Richard Pryor, known for his provocative and profane stand-up comedy and acting, also spent 35 days in 1963 as a prisoner in the Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh.
The information about his local arrest and detention was discovered by retired Pittsburgh Police Commander Ron Freeman, who collects law-enforcement artifacts and memorabilia.
Freeman pulled out a small mugshot of Pryor, slightly larger than a calling card, and shared that he had heard about the arrest from other local cops.
He went to the third floor of the former Public Safety Building, where such records were kept, and found Pryor’s mugshot.
Freeman stated that mugshots of the famous sometimes are traded among police in different cities, almost like baseball cards.
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor III was born on December 1, 1940, in Peoria, Illinois.
His childhood years were troubled and included being abandoned by his mother to be raised by his paternal grandmother in a brothel, incidents of sexual abuse, and escaping to movie theaters.
He joined the U.S. Army in his late teens but left shortly after. He returned to Peoria, where he started hanging out with musicians and comedians in local bars and clubs.
Pryor’s stand-up career brought him to Pittsburgh, where he became friends with a woman who sang in local clubs.
However, sometimes he made it sound like he was her pimp. He wrote in his autobiography, “Thinking I was a big shot, I told people we were going out and that she was giving me money … Someone told her and she came looking for me, seeking revenge.”
“At the confrontation, backstage, I thought she was going to do serious damage to me, so I beat her a** first. I didn’t think about hitting a woman as much as I thought about my own survival.”
Pittsburgh police arrested him on January 1, 1963, at the Wylie Avenue boarding house where he was staying.
He was sentenced to 90 days for attacking the woman and undoubtedly had to walk across the famed “Bridge of Sighs” from the Allegheny County Courthouse to the jail.
He was supposed to be there for three months but played numbers games while incarcerated and won $70, enough to pay his fine. He was released after 35 days.
After his time in Pittsburgh, Pryor moved on to other cities and soon arrived in New York, where his talents were noticed.
Within two years, he was appearing on television; his fame as a comic and an actor would grow to superstar status by the 1970s.
In 1986, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and died in 2005.
Pryor’s personal problems were well-documented, but his talent as a comedian and actor cannot be denied.
He is remembered as a master of stand-up comedy and a gifted actor. Despite his personal struggles and time in jail, Pryor’s career continued to flourish.
He will always be remembered as a comedic icon and his legacy will live on through his work.
The Wilkinsburg Public Library, keeps a copy of the comedian’s autobiography, “Pryor Convictions and Other Life Sentences”, which also provide more insights into his life and career.
