Richard Pryor's Contribution To The Film Industry

Richard Pryor, born December 1, 1940, had his first introduction into the life of the performing arts when he was twelve as a cast member of the play Rumpelstiltskin. His comedic ability was noted and he was showcased at many talent shows and small venues. Later on in his career, Pryor attempted to entertain his audience by playing the piano and singing—however, to much avail as his audience preferred him telling jokes instead. Pryor moved to New York in 1963 and thrived in clubs and venues as a stand-up comedian. From there, he performed alongside many popular comedians at the time and eventually, in 1966, Richard Pryor found himself in the film industry where he prospered tremendously.
Known for his casual frankness on touchy subjects

such as racism, sex and everyday pains, Pryor quickly rose to the top of the comedic ladder at the time. He draws some influence to the fact that he was raised in a brothel (his grandmother’s), had a violent father, got kicked out of school at fourteen and had to do miscellaneous jobs to get by, and also because he was a black American who spoke in a sort-of jive talk. Pryor draws upon his own life for a majority of his jokes and also on topical issues that he voices his opinions in a spastic and expletive-ridden, yet highly intelligent, manner.
As a young boy, Richard Pryor was enthralled with cinema, he drew influences upon John Ford and Howard Hawks as film stars and later on was inspired in field of comedy by Bill Cosby and Woody Allen—the latter who mentored Pryor briefly. Most contemporary comedians will signify Richard Pryor as being influential to their career because he was so respected, well-known and could connect to practically just about anyone through his humor because of his multiple ‘careers’ when he was younger, as well as his wide variety of life experiences. Jerry Seinfeld noted Pryor’s significance in comedy as he called him something akin to ‘the Picasso of comedy’ for his cold-hard-truth-spewing topical jokes among other talents and characteristics of his routine. Richard Pryor helped bring black comedy (other than minstrelsy) up to equal terms in the public eye with other genres of comedy as well as give voice to minorities in communities through his own experiences.