Richard Pryor
Stand-up comedian · 1940–2005

Richard Pryor

Who Richard Pryor is

Richard Pryor was a stand-up comedian and actor from Peoria, Illinois, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential comedians for his storytelling and trenchant observations on race and American life. His comedy albums won five Grammy Awards, his concert films include Live in Concert (1979) and Live on the Sunset Strip (1982), and in 1998 he received the first Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. He also co-wrote Blazing Saddles and starred in films including Silver Streak and Stir Crazy.

At a glance

Born
1940
Died
2005
Style
Confessional revolution, Emerging confession, Storytelling
Stand-up specials
Richard Pryor: Live & Smokin', Richard Pryor: Live in Concert, Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip and 1 more
Albums
Richard Pryor, Craps, That N⸺'s Crazy and 5 more
Podcasts
Pryor Convictions
On screen
Saturday Night Live, The Richard Pryor Show, Pryor's Place and 13 more

Specials, shows and podcasts

Stand-up specials

Albums

On screen

Podcasts

Comedians like Richard Pryor

Each linked to them by something on the record — a stage they both came through, a bill, a show, a style or a home town.

Every stand-up comedian with a page, A to Z →

Career timeline

  1. 1940Born
  2. 1968Richard Pryor (1968) Album
  3. 1971Richard Pryor: Live & Smokin' (1971, concert film) Special
  4. 1971Craps (After Hours) (1971) Album
  5. 1974Blazing Saddles (co-writer, 1974) On screen
  6. 1974That N⸺'s Crazy (1974) Album
  7. 1975Saturday Night Live (host, 1975) On screen
  8. 1975...Is It Something I Said? (1975) Album
  9. 1976Silver Streak (Grover T. Muldoon, 1976) On screen
  10. 1976Car Wash (Daddy Rich, 1976) On screen
  11. 1976Bicentennial N⸺ (1976) Album
  12. 1977The Richard Pryor Show (host, 1977, NBC) On screen
  13. 1977Academy Awards (co-host, 1977 and 1983) On screen
  14. 1978The Wiz (Herman Smith, the Wiz, 1978) On screen
  15. 1978Wanted: Live in Concert (1978) Album
  16. 1979Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979, concert film) Special
  17. 1980Stir Crazy (Harold "Harry" Monroe, 1980) On screen
  18. 1982Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982, concert film) Special
  19. 1982The Toy (Jack Brown, 1982) On screen
  20. 1982Live on the Sunset Strip (1982) Album
  21. 1983Richard Pryor: Here and Now (1983, concert film) Special
  22. 1983Superman III (August "Gus" Gorman, 1983) On screen
  23. 1983Here and Now (1983) Album
  24. 1984Pryor's Place (host, 1984, CBS) On screen
  25. 1985Brewster's Millions (Montgomery "Monty" Brewster, 1985) On screen
  26. 1989See No Evil, Hear No Evil (Wallace "Wally" Karue, 1989) On screen
  27. 1989Harlem Nights (Sugar Ray, 1989) On screen
  28. 1995Pryor Convictions (autobiography, 1995) Book
  29. 2005Died

Questions about Richard Pryor

What stand-up specials has Richard Pryor released?

Richard Pryor: Live & Smokin', Richard Pryor: Live in Concert, Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip and Richard Pryor: Here and Now.

What podcast do they host?

Pryor Convictions.

What TV shows and films are they in?

Saturday Night Live, The Richard Pryor Show, Pryor's Place, Academy Awards, Sanford and Son and The Flip Wilson Show, among 16 credits.

Who are some comedians like them?

Paul Mooney (also in The Richard Pryor Show), Redd Foxx (also in Sanford and Son), Chris Rock (also in Academy Awards), Flip Wilson (also in The Flip Wilson Show) and George Carlin (also in Car Wash).

The full SUCDb record

The full record — the career in order, the specials and credits, and the sources for each — is on SUCDb, with their place on the Legends ballots.

Their SUCDb record →

Sources

Updated 5 October 2026 · the record checked 27 September 2026