# Pam Grier

Pamela Suzette Grier (born May 26, 1949) is an American actress, singer, and martial artist. Described by Quentin Tarantino as cinema's first female action star, 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 portrayed the title character in Quentin 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), 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.

## 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 Black, Hispanic, Chinese, 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 moved to Swindon where her father worked on an air force 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, near Lowry Air Force Base. 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. 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, 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, 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!". 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.
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.
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". 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.
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.
Essence magazine wrote in 2012,"So revolutionary were the characters Grier played that women reportedly would stand on chairs and cheer".
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. The museum named its first garden in honor of Grier in 2011.
In January 2018, Grier said that 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 met basketball player Ferdinand Lewis (Lew) Alcindor in 1969. 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 to Islam. Grier refused, and he married a different woman 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 their break-up. 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; they began dating after they were both cast in 1977's Greased Lightning. She helped Pryor learn to read and tried to extricate him from drug abuse. 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 while dating Grier in 1977.
Grier was formerly romantically linked to Jimmie "Big Wheel" Wheeler, a famous boxing promoter; Soul Train 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 in 1988, and was told she had 18 months to live. Through vigorous treatment, she recovered and has since been in remission.
Grier lives on a ranch in Colorado.
Although she is close with actor and Protestant minister Rosey Grier, she denies the rumor that they are related.

