Richard Pryor

Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III was born on December 1, 1940 in Peoria, Illinois and died on December 10, 2005 in Encino, California. Richard Pryor was American stand-up comedian known for his unflinching examinations of racism and customs in modern life. The comedy of Richard Pryor has influenced virtually every comedian working today - from superstars to unknowns. Stefan Kanfer summarized his work as:

Pryor became the funniest man in America by creating a new kind of comedy - a hilarious, heartbreaking, and conflicted view of life seen from the underside. He was conscious of his minority status but refused to take the route of special pleading. His vocabulary was down and dirty, but his work had a surprising elegance. He was always himself, yet could populate the stage with a cast of characters ranging from a pack of dogs to a bewildered black alcoholic to a Mafia thug. He was a savage, equal-opportunity satirist; he targeted white racism, his fellow African-Americans, and - finally and most severely - himself.

He is regarded by many as the greatest standup comic of all time. R.I.P.