Richard Franklin Lennox Pryor III was born on December 1, 1940, in Peoria, Illinois, to Gertrude L. Thomas and LeRoy "Buck Carter" Pryor. His mother, a prostitute, abandoned him at the age of ten, and he was raised in his grandmother's brothel.
At the age of six, Pryor was molested by a teenage neighbor, and later by a neighborhood preacher. To escape his troubled life, he became an avid movie fan and regular visitor to local movie theaters in Peoria. After working various jobs, including truck driver and meat packer, Pryor joined the US Army between 1958 and 1960, where he performed in amateur theater shows.
After leaving the services, Pryor started singing in small clubs, but discovered that humor was his true forte. He spent time in New York and Las Vegas, honing his comic craft, but his unconventional approach to humor made bookings difficult. He eventually headed to Los Angeles, where he broke into films with minor roles in The Busy Body (1967) and Wild in the Streets (1968).
Pryor's performance as a drug-addicted piano player in Lady Sings the Blues (1972) garnered attention from fans and critics alike. He made his first appearance with Gene Wilder in the popular action/comedy Silver Streak (1976),played multiple characters in Which Way Is Up? (1977),and portrayed real-life stock-car driver Wendell Scott in Greased Lightning (1977).
Pryor's advocacy for African-American talent led him to take a key role in The Wiz (1978),starring an all-African-American cast, including Diana Ross and Michael Jackson. He then starred in the Paul Schrader working-class drama Blue Collar (1978),alongside Yaphet Kotto and Harvey Keitel.
Pryor's subsequent film roles included California Suite (1978),The Muppet Movie (1979),Wholly Moses! (1980),and In God We Trust (or Gimme That Prime Time Religion) (1980). He reunited with Gene Wilder for the prison comedy Stir Crazy (1980),which did strong box office business.
Pryor's next few films were a mixed bag of material, often inhibiting his talent, with equally mixed returns at the box office. He then starred alongside Christopher Reeve in the big-budget Superman III (1983) and John Candy in Brewster's Millions (1985).
Pryor's inner self was revealed in the autobiographical Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986). He partnered with Gene Wilder again in See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989) but the final product was not as sharp as their previous pairings.
Pryor's final film appearances included Harlem Nights (1989),which he co-starred in with Redd Foxx and Eddie Murphy, and the lukewarm Another You (1991).
