Pamela Suzette Grier (born May 26, 1949) is an American actress and singer. Described by

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, Black comedy, dark humor, Nonlinear narrative, non-lin ...

as cinema's first female action star (although, there are some who dispute that claim and believe

Cheng Pei-pei Cheng Pei-pei (born 6 January 1946) is a Chinese actress, who is considered cinema's first female action hero. She is known for her performance in the 1966 King Hu ''wuxia'' film ''Come Drink with Me'', as well as her portrayal of Jade Fox in t ...

actually holds that distinction), she achieved fame for her starring roles in a string of 1970s action,

blaxploitation Blaxploitation is an ethnic subgenre of the exploitation film that emerged in the United States during the early 1970s. The term, a portmanteau of the words "black" and "exploitation", was coined in August 1972 by Junius Griffin, the president o ...

and women in prison films for American International Pictures and

New World Pictures New World Pictures (also known as New World Entertainment and New World Communications Group, Inc.) was an American independent production, distribution, and (in its final years as an autonomous entity) multimedia company. It was founded in 197 ...

. Her accolades include nominations for an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

, a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

, a

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

, a Satellite Award and a

Saturn Award The Saturn Awards are American awards presented annually by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. The awards were created to honor science fiction, fantasy, and horror in film, but have since grown to reward other films be ...

. 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 ''Black Mama White Mama'' (also known as ''Women in Chains'') is a 1973 women in prison film directed by Eddie Romero and starring Pam Grier and Margaret Markov. The film has elements of blaxploitation. The movie also was released as ''Hot, Hard ...

'' (1973), ''

Scream Blacula Scream ''Scream Blacula Scream'' is a 1973 American blaxploitation vampire horror film. It is a sequel to the 1972 film ''Blacula''. The film was produced by American International Pictures (AIP) and Power Productions. This was the acting debut of Ri ...

'' (1973), ''

The Arena An arena is an enclosed area that showcases theatre, musical performances or sporting events. Arena, ARENA, or the Arena may also refer to: Places and jurisdictions * Arena, Saskatchewan, Canada * Arena, Iran * Arena, Calabria, Italy * La ...

'' (1974), ''

Sheba, Baby ''Sheba, Baby'' is a 1975 American blaxploitation action film directed by William Girdler and starring Pam Grier and Austin Stoker. Plot Private investigator Sheba Shayne (Grier) returns from Chicago, Illinois to her hometown of Louisville, Ken ...

'' (1975), '' Bucktown'' (1975) and '' Friday Foster'' (1975). She portrayed the title character in Tarantino's

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

'' Jackie Brown'' (1997), and also appeared in ''

Escape from L.A. ''Escape from L.A.'' (stylized on-screen as ''John Carpenter's Escape from L.A.'') is a 1996 American Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic action film co-written, co-scored, and directed by John Carpenter, co-written and p ...

'' (1996), ''

Jawbreaker Jawbreaker may refer to: * Gobstopper, a hard candy with multiple layers Arts and entertainment * ''Jawbreakers'' (album), an album by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and Harry "Sweets" Edison * Jawbreaker (band), an American rock band * Jawbreakers (duo) ...

'' (1999), ''

Holy Smoke! ''Holy Smoke!'' is a 1999 independent romantic comedy-drama film directed by Jane Campion, and starring Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel. Its plot follows an American exit counselor (Keitel) who attempts to deprogram a young Australian woman (W ...

'', (1999), '' Bones'' (2001), ''

Just Wright ''Just Wright'' is a 2010 American romantic comedy film directed by Sanaa Hamri, starring Queen Latifah and Common. The film tells the story of a physical therapist, Leslie Wright, who falls in love with a professional basketball player, Scott Mc ...

'' (2010), '' Larry Crowne'' (2011) and '' Poms'' (2019). On television, Grier portrayed Eleanor Winthrop in the

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

comedy-drama series ''

Linc's ''Linc's'' is an American comedy-drama television series created by Tim Reid and Susan Fales-Hill. The series starred Steven Williams, Pam Grier and Golden Brooks, and was set in a bar in Washington, D.C. It aired on Showtime for two seasons fr ...

