On Thursday, May 2nd, Richard Pryor Jr. offered fans, friends and some of his farther's co-stars a glimpse into the life of his iconic parent, Richard Pryor Senior, discussing his own self-proclaimed "Freakish Life" that paralleled his namesake and famous father's life in many ways, found in his new memoir. In A Pryor Life, already in its second printing only days after its release. The event began with the unveiling of a costume worn by Richard Pryor Jr in the film "College Debt" co-starring Lucille Ball's granddaughter, Katherine Luckinbill, Janet Carroll and Academy Award winner, Celeste Holmes, in what would be her last film. The costume will be included in the museum's upcoming Real to Reel: Perceptions and Portrayals of LGBTQ History in Film and Television.
Among the celebrated colleagues on hand to reminisce were Teresa Ganzel (The Toy/The Duck Factory), Alison Arngrim (Little House on the Prairie), Geri Jewell (Facts of Life/Deadwood), Kate Linder (The Young & the Restless), Jaime Monroy (Comedian/TV Host), Chrystee Pharris (Queens of Drama), Jim Meskimen (Comedian/Inpersonator), Barbara Van Orden (Producer), Jeanne Russell (Denise the Menace), Elaine Ballace (The Rich & The Ruthless), Alice Amter (Big Bang Theory), Tracy Weisert (The Neighbors), Jeremy Miller (Growing Pains), Billy Van Zandt (Martin/The Hugelys), and more Among the glitz, the glamour and the gutter topics discussed were how he was sexually abused by a friend of the family, Performing in drag (his father simply said "Just be the best at it."), a parallel life to his fathers and the addictive personality they shared and how his father talked him down from the drugs, doing drugs while working on "The Color Purple"the differences between life in his moms home and the other side of the family coin in a world of fame, celebrities, etc at father's home and how his father once said "Had I know I would become famous, I would never have cursed you with my name."
Richard Pryor Jr (Author/Actor) and Donelle Dadigan (President and Founder of the Hollywood Museum)
Richard Pryor Jr (Author/Actor) and Donelle Dadigan (President and Founder of the Hollywood Museum)
Billy Van Zant, Teresa Ganzel and Richard Pryor Jr
Chrystee Pharris, Richard Pryor and Donelle Dadigan
Ilene Graff shows of autograph by Richard Pryor’
Richard Pryor, Jeremy and Joanie Miller
Richard Pryor "Stir Crazy" co-star, Lee Purcell, and Richard Pryor Jr
Alison Arngrim, Donelle Dadigan, Richard Pryor Jr, Elaine Ballace and Geoffrey Mark
Richard Pryor co-stars from “The Toyâ€' Scott Schwartz and Teresa Ganzel with Richard Pryor Jr.
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