NBC Television · Public domain

A stand-up comic who performed under the mock title "The World's Foremost Authority," pioneering an unscripted, improvisational style of comedy at San Francisco's hungry i club at a time when most acts were tightly scripted. Lenny Bruce called him "one of the most brilliant comedians of all time," and Corey carried that loose, digressive style through a film and activism career that spanned over seven decades.