Pam Grier
Birth namePamela Suzette Grier
Birth dateMay 26, 1949 (age 77)[1]
Birth placeWinston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S.
Alma materMetropolitan State College
OccupationActress · singer · martial artist
Years active1970–present

Pamela Suzette Grier (born May 26, 1949) is an American actress, singer, and martial artist. Described by filmmaker Quentin Tarantino as cinema's first female action star,[2] she achieved fame for her starring roles in a string of 1970s action, blaxploitation and women-in-prison films for American International Pictures and New World Pictures. Her accolades include nominations for an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Satellite Award and a Saturn Award.

Grier came to prominence with her titular roles in the films Coffy (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974); her other major films during this period included The Big Doll House (1971), Women in Cages (1971), The Big Bird Cage (1972), Black Mama White Mama (1973), Scream Blacula Scream (1973), The Arena (1974), Sheba, Baby (1975), Bucktown (1975) and Friday Foster (1975). She also played alongside Richard Pryor as his character Wendell Scott’s wife in the film Greased Lightning (1977). She portrayed the title character in Tarantino's crime film Jackie Brown (1997), nearly three decades after her first starring role. Grier also appeared in Escape from L.A. (1996), Mars Attacks! (1996), Jawbreaker (1999), Holy Smoke! (1999), Snow Day (2000), Bones (2001), Just Wright (2010), Larry Crowne (2011) and Poms (2019).

On television, Grier portrayed Eleanor Winthrop in the Showtime comedy-drama series Linc's (1998–2000), Kate "Kit" Porter on the Showtime drama series The L Word (2004–2009), and Constance Terry in the ABC sitcom Bless This Mess (2019–2020). She received praise for her work in the animated series Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (1999).

In 2016, IndieWire named Grier one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.[3][4]

Early life

Grier was born on May 26, 1949, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the daughter of Gwendolyn Sylvia Davis, a homemaker and nurse, and Clarence Ransom Grier Jr., who worked as a mechanic and technical sergeant in the United States Air Force. She has one sister and one brother.[5] Grier said she is of Black, Hispanic, Chinese, Filipino, and Cheyenne heritage.[6] She was raised Catholic and later baptized as a Methodist.[7]

Because of her father's military career, the family moved frequently during Grier's childhood. In 1956, they moved to Swindon, England, where her father worked on an air force base.[8] By Grier's account, hers was one of the only Black families in town, though she recalled that they faced no racism or segregation compared to that in the United States: "They didn't care that I was Black since they hadn't been raised to hate Blacks. Instead, they'd been raised to hate Germans... In the U.S., especially in the South, we were never able to get buses to stop for us, we couldn't eat in certain restaurants, couldn't use certain bathrooms. Up until 1969, there were department stores in which my father and I weren't even allowed to try on clothing."[8][9]

The family returned to the United States in 1958, when Grier's father was transferred to California's Travis Air Force Base, eventually settling in Denver, near Lowry Air Force Base.[10] Grier spent part of her upbringing on her maternal grandparents' sugar beet farm in rural Wyoming, where their ancestors had homesteaded after fleeing west via the Underground Railroad to escape slavery.[11] Grier attended East High School in Denver, and appeared in a number of stage productions, as well as participating in beauty contests to raise money for college tuition at Metropolitan State College.

Career

Grier moved to Los Angeles, in 1967, where she was initially hired to work the switchboard at American International Pictures (AIP).[12] She is believed to have been discovered by the director Jack Hill,[13] and was cast in Roger Corman women-in-prison films such as The Big Doll House (1971), Women in Cages (1971) and The Big Bird Cage (1972). While under contract at AIP, she became a staple of early 1970s blaxploitation films, playing bold, assertive women, beginning with Hill's Coffy (1973), in which she plays a nurse who seeks revenge on drug dealers. Her character was advertised in the trailer as the "baddest one-chick hit-squad that ever hit town!".[14]

The film, which was filled with sexual and violent elements typical of the genre, was a box-office hit. Grier is considered to be the first African-American woman to headline an action film, as protagonists of previous blaxploitation films were men. In his review of Coffy, critic Roger Ebert praised the film for its believable female lead. He noted that Grier was an actress of "beautiful face and astonishing form" and that she possessed a kind of "physical life" missing from many other attractive actresses.[14]

Grier played similar characters in the AIP films Foxy Brown (1974), Sheba, Baby and Friday Foster (both 1975). With the demise of blaxploitation later in the 1970s, Grier appeared in smaller roles for many years. She acquired progressively larger character roles in the 1980s, including a druggie prostitute in Fort Apache, The Bronx (1981) and a witch in Something Wicked this Way Comes (1983). In 1985, Grier made her theatrical debut in Sam Shepard's Fool for Love at the Los Angeles Theatre Center.[15]

