Richard Pryor

Richard Pryor
Richard Pryor in 1986
Richard Pryor in 1986
Born December 1, 1940(1940-12-01)
Peoria, Illinois, U.S.
Died December 10, 2005 (aged 65)
Encino, California, U.S.
Medium Stand-up comedian, film, television
Nationality American
Years active 1963–1999
Genres Satire, Observational comedy, Black comedy, Improvisational comedy, Character comedy
Subject(s) racism, race relations, American politics, African-American culture, human sexuality, self-deprecation, everyday life, recreational drug use
Influences Jack Benny, Lenny Bruce,[1] Bill Cosby, Dick Gregory, Redd Foxx, Paul Mooney
Influenced George Carlin,[2] Dave Chappelle,[3] Chris Rock,[4] Eddie Murphy,[4] Whoopi Goldberg,[5] Bill Hicks,[6] Robin Williams,[5] George Lopez,[7] Lewis Black,[8] Colin Quinn,[9] Bernie Mac,[4] Louis C.K.,[10] Patton Oswalt,[11] Artie Lange,[12]
Spouse Patricia Price
(1960-1961)
Shelley R. Bonus
(1968-1969)
Deborah McGuire
(1977-1978)
Jennifer Lee
(1981-1982)
Flynn Belaine
(1986-1987)
Flynn Belaine
(1990-1991)
Jennifer Lee
(2001-2005)
Notable works and roles That Nigger's Crazy
Bicentennial Nigger
Himself in Richard Pryor: Live in Concert and Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip
Zeke Brown in Blue Collar
Harry Monroe in Stir Crazy
Gus Gorman in Superman III
Website RichardPryor.com
Emmy Awards
Writing in Variety or Music
1974 Lily
Grammy Awards
Best Comedy Album
1975 That Nigger's Crazy
1976 ...Is It Something I Said?
1977 Bicentennial Nigger
1982 Rev. Du Rite
1983 Live on the Sunset Strip
American Comedy Awards
Lifetime Achievement Award in Comedy 1993

Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American comedian, actor and writer.

Pryor was a storyteller known for unflinching examinations of racism and customs in modern life, and was well-known for his frequent use of colorful, vulgar and profane language and racial epithets. He reached a broad audience with his trenchant observations. He is commonly regarded as one of the most important stand-up comedians of his time: Jerry Seinfeld called Pryor "The Picasso of our profession";[13] Whoopi Goldberg cited him as her biggest influence, stating "The major influence was Richard - I want to say those things he's saying." Bob Newhart has called Pryor "the seminal comedian of the last 50 years."[14]

His body of work includes such concert movies and recordings as Richard Pryor: Live and Smokin' (1971), That Nigger's Crazy (1974), ...Is It Something I Said? (1975), Bicentennial Nigger (1976), Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979), Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982) and Richard Pryor: Here and Now. He also starred in numerous films as an actor, usually in comedies such as Silver Streak, but occasionally in dramatic roles, such as Paul Schrader's film Blue Collar and epic roles like Gus Gorman from Superman III (1983). He also collaborated on many projects with actor Gene Wilder. He won an Emmy Award in 1973, and five Grammy Awards in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981, and 1982. In 1974, he also won two American Academy of Humor awards and the Writers Guild of America Award.

Contents

Biography

Early life and career

Born in Peoria, Illinois, Pryor grew up in his grandmother's brothel, where his mother, Gertrude L. Thomas, practiced prostitution. His father, LeRoy "Buck" Pryor (a.k.a. Buck Carter) was a former bartender, boxer and World War II veteran who worked as his wife's pimp. After his mother deserted him when he was 10, he was raised primarily by his grandmother, Marie Carter.[15]

He was expelled from school at age 14, His first professional performance was playing drums at a night club. From 1958 to 1960, Pryor served in the U.S. Army, but spent virtually that entire stint in an army prison. According to a 1999 profile about Pryor in The New Yorker, Pryor was incarcerated for an incident that occurred while stationed in Germany. Annoyed that a white soldier was a bit too amused at the racially charged sections of Douglas Sirk's movie Imitation of Life, Pryor and some other black soldiers beat and stabbed the white soldier (not fatally).[16] According to Live on Sunset Boulevard, when he was nineteen, he worked at a Mafia-owned nightclub as the emcee. Upon hearing that they would not pay a stripper, he attempted to hold up the owners with a cap pistol. The owners, amazingly enough, apparently thought he was amusing. During this time, Pryor's girlfriend gave birth to a girl named Renee. Years later, however, he found out that she was actually not his child. In 1960, he married Patricia Price and they had one child together, Richard, Jr. (his first child and first son) They divorced in 1961.

