Paul Mooney
Paul Mooney was born on August 4, 1941 in Shreveport, Louisiana. He got his start in comedy writing for the comedic genius Richard Pryor. Pryor’s statue in comedy meant that Mooney was immediately exposed to successful writing jobs. Apart from writing for Pryor’s different characters such as in Saturday Night Live, Mooney also wrote for classical hit shows Mumford and Sons and Good Times. This success led to roles in movies such as, Which Way Is Up? (1977), The Buddy Holly Story (1978), Bustin’ Loose (1981), and Hollywood Shuffle (1987).
In 2006, Mooney hosted BET’s Black History month tribute called 25 Most @#%! Moments in Black History. In 2007, Mooney published his first book, a memoir titled Black is the New White. Despite being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014, Mooney continues to perform and tour his stand up acts.