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

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...

as cinema's first female action star, she achieved fame for her starring roles in a string of 1970s action,

blaxploitation In American cinema, Blaxploitation is the film subgenre of action movie derived from the exploitation film genre in the early 1970s, consequent to the combined cultural momentum of the black civil rights movement, the black power movement, ...

and women-in-prison films for

American International Pictures American International Pictures, LLC (AIP or American International Productions) is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution c ...

and New World Pictures. 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 television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

, a

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are awards presented for excellence in both international film and television. It is an annual award ceremony held since 1944 to honor artists and professionals and their work. The ceremony is normally held every Janua ...

, 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 1995 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

, 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

crime film Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...

'' 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 ''Larry Crowne'' is a 2011 American romantic comedy film starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. The film was produced and directed by Hanks, who co-wrote its screenplay with Nia Vardalos. The story was inspired by Hanks' time studying at Chabot C ...

'' (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 ''The L Word'' is a television drama series that aired on Showtime in the United States from 2004 to 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated wit ...

'' (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 The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

nomination.

Early life

Grier was born on May 26, 1949, in

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

, the daughter of Gwendolyn Sylvia Davis, a

homemaker Homemaking is mainly an American English, American and Canadian English, Canadian term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping, housewifery or household management. It is the act of overseeing the organizational ...

and

nurse Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...

, and Clarence Ransom Grier Jr., who worked as a

mechanic A mechanic is a skilled tradesperson who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially engines. Formerly, the term meant any member of the handicraft trades, but by the early 20th century, it had come to mean one who works w ...

and

technical sergeant Technical sergeant is the name of three current and two former enlisted ranks in the United States Armed Forces, as well as in the U.S. Civil Air Patrol. Outside the United States, it is used only by the Philippine Army, Philippine Air Force, and ...

in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

. 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 Swindon () is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located at the northeastern edge of the South West England region, Swi ...

, England, 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 Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base under the operational control of Air Mobility Command (AMC), located three miles (5 Kilometre, km) east of the central business district of the city of Fairfield, California, Fairfield, i ...

, eventually settling in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

, 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 that is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together with ...

farm in rural

Wyoming Wyoming ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States, Western United States. It borders Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho t ...

, where their ancestors had homesteaded after fleeing west via the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was an organized network of secret routes and safe houses used by freedom seekers to escape to the abolitionist Northern United States and Eastern Canada. Enslaved Africans and African Americans escaped from slavery ...

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

(AIP). She is believed to have been discovered by the director

Jack Hill Jack Hill (born January 28, 1933) is an American filmmaker, known for his work in the exploitation genre. He was an early associate of Francis Ford Coppola and Roger Corman, and worked on many films distributed by American International Pictur ...

, and was cast in

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

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

films, playing bold, assertive women, beginning with Hill's '' Coffy'' (1973), in which she plays a nurse who seeks revenge on

drug dealer A drug is any chemical substance other than a nutrient or an essential dietary ingredient, which, when administered to a living organism, produces a biological effect. Consumption of drugs can be via inhalation, injection, smoking, ingestio ...

s. 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

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

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

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), '' 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 Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves 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-pe ...

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 Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American playwright, actor, director, screenwriter, and author whose career spanned half a century. He wrote 58 plays as well as several books of short stories, essays, ...

's ''Fool for Love'' at the Los Angeles Theatre Center. Grier returned to film as

Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal ( ; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, martial artist, and musician. A 7th-Dan (rank), dan Black belt (martial arts), black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instru ...

's detective partner in '' Above the Law'' (1988). She had a recurring role on ''

Miami Vice ''Miami Vice'' is an American crime drama television series created by Anthony Yerkovich and produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series stars Don Johnson as James "Sonny" Crockett and Philip Michael Thomas as Ricardo Tubbs, Ricardo "Rico" Tub ...

'' from 1985 to 1989, and made guest appearances on ''

Martin Martin may refer to: Places Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Europe * Martin, Croatia, a village * Martin, Slovakia, a city * Martín del Río, Aragón, Spain * M ...

