yet | 50% | In God We Trust | G.O.D. (Character) | - | 1980 |
88% | 88% | The Muppet Movie | Balloon Vendor (Character) | - | 1979 |
92% | 93% | Richard Pryor: Live in Concert |
Self, Writer |
- | 1979 |
42% | 65% | The Wiz | The Wiz (Character) | - | 1978 |
100% | 88% | Blue Collar | Zeke Brown (Character) | - | 1978 |
54% | 45% | California Suite | Dr. Chauncey Gump (Character) | - | 1978 |
20% | 83% | Which Way Is Up? |
Leroy Jones/ |
- | 1977 |
No Score Yet | 52% | Greased Lightning | Wendell Scott (Character) | - | 1977 |
88% | 60% | Car Wash | Daddy Rich (Character) | - | 1976 |
No Score Yet | 10% | Adios Amigo | Sam Spade (Character) | - | 1976 |
81% | 71% | Silver Streak | Grover (Character) | - | 1976 |
88% | 68% | The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars and Motor Kings |
Charlie Snow/ |
- | 1976 |
88% | 91% | Blazing Saddles | Screenwriter | - | 1974 |
67% | 81% | Uptown Saturday Night | Sharp Eye Washington (Character) | - | 1974 |
60% | 85% | The Mack | Slim (Character) | - | 1973 |
No Score Yet | 40% | Hit! | Mike Willmer (Character) | - | 1973 |
90% | 90% | Wattstax | Unknown (Character) | - | 1973 |
67% | 87% | Lady Sings the Blues | Piano Man (Character) | - | 1972 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | You've Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You'll Lose That Beat | Wino (Character) | - | 1971 |
No Score Yet | 63% | Dynamite Chicken | Self | - | 1971 |
No Score Yet | 32% | Black Brigade | Pvt. Jonathan Crunk (Character) | - | 1969 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Young Lawyers | Otis Tucker (Character) | - | 1969 |
63% | 50% | Wild in the Streets | Stanley X (Character) | - | 1968 |
23% | 61% | The Green Berets | Collier (Character) | - | 1968 |
No Score Yet | 60% | The Busy Body | Whittaker (Character) | - | 1967 |
TV
Credit | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Malcolm & Eddie | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1996 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Chicago Hope | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1995 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Joan Rivers Show | Guest | 1992 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Johnny Carson |
Unknown (Character), Guest |
1989 1986 1983 1981 1979 1976-1977 1974 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Saturday Night Live | Host | 1975 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Sanford & Son | Writer | 1972 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | Mod Squad | Cat Griffin (Guest Star) | 1972 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Partridge Family | A.E. Simon (Guest Star) | 1971 |
No Score Yet | No Score Yet | The Wild, Wild West | Unknown (Guest Star) | 1966 |
QUOTES FROM Richard Pryor CHARACTERS
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