In 1963, Pryor moved to New York City and began performing regularly in clubs alongside performers such as Bob Dylan and Woody Allen. On one of his first nights, he opened for singer and pianist Nina Simone at New York's Village Gate. Simone recalls Pryor's bout of performance anxiety:

“ He shook like he had malaria, he was so nervous. I couldn't bear to watch him shiver, so I put my arms around him there in the dark and rocked him like a baby until he calmed down. The next night was the same, and the next, and I rocked him each time.[17] ”

Inspired by Bill Cosby, Pryor began as a middlebrow comic, with material far less controversial than what was to come. Soon, he began appearing regularly on television variety shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show. His popularity led him to become a rather successful comic in Las Vegas. The first five tracks on the 2005 compilation CD Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years (1966-1974), recorded in 1966 and 1967, capture Pryor in this era.

In September 1967, Pryor had what he called in his autobiography Pryor Convictions an "epiphany" when he walked onto the stage at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas (with Dean Martin in the audience), looked at the sold-out crowd, exclaimed over the microphone "What the fuck am I doing here!?", and walked off the stage. Afterward, Pryor began working at least mild profanity into his act, including the word "nigger". His first comedy recording, the eponymous 1968 debut release on the Dove/Reprise label, captures this particular period, tracking the evolution of Pryor's routine. It was around this time that his parents died; his mother in 1967 and his father in 1968.

In 1967, his second child and first daughter, Elizabeth Ann, was born to his girlfriend Maxine Anderson. Later that year, he married Shelly Bonis. In 1969, his third child and second daughter, Rain Pryor, was born. Pryor and Bonis divorced later that year.

Mainstream success

In 1969, Pryor moved to Berkeley, California, where he immersed himself in the counterculture and rubbed elbows with the likes of Huey P. Newton and Ishmael Reed. He signed with the comedy-oriented independent record label Laff Records in 1970 and recorded his second album in 1971, Craps (After Hours). In 1972, the relatively unknown comedian appeared in his first film, a documentary entitled Wattstax, where he riffed on the tragic-comic absurdities of race relations in Watts and the nation. Not long afterward, Pryor sought a deal with a larger label, and after some time, signed with Stax Records. His third, breakthrough album, That Nigger's Crazy, was released in 1974 and, Laff, who claimed ownership of Pryor's recording rights, almost succeeded in getting an injunction to prevent the album from being sold. Negotiations led to Pryor's release from his Laff contract. In return for this concession, Laff was enabled to release previously unissued material, recorded between 1968 and 1973, at will.

During the legal battle, Stax briefly closed its doors. It was at this time that Pryor returned to Reprise/Warner Bros. Records, which re-released That Nigger's Crazy immediately after ...Is It Something I Said?, his first album with his new label. With every successful album Pryor recorded for Warner (or later, his concert films and his 1980 freebasing accident), Laff would quickly publish an album of older material to capitalize on Pryor's growing fame — a practice the label would continue until 1983. The covers of Laff albums were also thematically tied in with other Pryor movies such as "The Wizard of Comedy" for his appearance in "The Wiz"; "Are You Serious?" for "Silver Streak"; and "Insane" for "Stir Crazy".

In the 1970s, Pryor wrote for such television shows as Sanford and Son, The Flip Wilson Show and a Lily Tomlin special, for which he shared an Emmy Award. Pryor also made an attempt to break into mainstream television during this period. He was a guest host on the first season of Saturday Night Live. Richard took long time girlfriend, actress-talk show host Kathrine McKee (sister of Lonette McKee) with him to New York, and she made a brief guest appearance with Pryor on SNL. His "racist word association" skit with Chevy Chase is frequently cited by TV critics as one of the funniest and most daring skits in SNL history.

