The couple had one child together before divorcing. Upon his return home, Pryor married Patricia Price in 1960. He served in the army for only two years, as he was discharged for fighting with another soldier. She believed in his talent and encouraged him throughout the years.Įxpelled from school at age 14, Pryor ended up working a string of jobs until he joined the military in 1958. A natural performer, Pryor was cast in a production of Rumpelstiltskin by Juliette Whittaker, the director of a local community center. He went on to discover acting in his early teens. To step away from the grim reality of his life, Pryor found solace in going to the movies.Īt school, Pryor played the part of the class clown. He also experienced sexual abuse as a child, according to his official website. His parents married when he was 3 years old, but their union did not last.įor much of his youth, Pryor was left in his grandmother's care and lived in the brothel she ran. He got a rough start in life: His mother reportedly worked as a prostitute and his father was a bartender and boxer who served in the military during World War II. Pryor was born on December 1, 1940, in Peoria, Illinois. Pryor was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1986 but continued to perform for several more years. A class clown in school and a community theater actor in his teens, Richard Pryor became a successful stand-up comedian, television writer and movie actor, starring in films like Stir Crazy and Greased Lightning.
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