'', ''

Night Court ''Night Court'' is an American television sitcom that premiered on NBC on January 4, 1984, and ended on May 31, 1992, after nine seasons consisting of List of Night Court episodes, 193 episodes. The show is set in the night shift of a Manhattan ...

'' 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 Daniel Mannix Petrie (November 26, 1920 – August 22, 2004) was a Canadian film, television, and stage director who worked in Canada, Hollywood, and the United Kingdom; known for directing grounded human dramas often dealing with taboo subjec ...

, of "repercussions from interracial love scenes". She appeared on ''Sinbad'', ''Preston Chronicles'', ''

The Cosby Show ''The Cosby Show'' is an American television sitcom created by (along with Ed. Weinberger and Michael J. Leeson) and starring Bill Cosby that originally aired on NBC from September 20, 1984, to April 30, 1992, with a total of 201 half-hour e ...

'', ''

The Wayans Bros. ''The Wayans Bros.'' is an American sitcom television series that aired on The WB from January 11, 1995, to May 20, 1999. The series starred real life brothers Shawn Wayans, Shawn and Marlon Wayans, comedian John Witherspoon (actor), John Withe ...

'', and ''

Mad TV ''Mad TV'' (stylized as ''MADtv'') is an American sketch comedy television series created by David Salzman, Fax Bahr, and Adam Small. Loosely based on the humor magazine '' Mad'', ''Mad TVs pre-taped satirical sketches were primarily parodie ...

''. In 1994, Grier appeared in

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

'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 John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, composer, and actor. Most commonly associated with horror film, horror, action film, action, and science fiction film, science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s, he is ...

's '' Escape from L.A.'' and 1997 with the title role in

'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 ''

'', 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 ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, 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 produce ...

'' 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 ''

''. 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 Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcas ...

(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 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ( ; born Ferdinand Lewis Alcindor Jr. , April 16, 1947) is an American former basketball player. He played professionally for 20 seasons for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Associatio ...

. 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 Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...

. 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 Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor Sr. (December 1, 1940 – December 10, 2005) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Known for reaching a broad audience with his trenchant observations and storytelling style, he is widely regarded ...

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 Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...

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 Wilton Norman Chamberlain ( ; August21, 1936 – October12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player. Standing tall, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 seasons. He was enshrin ...

. In 1998, Grier was engaged to

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...

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 or in any layer of the wall of the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that can invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later sympt ...

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 Santa Fe, New Mexico. 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,

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

Television

Video games

Music videos

Discography

* "Long Time Woman" (1971, from the film '' The Big Doll House'') * ''

Communication Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

'' by Bobby Womack (1971, backing vocals) * ''

Understanding Understanding is a cognitive process related to an abstract or physical object, such as a person, situation, or message whereby one is able to use concepts to model that object. Understanding is a relation between the knower and an object of u ...

'' 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 – ''Jackie Brown'' * 1999: Acapulco Black Film Festival Career Achievement Award * 2000: Csapnivalo Award for Best Female Performance – ''Jackie Brown'' * 2001: High Falls Film Festival Susan B. Anthony 'Failure is Impossible' Award * 2003: Special Achievement in Film Trumpet Award * 2008: RiverRun International Film Festival Master of Cinema Award * 2012: National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum. * 2018: 20/20 Award for Best Actress – ''Jackie Brown'' * 2018: Catalonian International Film Festival 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 The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) is an association of professional film criticism, film critics, who work in print, broadcast and online media, based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The organization was founded in 1990 by film cri ...

Award for Best Actress – ''Jackie Brown'' * 1998: Empire Award for Best Actress – ''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 – ''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 – ''Linc's'' * 2000: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series – ''Linc's'' * 2000:

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...

for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program – ''Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child'' * 2002:

Black Reel Award The Black Reel Awards, or BRAs, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African Americans in film (FAAAF) to recognize excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the Afr ...

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:

for Best Actress in Network/Cable Series – ''3 A.M.'' * 2003: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series – ''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 t ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grier, Pam 1949 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century African-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 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 20th-century African-American actresses East High School (Denver, Colorado) alumni