The Richard Pryor Show premiered on NBC in 1977 but after only four shows, the series was cancelled. Television audiences were apparently not ready for the show's controversial subject matter, and Pryor was unwilling to alter the content of his material to meet the demands of network censors. During the short-lived series, he portrayed the first African-American President of the United States and in another skit, used costumes and visual distortion to appear nude.

In 1974, Pryor was arrested for income tax evasion and served 10 days in jail. He married actress Deborah McGuire in 1977, but they divorced in 1978. He soon began dating Jennifer Lee and they married in 1981. They divorced the following year.

Very successful and towards the height of his success, Pryor visited Africa in 1979. Upon returning to the United States, Pryor swore he would never use the word "nigger" in his stand-up comedy routine again.[18] (However, his favorite epithet, "motherfucker", remains a term of endearment on his official website.)

Pryor appeared in several popular films from the early Seventies through the early Eighties, including Lady Sings the Blues; The Mack; Uptown Saturday Night; Silver Streak; Which Way Is Up?; Car Wash; Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings; Greased Lightning; Blue Collar & Bustin' Loose. In 1982, Pryor co-starred with Jackie Gleason in one of the "Great One"'s last projects, The Toy. In 1983, Pryor signed a five-year contract with Columbia Pictures for $40,000,000.[19] This resulted in the gentrification of Pryor's onscreen personna and softer, more formulaic films like Superman III (which earned Pryor $4,000,000); Brewster's Millions; Stir Crazy; Moving; and See No Evil, Hear No Evil. The only film project from this period of his career that recalled his rough roots was Pryor's semi-autobiographic debut as a writer-director, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling, which was not a major success. Though he made four films with Gene Wilder, the two comic actors were never as close as many thought, according to Wilder's autobiography.

Pryor also co-wrote Blazing Saddles directed by Mel Brooks and starring Gene Wilder. Pryor was to play the lead role of Bart, but the film's production studio would not insure him, and Mel Brooks chose Cleavon Little instead. Before his infamous 1980 freebasing accident, Pryor was about to start filming Mel Brooks' History of the World, Part I, but was replaced at the last minute by Gregory Hines. Pryor was also originally considered for the role of Billy Ray Valentine on Trading Places (1983), before Eddie Murphy ultimately won the part.

Despite a reputation for profanity, Pryor briefly hosted a children's show on CBS in 1984 called Pryor's Place. Like Sesame Street, Pryor's Place featured a cast of puppets, hanging out and having fun in a surprisingly friendly inner-city environment along with several children and characters portrayed by Pryor himself. However, Pryor's Place frequently dealt with more sobering issues than Sesame Street. It was cancelled shortly after its debut, despite the efforts of famed puppeteers Sid and Marty Krofft and a theme song by Ray Parker Jr. of Ghostbusters fame to ensure its success.

Pryor co-hosted the Academy Awards twice, and was also nominated for an Emmy for a guest role on the television series, Chicago Hope.

Pryor developed a reputation for being difficult and unprofessional on the set of his films, and for making unreasonable demands. In his autobiography Kiss Me Like a Stranger, co-star Gene Wilder says that Pryor was frequently late to the set during filming of Stir Crazy, and that he demanded, among other things, a helicopter to fly him to and from set. Pryor was also accused of using allegations of on-set racism to force the hand of film producers into giving him more money. Also from Wilder's book:

One day during our lunch hour in the last week of filming, the craft service man handed out slices of watermelon to each of us. Richard and the whole camera crew and I sat together in a big sound studio, talking and joking. Some members of the crew used a piece of watermelon as a Frisbee, and tossed it back and forth to each other. One piece of watermelon landed at Richard's feet. He got up and went home. Filming stopped. The next day...Richard announced that he knew very well what the significance of watermelon was... He said that he was quitting show business and would not return to this film. The day after that, Richard walked in, all smiles... I wasn't privy to all the negotiations that went on between Columbia and Richard's lawyers, but the camera operator who had thrown that errant piece of watermelon had been fired. I assume now that Richard was using drugs during "Stir Crazy".

How much of this behavior can be attributed to drug use is unknown.

