Richard Pryor, R.I.P.
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in Comedy, History
In the last years of his life he suffered from multiple sclerosis, and to see him recently was heartbreaking. To that point, I’m glad he’s found some peace since he’s probably been in so much emotional and physical pain.
Here’s more from the AP:
He was regarded early in his career as one of the most foul-mouthed comics in the business, but he gained a wide following for his universal and frequently personal routines. After nearly losing his life in 1980 when he caught on fire while freebasing cocaine, he incorporated the ordeal into his later routines.His audacious style influenced generations of stand-up artists, from Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock to Robin Williams and David Letterman, among others.
A series of hit comedies and concert films in the ’70s and ’80s helped make Pryor one of the highest paid stars in Hollywood, and he was one of the first black performers to have enough leverage to cut his own deals. In 1983, he signed a $40 million, five-year contract with Columbia Pictures.
My favorite Pryor movies were “Silver Streak“, “Stir Crazy” and the incredibly brazen and brave comedy, “The Toy“.
What were your favorites?
This entry was posted on Sunday, December 11th, 2005 and is filed under Comedy, History. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
December 11th, 2005 at 2:37 am
Which Way Is Up was terriffic but Some Kind Of Hero was his masterpiece.
December 1st, 2007 at 12:58 pm
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