1940-
Actor, Comedian

Early Career.

In the early 1960s Richard Pryor was among several black comedians who were gaining acceptance with white audiences in clubs and on television. Redd Foxx, Nipsey Russell, Flip Wilson, and Slappy White all achieved some popularity, but all were eclipsed by the major success of comics Bill Cosby and Dick Gregory. Early television appearances such as the Rudy Vallee Show gave Pryor some exposure, but he tried too hard to imitate the smooth, nonracial hipness of Cosby and topical humor of White, Russell, and Gregory. Gradually, feeding off his resentment of racism and natural hatred of the television medium, Pryor began to develop his own style — and a growing reputation for being volatile and difficult to manage.

Energy.

By the late 1960s Pryor had begun to incorporate some of his later trademarks into his work, especially his randy street humor...