Richard Pryor

Pryor, Richard, 1940–2005, American comedian, b. Peoria, Ill. His iconoclastic, wildly inventive, and racially explosive comic style was expressed in language that was often crude and frequently brilliant. He performed in nightclubs and on television, made numerous recordings, and appeared in dozens of films including Silver Streak (1976), Stir Crazy (1980), and Richard Pryor Live on the Sunset Strip (1982).

See his autobiography, Pryor Convictions and Other Life Sentences (1995).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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