The freebasing incident

On June 9, 1980, Pryor set himself on fire after freebasing cocaine while drinking 151 proof alcohol. He ran down Parthenia St. from his Northridge, California home until subdued by police. He was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for the burns covering more than half of his body. Pryor spent six weeks in recovery at the Grossman Burn Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital. Interviewed in 2005, his wife Jennifer Lee Pryor said that Pryor poured high-proof rum over his body and set himself on fire in a bout of drug-induced psychosis.His daughter, Rain Pryor also stated this in an interview in People Magazine.[20] In a TV interview with Barbara Walters during his recovery, Pryor said that he tried to commit suicide. He claimed that his managers and lawyers created the "accident" lie in the belief that it would be less damning than a suicide attempt.

Pryor incorporated a description of the incident into his "final" comedy show Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip in 1982. He joked that the event was actually caused by dunking a cookie into a glass of low-fat and pasteurized milk, causing an explosion. At the end of the bit, he poked fun at people who told jokes about it by waving a lit match and saying "What's this? It's Richard Pryor running down the street."

After his "final performance", Pryor did not stay away from stand-up comedy very long, — in 1983 he filmed and released a new concert film and accompanying album, Here And Now, which he directed himself. He then wrote and directed a fictionalized account of his life, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling. Interestingly, Jo Jo Dancer opens with a suicide attempt by the main character in which he douses himself in rum and ignites himself.

In 1984, his fourth child and second son, Steven, was born to his girlfriend Flynn Belaine. Pryor married Belaine in October 1986. They divorced in July 1987. Before their divorce was final, Belaine conceived Kelsey Pryor. Meanwhile, another of Richard's girlfriends, Geraldine Mason gave birth to Franklin Mason in April 1987 (his fifth child and third son). Six months later (October 1987), Belaine gave birth to Kelsey Pryor (Richard's sixth child and third daughter).

Fight with multiple sclerosis

In 1991, Pryor announced that he had been suffering from multiple sclerosis since 1986. In 1992, he gave some final live performances, excerpts of which appear on the ...And It's Deep Too! box set. He continued to make occasional film appearances, pairing with Gene Wilder one last time in the unsuccessful 1991 comedy, Another You (in which his physical deterioration was noted by many critics). His final film appearance was a small role in the David Lynch film Lost Highway in 1997; by then, Pryor was a wheelchair user. His final episodic television appearance was on an episode of The Norm Show in 2000, where he had a small role as one of Norm's clients.

Marriages

Pryor was married seven times to five different women:

  1. Patricia Price (1960 - 1961) (divorced) with 1 child named Richard Pryor, Jr.
  2. Shelly Bonus (1967 - 1969) (divorced) with 1 child named Rain Pryor
  3. Deborah McGuire (September 22, 1977 - 1979) (divorced)
  4. Jennifer Lee (August 1981 - October 1982) (divorced)
  5. Flynn Belaine (October 1986 - July 1987) (divorced) with 1 child
  6. Flynn Belaine (1 April 1990 - July 1991) (divorced) with 1 child
  7. Jennifer Lee (29 June 2001 - 10 December 2005) (his death)

Each of his marriages was characterized by accusations of domestic violence and spousal abuse except for his relationship with Belaine; most of these allegations were connected to Pryor's drug use. The exception was Patricia Price who was married to Pryor before his rise to stardom. Deborah McGuire accused him of shooting her car with a .357 Magnum, but later dropped the charges (even though this was mentioned during one of Pryor's stand-up routines, Live in Concert). Lee accused him of beating and attempting to strangle her during their first marriage, and did not share his home after they remarried. During his relationship with Pam Grier, Pryor proposed to Deborah McGuire (1977).

He had seven children: Renee, Richard Jr., Elizabeth, Rain, Steven, Franklin and Kelsey.

Later life

In 1998, Pryor became the first performer to win the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. According to Former Kennedy Center President Lawrence J. Wilker,

“ Richard Pryor was selected as the first recipient of the new Mark Twain Prize because as a stand-up comic, writer, and actor, he struck a chord, and a nerve, with America, forcing it to look at large social questions of race and the more tragicomic aspects of the human condition. Though uncompromising in his wit, Pryor, like Twain, projects a generosity of spirit that unites us. They were both trenchant social critics who spoke the truth, however outrageous. ”

In 2000, Rhino Records remastered all of Pryor's Reprise and WB albums for inclusion in the box set ...And It's Deep Too! The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings (1968-1992).