'' (1998–2000), Kate "Kit" Porter on the Showtime drama series ''

The L Word ''The L Word'' is a television drama that aired on Showtime from January 18, 2004 to March 8, 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated with Ilene Ch ...

'' (2004–2009), and Constance Terry in the

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

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). '' IndieWire'' named Grier one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.

Early life

Grier was born on May 26, 1949, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the daughter of Gwendolyn Sylvia (née Samuels), 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. Grier said she is of mixed ancestry, namely of African American, Hispanic,

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

, Filipino, and Cheyenne heritage. She was raised Catholic and later baptized as a Methodist. Because of her father's military career, the family moved frequently during Grier's childhood. In 1956, they relocated to

Swindon Swindon () is a town and unitary authority with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in Wiltshire, England. As of the 2021 Census, the population of Swindon was 201,669, making it the largest town in the county. The Swindon un ...

in South West England, United Kingdom, where her father worked on an airforce base. 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." 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, Colorado, near Lowry Air Force Base. Grier spent part of her upbringing on her maternal grandparents'

sugar beet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together wi ...

farm in rural Wyoming, where their ancestors had homesteaded after fleeing west via the Underground Railroad to escape slavery. 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 Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in Commonwealth English, are fees charged by education institutions for instruction or other services. Besides public spending (by governments and other public bo ...

Metropolitan State College Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver or Metro State) is a public university in Denver, Colorado. MSU Denver is located on the Auraria Campus, along with the University of Colorado Denver and the Community College of Denver, in do ...

Career

Grier moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1967, where she was initially hired to work the switchboard at American International Pictures (AIP). She is believed to have been discovered by the director

Jack Hill Jack Hill (born January 28, 1933) is an American film director in the exploitation film genre. Several of Hill's later films have been characterized as feminist works. Early life Hill was born in Los Angeles, California. His mother, Mildred (n� ...

, who cast her in his women-in-prison films '' The Big Doll House'' (1971) and '' The Big Bird Cage'' (1972). While under contract at AIP, she became a staple of early 1970s

movies, 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!" 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 female to headline an action film, as protagonists of previous

films were men. In his review of ''Coffy'', critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

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 Grier played similar characters in the AIP films '' Foxy Brown'' (1974), ''

'', 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 Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

in ''

Fort Apache, The Bronx ''Fort Apache, The Bronx'' is a 1981 American crime drama film directed by Daniel Petrie. The film is about a hard-drinking, lonely veteran cop, Murphy (Paul Newman), and his young partner Corelli (Ken Wahl), who work in a crime-ridden precinct ...

'' (1981) and a witch in '' Something Wicked this Way Comes'' (1983). In 1985, Grier made her theatrical debut in Sam Sheppard's ''Fool for Love'' at the

Los Angeles Theatre Center The Los Angeles Theatre Center is an institution in Los Angeles, which is operated by the Latino Theater Company. In January 2006, the Latino Theater Company won a lease to operate The Los Angeles Theatre Center for 20 years and got a $4 millio ...

. 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 Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austral ...

'', '' Night Court'', and ''

The Fresh Prince of Bel Air ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' is an American television sitcom created by Andy and Susan Borowitz for NBC. It aired from September 10, 1990, to May 20, 1996. The series stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart t ...

''. She had a recurring role in the TV series ''Crime Story'' between 1986 and 1988. Her role in ''

Rocket Gibraltar ''Rocket Gibraltar'' is a 1988 American drama film directed by Daniel Petrie and starring Burt Lancaster, Suzy Amis, Patricia Clarkson, Frances Conroy, Sinead Cusack, John Glover, Bill Pullman, Kevin Spacey and Macaulay Culkin in his film deb ...

