Pryor was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Shelley R. Bonis and American comedian Richard Pryor. Rain Pryor's mother was a Jewish go-go dancer and Rain was largely raised with her Jewish maternal grandparents, who taught her about Jewish culture.Her mother was urged by her family to put Rain up for adoption, rather than deal with bringing up a child "in a world that wasn't ready for biracial children." Rain was rejected by the African Americans and the Jewish Americans in her life, thus creating a unique voice in her award-winning solo show Fried Chicken and Latkes that explores racism in the late 1960s and early '70s. In regard to her background, Pryor has joked that while growing up she felt "proud, but guilty about it."Pryor graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1987.