In 2001, he remarried Jennifer Lee, who also had become his manager.

In 2002, Pryor and his wife/manager Jennifer Lee Pryor, won the legal rights to all of the Laff material; which amounted to almost 40 hours of reel-to-reel analog tape. After going through the tapes and getting Richard's blessing, Jennifer Lee Pryor gave Rhino Records access to the Laff tapes in 2004. These tapes, including the entire Craps album, form the basis of the double-CD release Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years (1966-1974).

In 2003, a television documentary, Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$#@!!, came out. It consisted of archival footage of Pryor's performances and testimonials from fellow comedians such as Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle, Wanda Sykes and Denis Leary of the influence Pryor had on comedy.

In 2004, Pryor was voted #1 on Comedy Central's list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time. In a 2005 British poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, Pryor was voted the 10th greatest comedy act ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders.

His final performance was at the Circle Star Theater in San Carlos, California.

In his later years, Richard Pryor used a wheelchair due to multiple sclerosis (M.S., which he said stood for "More Shit"). In late-2004, his sister claimed that Pryor lost his voice. However, on January 9, 2005, Pryor's wife, Jennifer Lee, rebutted this statement in a post on Pryor's official website,[21] citing Richard as saying: "Sick of hearing this shit about me not talking... not true... good days, bad days... but I still am a talkin' motherfucker!"

Pryor was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. The animal rights organization PETA gives out an award in Pryor's name to people who have done outstanding work to alleviate animal suffering. Mr. Pryor was active in animal rights and was deeply concerned about the plight of elephants in circuses and zoos.

Death

Richard Pryor's star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame covered with flowers, beer bottles, fan letters etc.

On December 10, 2005, Pryor died of cardiac arrest in Encino, California. He was pronounced dead at a local hospital at 7:58 a.m. PST. Pryor died just 9 days after his 65th birthday. He was brought to the hospital after his wife's attempts to resuscitate him failed. His wife Jennifer was quoted as saying, "At the end, there was a smile on his face."[22] He was cremated and his ashes were either given to a friend or family.

Remembrance and legacy

On December 19, 2005, BET aired a Pryor special. It included commentary from fellow comedians, as well as insight into Pryor's upbringing. A feature film about Pryor is currently in development. It was written by Pryor and his wife, but no actor as of this date has been chosen to portray Pryor.

The conductor of the Emory University Orchestra is named after him.

Pryor has been voted the 'Number 1 Greatest Stand Up Comedian of All Time' in numerous polls worldwide.

An image of Pryor can be seen on the Rage Against The Machine music video for their Soul Sonic Force cover of "Renegades of Funk".

Discography

Albums

Compilations

Filmography

  • The Busy Body (1967)
  • Uncle Tom's Fairy Tales (1968)
  • Wild in the Streets (1968)
  • Black Brigade (1970)
  • The Phynx (1970)
  • You've Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You'll Lose That Beat (1971)
  • Dynamite Chicken (1972)
  • Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
  • The Mack (1973)
  • Wattstax (1973)
  • Hit! (1973)
  • Some Call It Loving (1973)
  • Uptown Saturday Night (1974)
  • The Lion Roars Again (1975)
  • Adios Amigo (1976)
  • Car Wash (1976)
  • The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976)
  • Silver Streak (1976)
  • Which Way Is Up? (1977)
  • Greased Lightning (1977)
  • Blue Collar (1978)
  • The Wiz (1978)
  • California Suite (1978)
  • Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979)
  • The Muppet Movie (1979) (cameo)
  • Wholly Moses (1980)
  • In God We Tru$t (1980)
  • Stir Crazy (1980)
  • Bustin' Loose (1981)
  • Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (1982)
  • Some Kind of Hero (1982)
  • The Toy (1982)
  • Superman III (1983)
  • Richard Pryor: Here and Now (1983)
  • Motown 25 (1983)
  • Richard Pryor: Live and Smokin' (1985)
  • Brewster's Millions (1985)
  • Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling (1986)
  • Critical Condition (1987)
  • Moving (1988)
  • See No Evil, Hear No Evil (1989)
  • Harlem Nights (1989)
  • The Three Muscatels (1991)
  • Another You (1991)
  • A Century of Cinema (1994)
  • Mad Dog Time (1996)
  • Lost Highway (1997)
  • Bitter Jester (2003)
  • I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$@!! (2003)
  • Richard Pryor: The Funniest Man Dead Or Alive (2005, BET Special)