Grier returned to film as Steven Seagal's detective partner in Above the Law (1988). She had a recurring role on Miami Vice from 1985 to 1989, and made guest appearances on Martin, Night Court and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. She had a recurring role in the TV series Crime Story, between 1986 and 1988. Her role in Rocket Gibraltar (1988) was cut due (according to Grier) to fears by the film's director, Daniel Petrie, of "repercussions from interracial love scenes".[16] She appeared on Sinbad, Preston Chronicles, The Cosby Show, The Wayans Bros., and Mad TV. In 1994, Grier appeared in Snoop Dogg's video for "Doggy Dogg World".

In the late 1990s, Grier was a cast member of the Showtime series Linc's. She appeared in 1996 in John Carpenter's Escape from L.A. and 1997 with the title role in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, films that partly paid homage to her 1970s blaxploitation films. She was nominated for numerous awards for her work in the Tarantino film. Grier appeared on Showtime's The L Word, in which she played Kit Porter. The series ran for six seasons and ended in March 2009. Grier occasionally guest-stars in such television series as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (where she is a recurring character).

In 2010, Grier began appearing in a recurring role on the hit science-fiction series Smallville as the villain Amanda Waller, also known as White Queen, head agent of Checkmate, a covert operations agency. She appeared as a friend and colleague to Julia Roberts' college professor in 2011's Larry Crowne.

In 2010, Grier wrote her memoir, Foxy: My Life in Three Acts, with Andrea Cagan.[17]

Grier received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in 2011. That same year, she received an honorary Doctorate of Science from Langston University.[18]

Essence magazine wrote in 2012,"So revolutionary were the characters Grier played that women reportedly would stand on chairs and cheer".[19]

Grier founded the Pam Grier Community Garden and Education Center with the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum. The purpose is to teach people about organic gardening, health, and nutrition among other things.[20] The museum named its first garden in honor of Grier in 2011.[21]

In January 2018, Grier said that a biopic based on her memoir is in the works, entitled Pam.[22]

In April 2022, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) announced the fourth season of their podcast, The Plot Thickens, would focus on Grier's life and career.[23]

Personal life

Grier met basketball player Ferdinand Lewis (Lew) Alcindor in 1969.[24] Early in their relationship, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar proposed to Grier on the condition that she immediately convert as well.[25] Grier refused, and he married a different woman that day.[26][27]

Grier met the comedian Freddie Prinze while promoting her film Coffy in 1973. They began a relationship and considered marriage.[26][27][28] Prinze wanted her to have his baby, but she was reluctant due to his history of depression and drug addiction.[17][29] They remained in touch after their break-up. She was one of the last people Prinze spoke to before he died in 1977.[22]

Grier met the comedian Richard Pryor through her relationship with Prinze; they began dating after they were both cast in 1977's Greased Lightning.[26] She helped Pryor learn to read and tried to extricate him from drug abuse.[22][17] After six months of sobriety, he relapsed.[26] In her memoir, Grier described how her sexual relationship with Pryor caused cocaine to enter her system. Grier confronted Pryor about protecting her health, but he refused to use a condom.[29] Pryor married Deborah McGuire while dating Grier in 1977.[30]

Grier was formerly romantically linked to Jimmie "Big Wheel" Wheeler, a famous boxing promoter, and Soul Train host Don Cornelius.[31][32][33] In 1998, Grier was engaged to RCA Records executive Kevin Evans, but the engagement ended in 1999.[34]

Grier was diagnosed with stage four cervical cancer in 1988, and was told she had 18 months to live. Through vigorous treatment, she recovered and has since been in remission.[35]

Grier lives on a ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Although she is close with actor and Protestant minister Rosey Grier, she denies the rumor that they are related.[36]

During a 2026 appearance on The View, Grier claimed to have seen lynched bodies during her childhood in Columbus, Ohio. These comments stirred controversy, as America's Black Holocaust Museum reports that the final recorded lynching in Ohio took place in 1911, decades before Grier's birth.[37]

Honors and awards

For her the culture-shaping effect of cultural contributions made throughout her career,[38] Grier was recognized with a lifetime achievement award at the 2024 Toronto Black Film Festival.[39]

