Biography

The reigning queen of the 1970s blaxploitation genre, Pam Grier was born May 26, 1949, in Winston-Salem, NC. An Air Force mechanic's daughter, she was raised on military bases in England and Germany. During her teen years the family settled in Denver, CO, where at the age of 18, Grier entered the Miss Colorado Universe pageant. Named first runner-up, she attracted the attention of Hollywood agent David Baumgarten, who signed her to a contract. After relocating to Los Angeles, Grier struggled to mount an acting career, and worked as a switchboard operator at the studios of Roger Corman's American International Pictures. Finally, with Corman's aid, she made her film debut in the 1970 Russ Meyer cult classic Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, followed by an appearance in Jack Hill's 1971 cheapie The Big Doll House.

For several years, Grier languished virtually unnoticed in grindhouse fare like 1971's Women in Cages and 1973's Arena (aka Naked Warriors) before winning the title role in Hill's 1973 action outing Coffy. Playing a nurse seeking vengeance against the drug dealers responsible for her sister's descent into heroin addiction, Grier immediately rose to the forefront of the so-called "blaxploitation" genre, a group of action-adventure films aimed squarely at African-American audiences. Portraying the 1974 superheroine Foxy Brown, she became a major cult figure, as her character's fierce independence, no-nonsense attitude, and empowered spirit made her a role model for blacks and feminists alike. At the peak of her popularity, Grier even appeared on the covers of Ms. and New York magazines. Her films' often racy content also made her a sex symbol, and additionally she posed nude for the men's magazine Players.

Successive action roles as gumshoe Sheba Shayne in 1975's Sheba, Baby and as the titular reporter Friday Foster further elevated Grier's visibility, but fearing continued typecasting she shifted gears to star opposite Richard Pryor in the fact-based 1977 auto-racing drama Greased Lightning. She did not reappear onscreen for four years, resurfacing to acclaim in 1981 as a murderous prostitute in Fort Apache, the Bronx; however, no other major roles were forthcoming, and she spent much of the decade appearing on television and in straight-to-cable features. A major role in the 1988 Steven Seagal action hit Above the Law marked the beginning of a comeback, and after appearing in 1993's Posse, Grier starred with fellow blaxploitation vets Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree, and Fred "the Hammer" Williamson in 1996's Original Gangstas, a throwback to the films of the early '70s.

In 1997, the actress' career resurgence was complete with the title role in Jackie Brown, written in her honor by director and longtime fan Quentin Tarantino. Grier's tough, sexy portrayal of a jaded flight attendant earned praise from critics far and wide, as well as the promise of steady work. She could subsequently be seen in films ranging from the indie comedy Jawbreaker (1999), in which she had a supporting role as a detective, to Jane Campion's Holy Smoke (1999), which cast her as the girlfriend and assistant of deprogrammer Harvey Keitel, to Bones (2000), a horror film that saw Grier playing the girlfriend of a murdered man (Snoop Dogg) who comes back from the dead to wreak vengeance on his killers. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Filmography

1. Untitled Ryan McKinney Project (2006) (post-production) .... Zelda Miller
   
   
2. Back in the Day (2005/I) (V) .... Mrs. Cooper
3. "The L Word" (2004) TV Series .... Kit Porter
4. 1st to Die (2003) (TV) .... Claire Washburn
   ... aka F1rst to Die (USA: promotional title)
   ... aka James Patterson's F1rst to Die (USA: promotional title)
5. The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002) .... Flura Nash
   ... aka Pluto Nash (UK) (USA: working title)
6. Baby of the Family (2002) .... Mrs. Williams
7. "Feast of All Saints" (2001) (mini) TV Series .... Suzette Lermontant
   ... aka Anne Rice's The Feast of All Saints (USA: complete title)
8. Bones (2001) .... Pearl
9. Ghosts of Mars (2001) .... Commander Helena Braddock
   ... aka John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars (USA: complete title)
10. Love the Hard Way (2001) .... Linda Fox
11. 3 A.M. (2001) .... George
12. Wilder (2000) .... Detective Della Wilder
    ... aka Slow Burn (USA)
    ... aka Wilder: Profession détective (Canada: French title)
13. Snow Day (2000) .... Tina
    
