Foxx, Redd (John Elroy Sanford)

Pryor, Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas

1940-2005

Transformed American stand-up comedy by bringing unflinching honesty about race, addiction, and his own troubled life to the stage; first recipient of the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

Wilson, Flip (Clerow Wilson Jr.)

1933-1998

First African American to host a successful weekly network variety show; his 'Geraldine' character's catchphrase 'What you see is what you get' inspired the computing term WYSIWYG

Mabley, Moms (Loretta Mary Aiken)

1894-1975

First female comedian to headline at Harlem's Apollo Theater, where she performed more times than any other entertainer in the venue's history; pioneered stand-up comedy as a vehicle for addressing race, sexuality, and aging through a deliberately disarming grandmotherly persona

Murphy, Eddie

1961-

Comedian, actor, and singer who became one of the defining box-office draws of the 1980s and one of the highest-grossing actors in film history; rose to fame as a cast member on 'Saturday Night Live' (1980-1984) and headlined blockbuster comedies including '48 Hrs.,' 'Trading Places,' 'Beverly Hills Cop,' and 'Coming to America,' opening doors for a generation of Black comedians and actors.