'' (1988) was cut due to fears by the film's director, Daniel Petrie, of "repercussions from interracial love scenes." She appeared on ''Sinbad'', ''Preston Chronicles'', '' The Cosby Show'', '' The Wayans Brothers Show'', and '' Mad TV''. In 1994, Grier appeared in

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

's video for " Doggy Dogg World".

In the late 1990s Grier was a cast member of the Showtime series ''

''. She appeared in 1996 in John Carpenter's ''

'' and 1997 with the title role in Quentin Tarantino's '' Jackie Brown'', films that partly paid homage to her 1970s blaxploitation movies. She was nominated for numerous awards for her work in the Tarantino film. Grier appeared on

's ''

'', in which she played

Kit Porter This list of ''The L Word'' characters is sorted by last name (where possible), and includes both major and minor characters from the American drama ''The L Word''. A * Felicity Adams: Lesbian, portrayed by Latarsha Rose. ''Generation Q'' ** Ex- ...

. 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 ''Smallville'' is an American superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produced by Millar Gough ...

'' as the villain Amanda Waller, also known as White Queen, head agent of

Checkmate Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, the king is ...

, 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. 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. According to ''Essence'' magazine, in Grier's career, " revolutionary were the characters Grier played that women reportedly would stand on chairs and cheer." She founded the Pam Grier Community Garden and Education Center with the

National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum The National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum, formerly the National Cowboys of Color Museum and Hall of Fame, is a museum and hall of fame in Fort Worth, Texas. History The National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum was founded F ...

. The purpose is to teach people about organic gardening, health and nutrition among other things. The museum named its first garden in honor of Grier in 2011. In January 2018, Grier revealed a biopic based on her memoir is in the works, entitled ''Pam.'' 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.

Personal life

Grier lives on a ranch in Colorado. Grier met the basketball player Ferdinand Lewis (Lew) Alcindor before he became a Muslim; soon after they began dating, he converted to Islam and changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Abdul-Jabbar proposed to Grier, but gave her an ultimatum to convert to Islam. He said, "If you don't commit to me today, I'm getting married at 2 this afternoon. She's a converted Muslim, and she's been prepared for me," adding, "once you become Muslim, you might appreciate another wife." Grier declined, so he got married that day. Grier met the comedian Freddie Prinze while promoting her film '' Coffy'' in 1973. They began a relationship and considered marriage. Prinze wanted her to have his baby, but she was reluctant due to his history of depression and drug addiction. They remained in touch after she left him. She was one of the last people Prinze spoke to before he died in 1977. Grier met the comedian Richard Pryor through her relationship with Prinze, but they did not begin dating until they were both cast in ''

Greased Lightning ''Greased Lightning'' is a 1977 American biographical film starring Richard Pryor, Beau Bridges, and Pam Grier, and directed by Michael Schultz. The film is loosely based on the true life story of Wendell Scott, the first Black NASCAR race winn ...

''. She helped Pryor learn to read and tried to help him with his drug addiction. After six months of sobriety, he relapsed. 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. Pryor married

Deborah McGuire Deborah McGuire (sometimes referred to as Deboragh McGuire, Debora McGuire, and Deborah McQuire) is an American actress and model. Career McGuire is probably best known for appearing as SuperEula in the sexploitation-satire film ''Supervixens'' ...

while dating Grier in 1977. Grier was formerly romantically linked to Jimmie “Big Wheel" Wheeler, a famous boxing promoter, ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series w ...

'' host Don Cornelius and basketball player Wilt Chamberlain. In 1998, Grier was engaged to RCA Records executive Kevin Evans, but the engagement ended in 1999. Grier was diagnosed with stage-four

cervical cancer Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later symptoms may include abnormal ...

in 1988, and was told she had 18 months to live. Through vigorous treatment she made a recovery and has been in remission.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Music videos

Discography

* "Long Time Woman" (1971, from the film '' The Big Doll House'') * '' Communication'' by Bobby Womack (1971, backing vocals) * '' Understanding'' by Bobby Womack (1972, backing vocals)

Bibliography

* 2010: ''Foxy: My Life in Three Acts'' ()

Accolades

Awards

* 1998:

San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress The San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress is an award given by the San Diego Film Critics Society The San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) is an organization of film reviewers from San Diego-based publications that was founde ...