    
14. Holy Smoke (1999) .... Carol
    ... aka Holy Smoke! (USA: video box title)
15. In Too Deep (1999) .... Det. Angela Wilson
16. No Tomorrow (1999) .... Diane
17. Jawbreaker (1999) .... Detective Vera Cruz
18. Fortress 2 (1999) .... Susan Mendenhall
    ... aka Fortress 2: Re-Entry (USA: DVD title)
19. Hayley Wagner, Star (1999) (TV) .... Sam
20. "Linc's" (1998) TV Series .... Eleanor Braithwaite Winthrop
21. Jackie Brown (1997) .... Jacqueline 'Jackie' Brown
22. Strip Search (1997) .... Janette
23. Fakin' Da Funk (1997) .... Annabelle Lee
24. Mars Attacks! (1996) .... Louise Williams
25. Family Blessings (1996) (TV) (as Pam Greer) .... Mrs. Quincy
    ... aka LaVyrle Spencer's 'Family Blessings' (USA: complete title)
26. Escape from L.A. (1996) .... Hershe Las Palmas
    ... aka John Carpenter's Escape from L.A. (USA: complete title)
27. Original Gangstas (1996) .... Laurie Thompson
    ... aka Hot City
28. "Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child" (1995) TV Series (voice) .... The Empress' Nightingale
29. Serial Killer (1995) .... Capt. Maggie Davis
30. Posse (1993) .... Phoebe
31. A Mother's Right: The Elizabeth Morgan Story (1992) (TV) .... Linda Holman
    ... aka Shattered Silence
32. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) .... Ms. Wardroe
33. Class of 1999 (1990) .... Ms. Connors
    
    
34. The Package (1989) .... Ruth Butler
35. Above the Law (1988) .... Delores 'Jacks' Jackson
    ... aka Nico (UK: cable TV title)
    ... aka Nico: Above the Law (Australia)
36. The Allnighter (1987) .... Sgt. McLeesh
37. The Vindicator (1986) .... Hunter
    ... aka Frankenstein '88
38. Badge of the Assassin (1985) (TV) .... Alexandra 'Alie' Horn
39. Stand Alone (1985) .... Catherine Bolan
40. On the Edge (1985) .... Cora
41. Tough Enough (1983) .... Myra
42. Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) .... Dust Witch
43. Fort Apache the Bronx (1981) .... Charlotte
    
    
44. "Roots: The Next Generations" (1979) (mini) TV Series .... Francey
45. Greased Lightning (1977) .... Mary Jones
46. Notte dell'alta marea, La (1977) (as Pamela Grier) .... Sandra
    ... aka The Night of the High Tide (Canada: English title)
    ... aka Twilight of Love (USA: video title)
47. Drum (1976) (as Pamela Grier) .... Regine
48. Bucktown (1975) .... Aretha
49. 'Sheba, Baby' (1975) .... Sheba Shayne
50. Friday Foster (1975) .... Friday Foster
51. Foxy Brown (1974) .... Foxy Brown
52. The Arena (1974) .... Mamawi
    ... aka Naked Warriors (USA: reissue title)
    ... aka Rivolta delle gladiatrici, La (Italy)
53. Scream Blacula Scream (1973) .... Lisa
    ... aka Blacula II
    ... aka Blacula Is Beautiful
    ... aka Blacula Lives Again!
    ... aka The Name Is Blacula
54. Coffy (1973) .... Coffy
55. The Twilight People (1973) .... Ayesa, the Panther Woman
    ... aka Beasts
    ... aka Island of the Twilight People
56. Hit Man (1972/I) (as Pamela Grier) .... Gozelda
57. The Big Bird Cage (1972) .... Blossom
    ... aka Women's Penitentiary II
58. Cool Breeze (1972) (as Pamela Grier) .... Mona
59. Black Mama, White Mama (1972) .... Lee Daniels
    ... aka Chained Women
    ... aka Chains of Hate
    ... aka Hot, Hard and Mean
    ... aka Women in Chains (USA: video title)
60. Women in Cages (1971) .... Alabama
    ... aka Women's Penitentiary III
61. The Big Doll House (1971) .... Grear
    ... aka Bamboo Dolls House
    ... aka Women's Penitentiary
    ... aka Women's Penitentiary III (USA: changed title)
62. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) (as Pamela Grier) .... Partygoer
    ... aka Hollywood Vixens