## Honors and awards

For her the culture-shaping effect of cultural contributions made throughout her career, Grier was recognized with a lifetime achievement award at the 2024 Toronto Black Film Festival.
For Valentine's Day 2024, Quentin 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.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1970 | Beyond the Valley of the Dolls | Partygoer | |
| 1971 | The Big Doll House | Grear | |
| 1971 | Women in Cages | Alabama | |
| 1972 | The Twilight People | Ayesa | |
| 1972 | Cool Breeze | Mona | |
| 1972 | The Big Bird Cage | Blossom | |
| 1972 | Hit Man | Gozelda | |
| 1973 | Black Mama White Mama | Lee Daniels | |
| 1973 | Coffy | Nurse Flower Child 'Coffy' Coffin | |
| 1973 | Scream Blacula Scream | Lisa Fortier | |
| 1974 | The Arena | Mamawi | |
| 1974 | Foxy Brown | Foxy Brown | |
| 1975 | Sheba, Baby | Sheba Shayne | |
| 1975 | Bucktown | Aretha | |
| 1975 | Friday Foster | Friday Foster | |
| 1976 | Drum | Regine | |
| 1977 | Twilight of Love | Sandra | |
| 1977 | Greased Lightning | Mary Jones | |
| 1981 | Fort Apache, The Bronx | Charlotte | |
| 1983 | Tough Enough | Myra | |
| 1983 | Something Wicked This Way Comes | Dust Witch | |
| 1985 | Stand Alone | Cathryn Bolan | |
| 1986 | The Vindicator | Hunter | |
| 1986 | On the Edge | Cora | |
| 1987 | The Allnighter | Sgt. McLeesh | |
| 1988 | Above the Law | Detective Delores 'Jacks' Jackson | |
| 1989 | The Package | Ruth Butler | |
| 1990 | Class of 1999 | Ms. Connors | |
| 1991 | Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey | Ms. Wardroe | |
| 1993 | Posse | Phoebe | |
| 1996 | Original Gangstas | Laurie Thompson | |
| 1996 | Escape from L.A. | Jack 'Carjack' Malone / Hershe Las Palmas | |
| 1996 | Mars Attacks! | Louise Williams | |
| 1997 | Strip Search | Janette | |
| 1997 | Fakin' da Funk | Annabelle Lee | |
| 1997 | Jackie Brown | Jackie Brown | |
| 1999 | Jawbreaker | Det. Vera Cruz | |
| 1999 | No Tomorrow | Diane | |
| 1999 | In Too Deep | Det. Angela Wilson | |
| 1999 | Holy Smoke! | Carol | |
| 2000 | Snow Day | Tina | |
| 2000 | Fortress 2: Re-Entry | Susan Mendenhall | |
| 2000 | Wilder | Detective Della Wilder | |
| 2001 | 3 A.M. | George | |
| 2001 | Love the Hard Way | Linda | |
| 2001 | Ghosts of Mars | Commander Helena Braddock | |
| 2001 | Bones | Pearl | |
| 2002 | The Adventures of Pluto Nash | Flura Nash | |
| 2002 | Baby of the Family | Mrs. Williams | |
| 2005 | Back in the Day | Mrs. Cooper | |
| 2010 | Just Wright | Janice Wright | |
| 2010 | The Invited | Zelda | |
| 2010 | Machete Maidens Unleashed! | Herself | Documentary |
| 2011 | Larry Crowne | Frances | |
| 2011 | Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel | Herself | Documentary |
| 2012 | Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day | Detective Barrick | |
| 2012 | The Man with the Iron Fists | Jane | |
| 2012 | Mafia | James Womack | |
| 2017 | Bad Grandmas | Coralee | |
| 2017 | Being Rose | Lily | |
| 2019 | Poms | Olive | |
| 2023 | As We Know It | Ms. Jones | |
| 2023 | Cinnamon | Mama | |
| 2023 | Pet Sematary: Bloodlines | Majorie Washburn | |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1979 | Roots: The Next Generations | Francey | Episode: "Part IV (1917–1921)" |
| 1980 | The Love Boat | Cynthia Wilbur | Episode: "Kinfolk / Sis & the Slicker / Moonlight & Moonshine / Too Close for Comfort / The Affair: Part 1 & 2" |
| 1985 | Badge of the Assassin | Alexandra Horn | Television film |
| 1985–90 | Miami Vice | Valerie Gordon | Recurring cast (season 1–2, 5) |
| 1986 | Night Court | Benet Collins | Episode: "Hurricane: Part 1 & 2" |
| 1986–88 | Crime Story | Suzanne Terry | Recurring cast |
| 1987 | The Cosby Show | Samantha | Episode: "Planning Parenthood" |
| 1988 | Frank's Place | Neema Sharone | Episode: "Frank's Place – The Movie" |
| 1989 | Midnight Caller | Susan Province | Episode: "Blood Red" |
| 1990 | Knots Landing | Lieutenant Guthrie | Recurring cast (season 12) |
| 1991 | Monsters | Matilde | Episode: "Hostile Takeover" |
| 1992 | Pacific Station | Grace Ballard | Episode: "My Favorite Dad" |
| 1992 | A Mother's Right: The Elizabeth Morgan Story | Linda Holman | Television film |
| 1994 | In Living Color | Herself | Episode: "Mrs. Ikefire" |
| 1994 | The Sinbad Show | Lynn Montgomery | Episode: "The Telethon" |
| 1994 | The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air | Janice Robertson | Episode: "M is for the Many Things She Gave Me" |
| 1995 | The Marshal | Marshal Vanetta Brown | Episode: "Rainbow Comix" |
| 1995 | Martin | Herself | Episode: "All the Players Came" |
| 1996 | Sparks | Ms. Grayson | Episode: "Pillow Talk" |
| 1996 | The Wayans Bros. | Erica | Episode: "Goin' to the Net" |
| 1998 | Mad TV | Host | Episode: "#3.25" |
| 1998 | Pinky and the Brain | Julie Auburn | Voice, episode: "Inherit the Wheeze" |
| 1998 | Family Blessings | Mrs. Quincy | Television film |
| 1998–2000 | Linc's | Eleanor Winthrop | Main cast |
| 1999 | The Wild Thornberrys | Mother Springbok | Voice, episode: "Stick Your Neck Out" |
| 1999 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child | The Empress' Nightingale | Voice, episode: "The Empress' Nightingale" |
| 1999 | Hayley Wagner, Star | Sam | Television film |
| 1999 | For Your Love | Brenda | Episode: "The Sins of the Mother and... the Boyfriend" |
| 2001 | Strange Frequency | | Episode: "Time Is on My Side" |
| 2001 | The Feast of All Saints | Suzzette Lermontant | Television film |
| 2002 | Night Visions | Dr. Lewis | Episode: "Switch" |
| 2002 | Justice League | My'ria'h | Voice, episodes: "A Knight of Shadows Part 1 and 2" |
| 2002–03 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Asst. US Attorney Claudia Williams | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | First to Die | Claire Washburn | Television film |
| 2004–09 | The L Word | Kit Porter | Main cast (70 episodes) |
| 2008 | Ladies of the House | Roberta "Birdie" Marchand | Television film |
| 2010 | Smallville | Amanda Waller | 3 episodes (season 9) |
| 2015 | Cleveland Abduction | Nurse Carla | Television film |
| 2018–19 | This Is Us | Grandma | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | A Christmas Wish | Mary | Television film |
| 2019–20 | Bless This Mess | Constance Terry | Main cast (26 episodes) |
| 2022 | The Great North | Neckbone | Voice, episode: "Slide & Wet-Judice Adventure" |
| 2024 | Them | Athena Reeve | Main cast (8 episodes) |
| 2024 | Bob's Burgers | Evelyn | Voice, episode: "Saving Favorite Drive-In" |
| 2024 | Mystery Cuddlers | Junebug | Voice (Pilot) |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2013 | Grand Theft Auto V | Herself | DJ on in-game radio station 'The Lowdown 91.1' |
| 2017 | Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare | Herself | "Shaolin Shuffle" DLC |

### Music videos

| Year | Title | Artist | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | "Doggy Dogg World" | Snoop Dogg | Foxy Brown | |

## 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)