— ''Jackie Brown'' * 1999:

Acapulco Black Film Festival The American Black Film Festival (originally called the Acalpulco Black Film Festival) is an independent film festival that focuses primarily on black film—works by Black members of the film industry. It is held to recognize achievements of film ...

Career Achievement Award * 2000: Csapnivalo Award for Best Female Performance — ''Jackie Brown'' * 2001:

High Falls Film Festival The High Falls Film Festival, founded in 2001, is a film festival that focuses on celebrating women in film. The festival is inspired by Rochester, New York's legacy in nitrate film and the women’s rights movement. High Falls Film Festival prese ...

Susan B. Anthony 'Failure is Impossible' Award * 2003: Special Achievement in Film Trumpet Award * 2008:

RiverRun International Film Festival The RiverRun International Film Festival is an annual Oscar-qualifying film festival held each spring in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The festival is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and presents a variety of feature-length and short films fro ...

Master of Cinema Award * 2018: 20/20 Award for Best Actress — ''Jackie Brown'' * 2018:

Catalonian International Film Festival The Sitges Film Festival ( ca, Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, links=no) is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Spain, specialized in fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world's foremost in ...

Time-Machine Honorary Award * 2018: Tallgrass International Film Festival Ad Astra Award

Nominations

* 1997: Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role — ''Jackie Brown'' * 1998: Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress — ''Jackie Brown'' * 1998:

Empire Award for Best Actress The Empire Award for Best Actress is an Empire Award presented annually by the British film magazine ''Empire'' to honor an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role, while working within the film industry. The Empir ...

— ''Jackie Brown'' * 1998: Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy — ''Jackie Brown'' * 1998: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture — ''Jackie Brown'' * 1998: Online Film & Television Association for Best Drama Actress — ''Jackie Brown'' * 1998: Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy — ''Jackie Brown'' * 1998:

Saturn Award for Best Actress The Saturn Award for Best Actress is one of the annual Saturn Awards given by the American professional organization, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. The Saturn Awards are the oldest film-specialized reward of achievements ...

— ''Jackie Brown'' * 1998: Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role — ''Jackie Brown'' * 1999:

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series This article lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series. It was known as the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series until 2000. Currently, Tracee Ellis Ross holds the record for most wi ...

— ''Linc's'' * 2000: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series — ''Linc's'' * 2000: Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program — ''Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child'' * 2002: Black Reel Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture — ''Bones'' * 2002: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special — ''3 A.M.'' * 2002: Black Reel Award for Best Actress in Network/Cable Series — ''3 A.M.'' * 2003:

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series This page lists the winners and nominees for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. The award was first given during the 1996 ceremony. Since its inception, Loretta Devine holds the record for the most wins with ...

— ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' * 2004: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' * 2005: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — ''The L Word'' * 2006: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — ''The L Word'' * 2008: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — ''The L Word''

References

External links

* * *
Pam Grier
Happy Birthday, Pam Grier: Interview with the Accidental Action Heroine at

Bright Lights Film Journal ''Bright Lights Film Journal'' is an online popular-academic film magazine, based in Oakland, California, United States. It is edited and published by Gary Morris. Originally a print publication established in 1974, it was discontinued in 1980 to ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grier, Pam 1949 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses Actors from Winston-Salem, North Carolina Actresses from Denver Actresses from Los Angeles Actresses from North Carolina Actresses from Wyoming African-American actresses American actresses of Chinese descent American actresses of Filipino descent American aikidoka American jujutsuka American stage actresses American television actresses Hispanic and Latino American actresses Living people Metropolitan State University of Denver alumni People from Denver American people who self-identify as being of Native American descent 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women