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Richard Pryor is often regarded as either the most brilliant comedian in history or one of the most troubled. Jerry Seinfeld famously dubbed him the 'Picasso of comedy,' while Robin Williams compared witnessing Pryor's live performances to 'experiencing Coltrane's musical genius.' Pauline Kael, the renowned film critic, hailed *Richard Pryor: Live in Concert*, the first stand-up special to hit theaters, as 'arguably the finest performance film ever made.'
However, Pryor's life was far from perfect. Despite achieving immense success and wealth, he battled personal struggles throughout his life. In his later years, he was diagnosed with MS and passed away from a heart attack at the age of 65. Below are 10 lesser-known facts about this comedy legend.
10. He Spent His Childhood in a Brothel
Richard Pryor was born in 1940 in Peoria, Illinois, to Gertrude, a prostitute, and Buck, a pimp. Raised in his grandmother's brothel, he was shielded from much of the illicit activities but still exposed to inappropriate scenes, such as his mother engaging in sexual acts with the town's mayor.
Pryor once remarked, 'At least she didn’t flush me down the toilet, like some.' This statement was no exaggeration. He claimed to have discovered a shoebox containing a deceased infant, which he suspected might have been one of his siblings.
Pryor endured a traumatic childhood filled with horrific experiences. He was molested by a neighbor, saw his mother attempt to castrate his father, and lost his virginity at age nine to a woman in her late twenties. Additionally, he suffered severe physical abuse from his father and grandmother, the latter being a towering figure who kept a switchblade hidden in her bra.
9. He Was Discharged From The Army
At 17, Pryor, a high school dropout with a pregnant girlfriend, enlisted in the army in 1956, seeking better prospects. Stationed in Germany, he hoped for a more accepting environment than 1950s Peoria but found it equally hostile. In one harrowing event, he was assaulted by three fellow soldiers armed with tire irons and fought back using a lead pipe.
Pryor wasn’t always on the receiving end of violence. During a screening of *Imitation of Life*, a film addressing racial prejudice, he took offense at a white soldier laughing inappropriately. Pryor confronted the man and stabbed him seven times with a concealed switchblade. Miraculously, the soldier survived, but Pryor’s military career ended. He served a month in the brig before being discharged.
8. He Began His Career as a Singer
Before his army stint concluded, Pryor found some joy performing in military variety shows. After returning to the US in 1960, he ventured into entertainment, landing his first gig at Harold’s Club, a bar in Peoria.
He secured the job by claiming he could sing and play the piano, though he only knew four chords. Unsurprisingly, his singing career flopped, but audiences loved the short comedy acts he performed between songs.
In 1963, Pryor relocated to New York to further his career, blending stand-up comedy with singing. He performed as an opening act for legends like Bob Dylan and Nina Simone. Simone later recalled in her autobiography, 'He trembled so intensely, as if he had malaria. I couldn’t stand seeing him so nervous, so I held him in the dark and rocked him gently until he relaxed.'
Details about Pryor’s singing career are scarce, but it’s known that he eventually abandoned singing entirely to focus on comedy. One rare recording from this period captures him performing 'Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out.'
7. He Once Attempted to Rob the Mafia Using a Fake Gun
While refining his craft, Pryor toured the country, working as an emcee at comedy clubs. At 19, while hosting at a club in Youngstown, Ohio, a distraught stripper approached him, claiming the club owners had withheld her payment.
Determined to help, Pryor decided to confront the owners. Unbeknownst to him, the club was Mafia-owned. Undeterred, he stormed into the manager’s office with a blank cap pistol, demanding, 'You motherf—kers! Hand over the money!'
Pryor recounted the incident on his album *Live on the Sunset Strip* and in his semi-autobiographical film *Jo Jo Dancer*. He described how the manager laughed at him and summoned his associates to witness the absurd sight of a young black man attempting to rob the Mafia with a cap pistol.
6. His Early Comedy Was Clean and Family-Oriented
Before becoming known for his explicit language, Pryor’s comedy was as wholesome as Bill Cosby’s—back when Cosby was still seen as a paragon of clean humor. Pryor even viewed Cosby as his main rival early on, drawing inspiration from his style. Pryor later referred to this phase of his career as producing 'white bread' comedy.
Despite this, he achieved early success, making his TV debut in 1964 and appearing on *The Ed Sullivan Show* and *The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson*. However, in 1967, during a performance at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas, Pryor had an epiphany. He abruptly stopped his act, exclaiming, 'What am I doing here? I’m not going to do this anymore!'
He walked off the stage and returned home. Seeing Dean Martin in the audience made him realize how uninspired his act had become. Pryor claimed he was blacklisted for a few years, but when he returned, his comedy had transformed into the raw, unfiltered style that would define his legacy.
5. He Assaulted a Director and Attempted to Murder a Producer
*The Mack* (1973), a groundbreaking blaxploitation film, has fascinating backstories. The initial script was penned on toilet paper by Robert Poole, an inmate at San Quentin.
Harvey Bernhard, an independent producer, secured the script and aimed to produce it on a minimal budget, similar to other successful blaxploitation films. However, director Michael Campus decided to rewrite the script alongside the film’s stars, Max Julien and Richard Pryor.
Pryor threw himself into the writing process, drawing from his traumatic childhood experiences. While Campus and Julien contributed, Pryor led intense all-night writing sessions. Despite his efforts, he wasn’t compensated for his work, as no formal agreement had been made.
Frustrated by this unfair treatment, Pryor’s on-set behavior grew increasingly unpredictable. He consumed excessive amounts of cocaine and alcohol, openly hosting prostitutes in his trailer for late-night parties. He was often intoxicated during filming, and in one scene, the director had to physically support him to prevent him from collapsing.
