Richard Pryor Net Worth - Pulptastic

Publish date: 2024-05-06

What was Richard Pryor’s Net Worth and Salary?

Richard Pryor: The Iconic Comedian, Actor, and Writer

Richard Pryor was an American comedian, actor, and writer who had a net worth of $40 million at the time of his death in 2005. That’s the same as around $50 million in today’s dollars, after adjusting for inflation. He earned his fortune from album sales, tour ticket sales, and salaries from a highly successful film and television career.

Pryor was one of the most admired comedians to ever perform. His material was both loved and hated for its fearless nature, turning its fire on race relations in America, growing up black, language, and Pryor himself. Pryor had the unique ability to turn personal tragedy into hilarious jokes and gags.

His career off the comedy stage began as a writer for shows like “Sanford and Son” and eventually parlayed his hit comedy records into a 1977 sketch comedy series entitled “The Richard Pryor Show.” Pryor released more than 20 comedy albums, such as “…Is It Something I Said?” (1975) and “Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip” (1982), and his notable films include “Stir Crazy” (1980), “Bustin’ Loose” (1981), and the biographical film “Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling” (1986), which he also wrote, directed, and produced.

Richard Pryor’s Earnings from “Superman III”

In 1983, Richard Pryor earned $4 million to star in the poorly received film “Superman III.” Adjusted for inflation, this would be equivalent to $10 million today. At the time, Pryor was one of the highest-paid actors in the world.

Early Life and Background

Richard Pryor was born on December 1, 1940, in Peoria, Illinois. He was raised in his grandmother’s brothel and was abandoned by his mother at the age of 10. Pryor’s father was a former boxer and a hustler. He was often beaten by his grandmother, who had violent tendencies. Pryor was also sexually abused by a preacher and a teenage neighbor. He was expelled from school at the age of 14 and joined the U.S. Army in 1958. However, Pryor spent most of his time in an army prison after he and a few other soldiers beat and stabbed a white soldier. Pryor became a father at the age of 16 after having a daughter with his girlfriend, Susan.

Richard Pryor’s Career Highlights

Richard Pryor moved to New York City in 1963 and began performing in clubs. He appeared on television shows like “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,” “The Ed Sullivan Show,” and “The Merv Griffin Show.” Pryor became a success in Las Vegas and released his first comedy album, “Richard Pryor,” in 1968.

In 1974, Pryor co-wrote the comedy film “Blazing Saddles” and became the first black person to host “Saturday Night Live” in 1975. He entered into a five-year, $40 million deal with Columbia Pictures in 1983 and formed the production company Indigo Productions.

Pryor appeared in several films, including “Superman III” (1983), “Brewster’s Millions” (1985), “Critical Condition” (1987), “See No Evil, Hear No Evil” (1989), and “Harlem Nights” (1989). He guest-starred on “Sesame Street” seven times between 1978 and 1988 and hosted the CBS children’s show “Pryor’s Place” in 1984.

Pryor co-hosted the Academy Awards in 1977 and 1983 and earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for guest-starring on a 1995 episode of “Chicago Hope.” In the 1990s, Pryor appeared in several films and guest-starred on TV shows like “Martin,” “Malcolm & Eddie,” and “Norm.” He published his memoir, “Pryor Convictions and Other Life Sentences,” in 1995.

Marriages and Personal Life

Richard Pryor was married seven times, with two of his five wives being married to him twice. He had a son, Richard Jr., with Patricia Price whom he was married to from 1961 to 1966. He then married Shelley R. Bonus in 1968 and had a daughter, Rain, in July 1969. After divorcing Shelley in the same year, he wed Deborah McGuire in 1977 but split the following year. In 1981, he married Jennifer Lee, and they divorced in 1982, only to remarry in 2001 and remain together until Pryor’s death. Pryor was also married to Flynn Belaine twice, from 1986 to 1987 and 1990 to 1991, and they had two children together, Steven and Kelsey. Richard had a daughter, Elizabeth Ann, with Maxine Anderson and a son, Franklin, with Geraldine Mason. He also dated co-stars Pam Grier and Margot Kidder in the late 1970s and early 1980s, respectively. In 2018, Quincy Jones and Jennifer Lee Pryor claimed that Richard and Marlon Brando had a sexual relationship in the ’70s.

Legal Issues and Health Problems

In 1978, Pryor was arrested for drunk driving and received a sentence of five months in jail. In 1980, he attempted suicide by lighting himself on fire after pouring rum on himself. Initially, the L.A. police department claimed that Pryor’s burns were the result of an explosion that occurred while he was freebasing cocaine, but he later admitted to attempting suicide. He suffered second- and third-degree burns on over 50% of his body and spent six weeks at Sherman Oaks Hospital’s Grossman Burn Center. Pryor was a heavy smoker and drinker, and he had a mild heart attack in 1977 and another one in 1990, followed by triple bypass surgery in 1991. He was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1986 and eventually had to start using a power-operated mobility scooter.

Richard Pryor’s Estate and Family Feuds

Richard Pryor passed away in 2005 at the age of 65 after suffering from his third heart attack. His estate was estimated to be worth $40 million. His children have been in a legal battle with his widow, Jennifer, who they were reportedly unaware had married Richard a second time. Jennifer was named the primary beneficiary and given control of Richard’s intellectual property, which his children have accused her of taking advantage of their father’s weakened mental and physical state. Elizabeth filed a lawsuit against Jennifer in 2006, alleging elder abuse, fraud, forgery, and taking advantage of Richard’s condition. The probate court sided with Jennifer, and Elizabeth turned to the California Court of Appeals, but they ruled in Jennifer’s favor. Richard’s son, Richard Jr., also accused Jennifer of taking advantage of his father’s decline in a cease-and-desist letter in 2014. The family has also been feuding over which actor should play Pryor in a biopic that Jennifer has been trying to bring to the big screen.

Awards and Honors

Richard Pryor was nominated for and won several awards throughout his career, including four Primetime Emmy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys in 2006, and 10 Best Comedy Recording nominations, among others.

He received a Lifetime Achievement Award in Comedy at the 1993 American Comedy Awards, Lifetime Achievement Awards at the 1997 New York Comedy Festival and the 1996 NAACP Image Awards, and an Image Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture for “Bustin’ Loose” in 1981.

Pryor also won a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen for “Blazing Saddles” in 1975, a CableACE Award for Entertainment/Cultural Documentary or Informational Special for “Mo’ Funny: Black Comedy in America” in 1994, and a Humanitarian Award for his work with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in 1999.

In 1993, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 1998, he was the first-ever recipient of the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. Comedy Central ranked him #1 on their 2004 list of the 100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time, and in 2015, a bronze statue of Pryor was created in his likeness near the Peoria neighborhood where he grew up.

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