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1 / 16 photos Black Comedians
Richard Pryor's irreverent comedic style made him one of the top comics in the 1970s and 80s. He performed in clubs across the Midwest until he made his TV debut on the variety show On Broadway Tonight. Pryor was the first recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor from the Kennedy Center in 1998. He died of a heart attack on December 10, 2005.
Richard Pryor
Nipsey Russell is best known for his enthusiastic performances on game shows such as Match Game and Pyramid. He also made frequent guest appearances on The Dean Martin Show, The Tonight Show, and Late Night with Conan O'Brien and captivated audiences with his performance as the Tin Man in the musical The Wiz in 1978.
(Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image)Nipsey Russell
Red Foxx became one of the first black comics to work as a headliner in Las Vegas, where he entertained all-white audiences. His candor on stage led him to star in the 1970 TV series, Sanford and Son. Following his death in 1991, he was given a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame for his contributions to American comedy.
(Getty Images)Redd Foxx
Danitra Vance made comedy history in 1985 when she became the first African-American woman to appear as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. After her cancer diagnosis in 1990, Vance performed in a critically acclaimed one-woman show about her experiences with the disease, entitled The Radical Girl's Guide to a Radical Mastectomy. She died of cancer in 1993.
(WireImage)
In 1970, Flip Wilson became the first African-American to host his own weekly variety series, The Flip Wilson Show. The show gained a tremendous fan base due to Wilson's ability to play an array of characters, and earned an extraordinary 11 Emmy Award nominations.
Flip Wilson
An educator and a comedian, Bill Cosby took pride in his sublime comedic style. He became known for his popular television series, The Cosby Show, which was the first of its kind to portray an upper-middle class African-American family. The show aired for eight seasons, five of which ranked No. 1 in the Neilson ratings.
Bill Cosby
Whoopi Goldberg's one-woman show brought her to the attention of director Steven Spielberg in 1983. Since then, she has starred in many groundbreaking films including The Color Purple and Ghost, and has won Oscar, Tony, Grammy and Emmy awards - one of only a handful of performers to do so. Currently, she is a co-host on the all-women talk show, The View.
(Getty Images)Whoopi Goldberg
Known for his uproarious impersonations, Eddie Murphy began his career performing at local comedy clubs including New York's Comedy Strip Live. In 1980, he made it into the cast of Saturday Night Live, where he quickly became an audience favorite. He went on to appear in several comedic blockbuster films including Coming to America (1988) and The Nutty Professor (1996).
(Time & Life Pictures/Getty Image)Eddie Murphy
Heavy-hitting comics Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, D.L. Hughley, and Bernie Mac joined forces in 1997 to create the comedy super-group The Original Kings of Comedy. Their popular tour, which was documented in the 2000 film by Spike Lee, regularly sold out 15,000-seat arenas, and inspired dozens of spin-off tours including The Queens of Comedy and The Original Latin Kings of Comedy.
Martin Lawrence began his career on the stage, participating in open-mic nights at local comedy clubs. His stand-up routines landed him the opportunity to host HBO's Def Comedy Jami in 1992, followed by a starring role in his own sitcom, Martin, which earned him two NAACP Image Awards.
Martin Lawrence
Chris Rock's comedy career took off when Eddie Murphy spotted his act at New York's Comedy Strip Live. He went on to join the cast of Saturday Night Live for three seasons before launching his own special on HBO in 1996, entitled Bring the Pain. More recently, he starred in Everybody Hates Chris, a sitcom inspired by his life.
Chris Rock
Tracy Morgan began his acting career on the sitcom Martin where he played the character Hustle Man. An eight-season veteran of Saturday Night Live, Morgan currently plays the role of reckless and self-obsessed actor Tracey Jordan on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock.
(Getty Images)Tracy Morgan
A five-time Emmy Award winner, Wanda Sykes' comedy career has blossomed since her first stand-up performance at a talent show in Washington D.C. She is perhaps best known for her role as Barb on The New Adventures of Old Christine, and has also starred in her own series and specials including Wanda Sykes: Sick and Tired and The Wanda Sykes Show.
(FilmMagic)Wanda Sykes
Inspired by comedy legends such as Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor, Dave Chappelle developed a unique comedic style at a young age. His controversial brand of humor eventually led to his own Comedy Central series, Chappelle's Show, giving him nationwide appeal until his unexpected departure from Hollywood in 2006.
Dave Chappelle
On a dare from her brother, Mo'Nique made her stand-up debut at a local comedy club in her home state of Maryland. She blew the audience away with her flamboyant personality, and turned her successful stint as a stage comedienne into a thriving television career.
(Getty Images)Mo'Nique
The Wayans Brothers took on prime-time television in 1990 with the successful sketch comedy show In Living Color, and again in 1995 with their self-entitled sitcom The Wayans Bros. They are equally well known for their film parodies, which includes Scary Movie - the highest-grossing movie directed by an African-American.
(Getty Images)-
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