Richard Pryor Risked It All by Walking off Stage in 1967
By the late 1960s, Richard Prior had established himself as a successful, up-and-comedian. But the refusal to play it safely for the mainstream and a powerful need for self-expression led to a defining moment in 1967 that changed the course of his career – and comedy – prompting a host of future actors Doing, which also featured Eddie Murdy, Chris Rock. , And Dave Chappell. Prior’s harsh childhood left stains of a lifetime Born in Peoria, Illinois in December 1940, Prior’s mother Gertrude was a prostitute and her father Leroy was a boxer, hustler and broker who worked in a chain of prostitutes owned by Richard’s grandmother, Mary. When Gertrude left Prior at age 10, it was Mary who raised him. Prior later revealed that he was exposed to sexual abuse as a child, as well as frequent physical abuse at the hands of Mary, with whom he developed an intimate, complex and troubled bond. A series of run-ins with school officials left him a bright but indifferent student, and he was for