For Valentine's Day 2024, Tarantino paid homage to Grier with the opening of a Los Feliz coffee shop, carrying the namesake of the 1973 American-culture-shaping character she famously portrayed in Coffy.[40]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
1970Beyond the Valley of the DollsPartygoer[41]
1971The Big Doll HouseGrear[41]
Women in CagesAlabama[41]
1972The Twilight PeopleAyesa[41]
Cool BreezeMona[41]
The Big Bird CageBlossom[41]
Hit ManGozelda[41]
1973Black Mama White MamaLee Daniels[41]
CoffyNurse Flower Child 'Coffy' Coffin[41]
Scream Blacula ScreamLisa Fortier[41]
1974The ArenaMamawi[41]
Foxy BrownFoxy Brown[41]
1975Sheba, BabySheba Shayne[41]
BucktownAretha[41]
Friday FosterFriday Foster[41]
1976DrumRegine[41]
1977Twilight of LoveSandra[42]
Greased LightningMary Jones[41]
1981Fort Apache, The BronxCharlotte[41]
1983Tough EnoughMyra[41]
Something Wicked This Way ComesDust Witch[41]
1985Stand AloneCathryn Bolan[43]
1986The VindicatorHunter[43]
On the EdgeCora[41]
1987The AllnighterSgt. McLeesh[41]
1988Above the LawDetective Delores 'Jacks' Jackson[41]
1989The PackageRuth Butler[41]
1990Class of 1999Ms. Connors[41]
1991Bill & Ted's Bogus JourneyMs. Wardroe[41]
1993PossePhoebe[41]
1996Original GangstasLaurie Thompson[41]
Escape from L.A.Jack 'Carjack' Malone / Hershe Las Palmas[43]
Mars Attacks!Louise Williams[43]
1997Strip SearchJanette
Fakin' da FunkAnnabelle Lee[43]
Jackie BrownJackie Brown[41]
1999JawbreakerDet. Vera Cruz[43]
No TomorrowDiane[43]
In Too DeepDet. Angela Wilson[43]
Holy Smoke!Carol[43]
2000Snow DayTina[43]
Fortress 2: Re-EntrySusan Mendenhall[43]
WilderDetective Della Wilder[43]
20013 A.M.George
Love the Hard WayLinda[43]
Ghosts of MarsCommander Helena Braddock[41]
BonesPearl[41]
2002The Adventures of Pluto NashFlura Nash[43]
Baby of the FamilyMrs. Williams
2005Back in the DayMrs. Cooper[43]
2010Just WrightJanice Wright[43]
The InvitedZelda[43]
Machete Maidens Unleashed!HerselfDocumentary[43]
2011Larry CrowneFrances[43]
Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood RebelHerselfDocumentary[43]
2012Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th DayDetective Barrick[41]
The Man with the Iron FistsJane[43]
MafiaJames Womack[43]
2017Bad GrandmasCoralee[43]
Being RoseLily[43]
2019PomsOlive[43]
2023As We Know ItMs. Jones[43]
CinnamonMama[44]
Pet Sematary: BloodlinesMajorie Washburn[45]

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1979Roots: The Next GenerationsFranceyEpisode: "Part IV (1917–1921)"
1980The Love BoatCynthia WilburEpisode: "Kinfolk / Sis & the Slicker / Moonlight & Moonshine / Too Close for Comfort / The Affair: Part 1 & 2"
1985Badge of the AssassinAlexandra HornTelevision film
1985–1990Miami ViceValerie GordonRecurring cast (season 1–2, 5)
1986Night CourtBenet CollinsEpisode: "Hurricane: Part 1 & 2"
1986–1988Crime StorySuzanne TerryRecurring cast
1987The Cosby ShowSamanthaEpisode: "Planning Parenthood"
1988Frank's PlaceNeema SharoneEpisode: "Frank's Place – The Movie"
1989Midnight CallerSusan ProvinceEpisode: "Blood Red"
1990Knots LandingLieutenant GuthrieRecurring cast (season 12)
1991MonstersMatildeEpisode: "Hostile Takeover"
1992Pacific StationGrace BallardEpisode: "My Favorite Dad"
A Mother's Right: The Elizabeth Morgan StoryLinda HolmanTelevision film
1994In Living ColorHerselfEpisode: "Mrs. Ikefire"
The Sinbad ShowLynn MontgomeryEpisode: "The Telethon"
The Fresh Prince of Bel-AirJanice RobertsonEpisode: "M is for the Many Things She Gave Me"
1995The MarshalMarshal Vanetta BrownEpisode: "Rainbow Comix"
MartinHerselfEpisode: "All the Players Came"
1996SparksMs. GraysonEpisode: "Pillow Talk"
The Wayans Bros.EricaEpisode: "Goin' to the Net"
1998Mad TVHostEpisode: "#3.25"
Pinky and the BrainJulie AuburnVoice, episode: "Inherit the Wheeze"[46]
Family BlessingsMrs. QuincyTelevision film
1998–2000Linc'sEleanor WinthropMain cast
1999The Wild ThornberrysMother SpringbokVoice, episode: "Stick Your Neck Out"[46]
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every ChildThe Empress' NightingaleVoice, episode: "The Empress' Nightingale"
Hayley Wagner, StarSamTelevision film
For Your LoveBrendaEpisode: "The Sins of the Mother and... the Boyfriend"
2001Strange FrequencyEpisode: "Time Is on My Side"
The Feast of All SaintsSuzzette LermontantTelevision film
2002Night VisionsDr. LewisEpisode: "Switch"
Justice LeagueMy'ria'hVoice, episodes: "A Knight of Shadows Part 1 and 2"[46]
2002–2003Law & Order: Special Victims UnitAsst. US Attorney Claudia Williams2 episodes
2003First to DieClaire WashburnTelevision film
2004–2009The L WordKit PorterMain cast (70 episodes)
2008Ladies of the HouseRoberta "Birdie" MarchandTelevision film
2010SmallvilleAmanda Waller3 episodes (season 9)
2015Cleveland AbductionNurse CarlaTelevision film
2018–2019This Is UsGrandma2 episodes
2019A Christmas WishMaryTelevision film
2019–2020Bless This MessConstance TerryMain cast (26 episodes)
2022The Great NorthNeckboneVoice, episode: "Slide & Wet-Judice Adventure"
2024ThemAthena ReeveMain cast (8 episodes)
Bob's BurgersEvelynVoice, episode: "Saving Favorite Drive-In"
Mystery CuddlersJunebugVoice (Pilot)