References

  1. ↑ The 50 Most Influential Comedy Albums
  2. ↑ "George Carlin". Inside the Actors Studio. Bravo. 2004-10-31. No. 4, season 1.
  3. ↑ "Dave Chappelle". Inside the Actors Studio. Bravo. 2006-02-12. No. 10, season 12.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chris Rock: Pryor Was The Real King Of Comedy - Movie News Story | MTV Movie News
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Richard Pryor: I Ain't Dead Yet, #*%$@!!, 2003, Comedy Central
  6. ↑ Fade to Black - Interviews - Bill Hicks
  7. ↑ MySpace.com - George Lopez - San Fernando, CALIFORNIA - www.myspace.com/georgelopez
  8. ↑ Lewis Black | The A.V. Club
  9. ↑ Colin Quinn
  10. ↑ "Interview with Louis C.K.". One Night Stand. HBO (2005). Retrieved on 2007-12-06.
  11. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20071013165258/http://aspecialthing.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1465
  12. ↑ Kirschling, Gregory (2008-11-07). "Artie Lange: 'F--- It, I'll Write a Book'". EW.com. Retrieved on 2008-11-11.
  13. ↑ CNN.com - Those we lost - Dec 28, 2005
  14. ↑ American Masters . Bob Newhart PBS
  15. ↑ Richard Pryor website
  16. ↑ Hilton Als, "A Pryor Love", The New Yorker, September 13, 1999.
  17. ↑ Nina Simone & Stephen Cleary, I put a spell on you, pp. 70-71
  18. ↑ The word 'Nigger' - Richard Pryor & George Carlin YouTube
  19. ↑ Comedian Richard Pryor dead at 65 BBC News
  20. ↑ Interview with Rain Pryor, November 6, 2006 edition of People Magazine, page 76.
  21. ↑ Richard Pryor
  22. ↑ "Comedian Richard Pryor dead at 65". BBC News (2005-12-10). Retrieved on 2008-01-01.

External links

Obituaries
Hosts of the Academy Awards ceremonies

Bob Hope (1961) · Bob Hope (1962) · Frank Sinatra (1963) · Jack Lemmon (1964) · Bob Hope (1965) · Bob Hope (1966) · Bob Hope (1967) · Bob Hope (1968) · Helen Hayes / Alan King / Sammy Davis, Jr. / Jack Lemmon (1972) · Carol Burnett / Michael Caine / Charlton Heston / Rock Hudson (1973) · John Huston / Burt Reynolds / David Niven / Diana Ross (1974) · Sammy Davis, Jr. / Bob Hope / Shirley MacLaine / Frank Sinatra (1975) · Goldie Hawn / Gene Kelly / Walter Matthau / George Segal / Robert Shaw (1976) · Warren Beatty / Ellen Burstyn / Jane Fonda / Richard Pryor (1977) · Bob Hope (1978) · Johnny Carson (1979) · Johnny Carson (1980)

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Hosts of the Academy Awards ceremonies

Johnny Carson (1981) · Johnny Carson (1982) · Liza Minnelli / Dudley Moore / Richard Pryor / Walter Matthau (1983) · Johnny Carson (1984) · Jack Lemmon (1985) · Alan Alda / Jane Fonda / Robin Williams (1986) · Chevy Chase / Goldie Hawn / Paul Hogan (1987) · Chevy Chase (1988) · Billy Crystal (1990) · Billy Crystal (1991) · Billy Crystal (1992) · Billy Crystal (1993) · Whoopi Goldberg (1994) · David Letterman (1995) · Whoopi Goldberg (1996) · Billy Crystal (1997) · Billy Crystal (1998) · Whoopi Goldberg (1999) · Billy Crystal (2000)

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Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series

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1978–1987 Superman film series
Movies

Superman (1978) · Superman II (1980) · Superman III (1983) · Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)
Other movies

Supergirl (1984) · Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut (2006)
Cast