Campus chose Oakland as the filming location to add authenticity to *The Mack*. However, Oakland was embroiled in a violent conflict between the Ward Brothers and the Black Panthers. Although Campus struck a deal with the Ward Brothers, he still hired armed guards for protection.
Unbeknownst to Campus, his agreement with the Ward Brothers angered the Panthers. During one shoot, the Panthers hurled bottles at the cast and crew from nearby rooftops before vanishing.
Pryor, however, posed the greatest threat. Fueled by his unresolved payment dispute, Pryor attempted to provoke Campus by insulting his late mother. When Campus didn’t react, Pryor delivered a brutal sucker punch to his jaw, knocking him unconscious.
The armed guards immediately drew their weapons, but co-star Max Julien stepped in, shielding Pryor and escorting him back to his hotel. Later that night, Pryor confronted producer Bernhard in his room, armed with a makeshift weapon—a sock filled with metal—and declared, 'I’m here to kill you.' Bernhard grabbed a knife and was prepared to defend himself when his wife intervened, diffusing the situation.
4. He Set Himself on Fire
The iconic partnership between Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor began with *Silver Streak* (1977), but they nearly collaborated earlier on *Blazing Saddles* (1974). Mel Brooks revealed that he initially hired Pryor to co-write the script and star alongside Wilder.
Brooks claimed he wanted Pryor’s approval for every instance of the n-word in the script. However, Pryor ended up contributing significantly to the screenplay, and the character of Black Bart increasingly reflected Pryor’s personality with each revision.
Brooks recounted that Pryor arrived at writing sessions each morning with a bottle of Courvoisier and a stash of cocaine. As Pryor’s substance abuse worsened, studio executives grew wary of investing in a relatively unknown and unpredictable actor.
Brooks pleaded with the studio to reconsider and even threatened to quit when they refused. Pryor, worried about losing his final writing payment, persuaded Brooks to stay. Ultimately, the role of Sheriff Bart went to Cleavon Little.
This wasn’t Pryor’s only missed opportunity for a legendary role. *Trading Places* (1983) was originally conceived as a Pryor-Wilder collaboration. However, Pryor’s suicide attempt—pouring rum on himself and setting himself on fire—led to severe burns and a recasting. Despite doctors doubting his survival, Pryor returned to performing the following year.
3. He Hosted a Children’s TV Show
Despite Pryor’s well-documented struggles with drugs, his career as an edgy comedian, and the negative press surrounding him, he took on a surprising role in 1984 by hosting a children’s show titled *Pryor’s Place*. The show aired on Saturday mornings and was reminiscent of *Sesame Street* in style.
The theme song was performed by Ray Parker Jr., and the show featured a lineup of celebrity guests, including Robin Williams, Rip Taylor, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Despite being aimed at children, the show tackled serious topics like adoption, bullying, and child abuse.
Although the show boasted impressive talent and earned several Emmy nominations, it only ran for a single season. Today, *Pryor’s Place* is largely forgotten, though some episodes can still be found on YouTube.
2. He Caused Chaos During the Filming of *Stir Crazy*
In 1980, a cable TV show from Arizona interviewed Pryor on the set of *Stir Crazy*. Initially, Pryor appeared composed and coherent. However, after a brief technical interruption, he returned in a completely altered state, seemingly unhinged.
It was later revealed that Pryor had begun freebasing cocaine supplied by a motorcycle gang. While he had a history of causing disruptions on film sets, his behavior worsened during this period. He frequently arrived four hours late, leaving the cast and crew in limbo.
On one occasion, Pryor halted production by storming off the set, claiming a racially charged incident involving a watermelon slice. He alleged that a crew member threw it at him, though this was likely a drug-induced delusion, as he also believed crew members were shooting at his house at night.
Gene Wilder provided his perspective on the incident. He explained that crew members were casually eating watermelon and tossing slices like Frisbees. The slice near Pryor’s feet was accidental. Despite this, Pryor refused to return until he was paid an additional $500,000.
1. The West Hollywood Bowl Incident
In 1977, Richard Pryor headlined A Star-Spangled Night for Rights, a fundraiser organized by The Save Our Human Rights Foundation, a pioneering gay rights group. This organization emerged in reaction to a sustained anti-LGBTQ campaign led by Florida conservatives. The event aimed to enlighten attendees in an engaging and polished manner. Around 17,000 spectators gathered for the festivities, with one reporter likening it to a potential 'cabaret-style Woodstock.'
Despite its purpose, the event's tone was surprisingly subdued. Although it was a gay rights fundraiser, the term 'gay' was off-limits, and profanity was strictly prohibited. Pryor, unaware of the event's true nature when booked, found the situation perplexing. It was baffling why he—a comedian known for his provocative and explicit style—was chosen to perform at an event where swearing and discussing the central theme were forbidden.
Pryor's confusion soon turned to fury after witnessing racist mistreatment of other Black performers backstage. By the time he stepped on stage, he was seething. 'I came here for human rights,' Pryor declared, 'only to discover it was about avoiding getting caught with a d—k in your mouth.' He then unexpectedly opened up about his own bisexual encounters before delivering a homophobic rant.
He criticized the gay community for what he saw as double standards: 'While Black communities were suffering during the Watts riots, you all were doing as you pleased on Hollywood Boulevard, completely indifferent.' Concluding his set, he provocatively told the audience to 'Kiss my happy, rich, Black ass' before exiting the stage to a storm of boos.
The incident deeply divided the gay community. Some viewed Pryor as a blatant homophobe, while others felt he had exposed underlying hypocrisy and prejudice within the community. Despite one of the most public meltdowns in Hollywood history, Pryor emerged largely unscathed, further cementing his controversial legacy.