Video games

YearTitleRoleNotes
2013Grand Theft Auto VHerselfDJ on in-game radio station 'The Lowdown 91.1'
2017Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare"Shaolin Shuffle" DLC

Music videos

YearTitleArtistRoleNotes
1994"Doggy Dogg World"Snoop DoggFoxy Brown

Discography

Bibliography

  • 2010: Foxy: My Life in Three Acts (ISBN 9780446548502, ISBN ).

Accolades

Awards

Nominations

References

  1. ^ "Famous birthdays for May 26: Bobcat Goldthwait, Lenny Kravitz". UPI. 26 May 2022. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Pam Grier". Wizard World. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved 2015-06-29.
  3. ^ Kiang, Jessica (1 January 2016). "30 Great Actors Who've Never Been Oscar Nominated". Indiewire. Archived from the original on October 15, 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  4. ^ "Pam Grier Set for Career Tribute at Toronto Black Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter
  5. ^ Mal Vincent (January 6, 1998). "She's Back, And She's Ready To Kick Butt. Pam Grier Is Baaaaaad, And Was not very nice The Man Who Doesn'T Take Notice". The Virginian-Pilot Archives. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved October 5, 2013.
  6. ^ John Petkovic, The Plain Dealer (2010-09-18). "Pam Grier, queen of 1970s blaxploitation films, speaks in Cleveland on her book tour". cleveland.com. Retrieved 2013-09-15.
  7. ^ Baumann, Minerva. "Film festival workshop examines diversity in industry". Las Cruces Sun-News. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  8. ^ Hudson, Barrie (October 3, 2012). "When a Hollywood star, Pam Grier called Swindon home". Swindon Advertiser. Archived January 14, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  9. ^ Sloan, Ben (October 27, 2009). "Pam Grier Interview". Metro News. Archived January 14, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 14, 2022.
  10. ^ "Pam Grier and the Colorado Ranch She Now Calls Home". The Wall Street Journal. May 10, 2017.
  11. ^ Rubenstein, Janine (November 18, 2016). "The Original Foxy Brown! '70s Star Pam Grier on Black Films, Strong Women and the Single Life". Yahoo!. Archived January 14, 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
  12. ^ Robinson, Louie (June 1976). "Pam Grier: More Than Just a Sex Symbol". Ebony. pp. 33–42. – via Google Books.
  13. ^ Dixon, Wheeler Wixon (March 1, 2005). "Filmmaking "for the fun of it": An Interview with Jack Hill". Film Criticism. 29 (3): 46–59.
  14. ^ "RogerEbert.com". Coffy. Retrieved May 11, 2006.
  15. ^ "Pam Grier Makes Debut In Stage Production". Jet. October 21, 1985.
  16. ^ "JerryattheMovies". Foxy Brown and Elmer Gantry? Nay, nay. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
  17. ^ Lee, Felicia R. (2010-05-04). "Pam Grier's Collection of Lessons Learned". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331
  18. ^ Walker, Yvette (October 16, 2011). "Dionne Warwick, Pam Grier receive honorary doctorates from Langston University". NewsOK
  19. ^ Amber, J. (2012). "Pam Grier". Essence. Vol. 42, no. 11.
  20. ^ Nash, Suzi (February 26, 2015). "Pam Grier: Growing awareness through education, activism". Philadelphia Gay News
  21. ^ "National Cowboys of Color Museum and Hall of Fame − Dallas/Ft. Worth". National Multicultural Western Heritage. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
  22. ^ Fleming, Mike (January 16, 2018). "'70s Screen Icon Pam Grier Speaks On Sex Harassment & Her Biopic With Jay Pharoah Playing Richard Pryor". Deadline
  23. ^ "TCM's Critically Acclaimed Podcast To Spotlight Iconic Actress Pam Grier". WarnerMedia Pressroom. April 20, 2022.