Christopher Reeve (Superman / Clark Kent / Evil Superman) · Jeff East (Young Clark Kent) · Gene Hackman (Lex Luthor) · Margot Kidder (Lois Lane) · Jackie Cooper (Perry White) · Marc McClure (Jimmy Olsen) · Annette O'Toole (Lana Lang) · Glenn Ford (Jonathan Kent) · Phyllis Thaxter (Martha Kent) · Marlon Brando (Jor-El) · Susannah York (Lara Lor-Van) · Terence Stamp (General Zod) · Helen Slater (Supergirl / Kara Zor-El) · Simon Ward (Zor-El) · Maureen Teefy (Lucy Lane) · Kirk Alyn (Sam Lane)
Original characters

Otis (Ned Beatty) · Ursa (Sarah Douglas) · Non (Jack O'Halloran) · Gus Gorman (Richard Pryor) · Ross Webster (Robert Vaughn) · Nuclear Man (Clive Mantle (Nuclear Man #1) and Mark Pillow (Nuclear Man #2)) · Lenny Luthor (Jon Cryer)
Crew

Richard Donner · Alexander Salkind · Ilya Salkind · Richard Lester · Michael Thau · Mario Puzo · David Newman · Leslie Newman · Robert Benton · Tom Mankiewicz · John Williams · David Prowse · Geoffrey Unsworth · Stuart Baird · Les Bowie · Denys Coop · John Barry · Reg Hill · David Lane · Pierre Spengler · John Glen · Ken Thorne · Derek Meddings · Stuart Freeborn · Chris Corbould · Jeannot Szwarc · David Odell · Jerry Goldsmith · Alan Hume · Sidney J. Furie · Menahem Golan · Yoram Globus · Golan-Globus · Lawrence Konner · Mark Rosenthal · Alexander Courage · John Shirley · Harrison Ellenshaw
Sets and locations

Shepperton Studios · Pinewood Studios · Elstree Studios · 007 Stage · Central Milton Keynes · Chobham Common · Didcot Power Station · Hippodrome, London · Milton Keynes Central railway station · Solow Building · Wembley Conference Centre · Smallville · Daily Planet (New York Daily News) · Fortress of Solitude · Phantom Zone · Metropolis · Krypton · Argo City
Music

"Can You Read My Mind" · "Earth Angel" · "Give a Little Bit" · "Pick Up the Pieces" · "Rock Around the Clock" · "Roll Over Beethoven" · "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On" · Superman III (soundtrack)
Related articles

Superman in popular culture · Alternate versions of Superman · Superman films on television (The ABC Sunday Night Movie / KCOP / WJLA) · Kryptonite · Relationship of Clark Kent and Lois Lane · Origin of Superman · Lex Luthor in other media · Media adaptations of Supergirl · Zoptics
Richard Pryor discography
Albums

Richard Pryor · Craps (After Hours) · That Nigger's Crazy · ...Is It Something I Said? · Bicentennial Nigger · Wanted: Live In Concert · Live on the Sunset Strip · Here and Now · That African-American Is Still Crazy: Good Shit from the Vaults
Compilations

Richard Pryor's Greatest Hits · ...And It's Deep Too! The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings (1968-1992) · The Anthology (1968-1992) · Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years (1966-1974)
Unauthorized

Pryor Goes Foxx Hunting · Down And Dirty · Richard Pryor Meets... Richard & Willie And... The SLA!! · L.A. Jail · Are You Serious??? · Who Me? I'm Not Him · Black Ben The Blacksmith · The Wizard Of Comedy · Outrageous · Insane · Holy Smoke! · Rev. Du Rite · Richard Pryor Live! (1982) · Supernigger · Blackjack · Show Biz · Richard Pryor Live! (1983)
Mark Twain Prize winners

Richard Pryor (1998) · Jonathan Winters (1999) · Carl Reiner (2000) · Whoopi Goldberg (2001) · Bob Newhart (2002) · Lily Tomlin (2003) · Lorne Michaels (2004) · Steve Martin (2005) · Neil Simon (2006) · Billy Crystal (2007) · George Carlin (2008)
Persondata
NAME Pryor, Richard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION American comedian and actor
DATE OF BIRTH December 1, 1940
PLACE OF BIRTH Peoria, Illinois
DATE OF DEATH December 10, 2005
PLACE OF DEATH Encino, Los Angeles, California