Pryor, Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas
1940-2005 · Contribution: 1969-1998
Comedian & Actor
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
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Quick facts
- Born
- 1940
- Active since
- 1963
- Category
- Arts, Music & Entertainment Tech
- Best known for
- Transformed American stand-upFirst Mark Twain Prize recipientUnflinching honesty on race
Impact on the world
Pryor reinvented stand-up as raw autobiography, making comedy a place to tell brutal truths about race and himself. His honesty permanently changed the art form.
Sources
- Britannica
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