  24. ^ "Explore the timeline of the life and career of Pam Grier.". Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  25. ^ Marchese, David (2019-09-15). "Pam Grier on Maintaining Her Independence and Identity in Showbiz". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331
  26. ^ Getlen, Larry (April 18, 2010). "Foxy: my life in three acts". New York Post
  27. ^ "The Illest Na Na". Vibe Magazine. February 1998. Retrieved 2018-06-11. – via Google Books.
  28. ^ "Freddie Prinze". Vibe Magazine. February 1998. Retrieved 2018-06-11. – via Google Books.[dead link]
  29. ^ Grier, Pam (2010). Foxy: My Life in Three Acts. Springboard. ISBN 978-0-446-54850-2.
  30. ^ Summers, Chris (August 25, 2013). "The demons that drove Richard Pryor to make us laugh". BBC
  31. ^ Johnson, Martenzie (14 December 2016). "Pam Grier loves her past - and looks forward". Andscape
  32. ^ Blount Danois, Ericka (2013). Love, Peace, and Soul: Behind the Scenes of America's Favorite Dance Show Soul Train: Classic Moments. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-4803-4101-2.
  33. ^ "People Are Talking About...". Jet. 1973-08-16. Retrieved 2018-06-11. – via Google Books.
  34. ^ "Pam Grier Talks About Her: Engagement To A Younger Man, Booming Career, Surviving Cancer, Plans To Have A Baby". Jet. April 13, 1998.
  35. ^ Shaitly, Shahesta (December 10, 2011). "Pam Grier takes raunch to the ranch". The Guardian
  36. ^ "Pam Grier loves her past — and looks forward". December 14, 2016. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  37. ^ "Pam Grier Says She Saw Lynched Bodies— and the Internet is Fighting Over Whether to Believe Her". The Root. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
  38. ^ JoVonn, Jeroslyn (2024-01-26). "Pam Grier To Be Honored at Toronto Black Film Festival". Black Enterprise. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  39. ^ Vlessing, Etan (2024-01-17). "Pam Grier Set for Career Tribute at Toronto Black Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  40. ^ Roland, Rebecca (2024-02-16). "Quentin Tarantino's Coffee Shop Dedicated to Pam Grier Is Now Open at the Vista Theater". Eater LA. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
  41. ^ "Pam Grier Filmography". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Los Angeles, California: American Film Institute. Archived March 10, 2020 at the Wayback Machine.
  42. ^ "Vintage posters for La notte dell alta marea aka Twilight of Love starring Pam Grier". May 19, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2020.
  43. ^ "Pam Grier Filmography". AllMovie. Archived February 4, 2020 at the Wayback Machine.
  44. ^ Jackson, Angelique (April 18, 2023). "Tribeca Film Festival Selection 'Cinnamon' Debuts First Trailer (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  45. ^ Rubin, Rebecca (July 21, 2021). "'Jackie Brown' Icon Pam Grier Joins Cast of 'Pet Sematary' Prequel (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  46. ^ "Pam Grier (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved November 20, 2023. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
  47. ^ "Turner Broadcasting Announces 2003 Trumpet Awards Honorees". WarnerMedia
  48. ^ "Trumpet Awards Honorees Include Destiny's child, Spike Lee, Pam Grier". Jet. February 24, 2003.
  49. ^ "Hall of Fame Inductees". National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum. Retrieved June 3, 2023.
  50. ^ "9th Annual 20/20 Award Winners Announced | 20/20 Awards | Films that have stood the test of time". Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.

Further reading

  • Sims, Yvonne D. (2006), "Here comes the queen", Women of blaxploitation: how the black action film heroine changed American popular culture, Sims, Yvonne D. (ed.), Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers, pp. 71–92, ISBN 978-0-7864-2744-4