"I'm not addicted to cocaine. I just like the way it smells." -- Richard Pryor 12/1/1940 - 12/10/2005
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III was born December 1st, 1940 in Peoria, Illinois. Raised in poverty, Richard was one of four siblings who were raised in a brothel ran by his Grandmother. Richard's childhood had many traumatic experiences, as you can imagine, being raised in a brothel where his mother worked, and his Grandma was Madam. Richard was raped at six years old, and even molested as a boy by a Catholic Priest, not to mention constantly exposed to the environment of the brothel where he saw his mother work as a prostitute. To escape from these traumatic experiences as a boy Richard would spend a lot of time watching movies at the local theater. Seated in the "Black Seats", Pryor consumed the cinema, it was what inspired him to become an entertainer. As a child he knew he wanted to be a star. Richard Pryor became determined at a young age to become an entertainer.
Pryor began entertaining at the age of 12. Acting in plays at a local Peoria Public Recreational Facility where a supervisor, Juliette Whitaker, noticed his comic talent and cast him in a production of Rumpelstiltskin. Impressed with Pryor's comic ability she began to showcase him and even remained a mentor throughout his career.
Expelled from school at 14, he began work as a janitor at a strip club. Richard had many different jobs as a young man. He'd done everything from shoe shining, packing meat, driving a truck and more. He even worked for awhile as a drummer. Coming up in the black experience of 1950's America, Pryor was instilled with an insightful perspective on life that would later show in his unique mind and style of comedy.