Richard Pryor Comes to Paramount+ in the 2019 Documentary Film ‘I Am Richard Pryor’

June 08 2022 - 05:59pm

The documentary film I Am Richard Pryor (2019) premieres on Paramount Plus on June 8, telling the story of American legendary actor and stand-up comic Richard Pryor.

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Brief History of Richard Pryor

Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. was born on December 1 1940 and passed away on December 10 2005. He was one of the greatest and most influential stand-up comedians of his time, taking home a Primetime Emmy Award and five Grammy Awards.
He also won the Writers Guild of America Award in 1974 and was the first to receive a Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 1998. In 2017, Rolling Stone ranked Pryor first in its catalog of 50 best stand-up comedians in history.
Adding to his on-stage merits is Pryor's long list of successful films, including the comedy movie projects that he starred in along with his acting buddy Gene Wilder: *Stir Crazy* (1980), *Hear No Evil, See No Evil* (1989) and *Another You* (1991).

What is the Documentary About

Featuring interviews with various comedians, activists and historians, the documentary film dives into the life of the late comedy icon whose mom was a hooker and father a pimp.

All interviewees attest that Pryor portrayed a satiric perspective of African American life, based on comedy without jokes. His biting humor and honest irreverent enabled him to transcend social and race barriers, entertaining American families until his demise at 65.

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Who Features in the Documentary

Besides the archive footage of the stand-up legend, the film features Pryor's ex-wife Jennifer Lee Pryor and a wide cast of entertainers, including Mike Epps, Todd Boyd, Sandra Bernhard, Tiffany Haddish, Henry Jaglom, Ron De Blasio, Thom Mount, Howie Mandel, Ishmael Reed, Scott Saul, Jimmie Walker, Rocco Urbisci, Lily Tomlin, Greg Tate and Michael Schultz.

I Am Richard Pryor is written and directed by Jesse James Miller, joined by Ian Craig Walker as a writer.