Gregory, Dick (Richard Claxton) (1932– )

US comedian, civil-rights activist, and nutritionist. Known for his ground-breaking use of socially conscious racial humour, Gregory overcame his origins in extreme poverty to become the first African-American comedian to perform for white audiences. Throughout the 1960s his fame as a civil-rights activist and nightclub performer made his name synonymous with progressive social and political causes. He ran in Chicago's mayoral race (1966) and for the US presidency (1968) to publicize human rights issues. Embracing vegetarianism through his commitment to nonviolence, he became a radical nutritionist and nutritional proselytizer and founded Dick Gregory Health Enterprises (1984).

Gregory was born in St Louis, Missouri. He attended Southern Illinois University on an athletic scholarship and served in the US Army (1953–56). He subsequently rose to national prominence performing his comedy routines at the Chicago Playboy Club (1961). Famous for using fasts and marathons as activist tools, he has also produced several popular records and books, including his memoirs Nigger: An Autobiography (1964, 1970).