by Jennifer Matos

Can you guess who ran track in high school? Who was a cheerleader for the Denver Broncos? Who is a serious lover of horses? Who was diagnosed with cancer and told she had eighteen months to live?

If you guessed Pam Grier, who plays “Kit Porter” on The L Word, you guessed right! There’s a lot more to Pam Grier than meets the eye.

The future “Kit Porter” was born Pamela Suzette Grier in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on May 26, 1949. Her father was an Air Force mechanic which prompted many relocations and moves for the Grier family. Her mother was a nurse. When she was eight years old, the family picked up and moved with travels to Europe which included England and Germany. The family finally settled down in England, only to return to the United States to the state of Colorado when Grier was fourteen years old.

Of her high school experience, she says that she was widely ignored by boys because of a slight accent and her “English” mannerisms. After high school, she went on to Metropolitan State College in Denver, Colorado. It was not acting, but medicine that she initially decided to pursue. Grier had never considered a career in acting or experiencing fame and all that comes with it. During her time at MSC she entered the Miss Colorado pageant with hopes of winning and settling college costs. Grier was the only African-American in the 1967 contest and although she did not win top prize, she was noticed by talent agent, David Baumgarten. It was Baumgarten who would eventually propose that she leave Colorado for Hollywood and become a performer.

Small roles led to bigger roles and eventually Grier was being called as the “Queen of Blaxploitation” because of the “tough girl” images with hearts of gold that she was able to bring to life. Unlike other actresses in her day, Grier was demonstrating her true grit, often doing her own stunts as well. While filming a movie in the Philippines, Grier contracted a disease that caused hair loss and rendered her blind. Her recovery from the illness took about a year.

In the late 1970’s Grier took a break from professional acting and took up other artistic interests like singing, piano and dance.

It wasn’t until the cancer death of a close friend that Grier decided to go back into acting and pursue more challenging roles. The role she ended up choosing was that of “Charlotte” a drug-addicted, murderous prostitute in the film “Fort Apache, The Bronx”.

Grier herself was diagnosed with cancer in 1988 and told that she had only eighteen months to live. She battled the cancer with radiation treatment, chemotherapy and numerous surgeries. After five years, the disease was declared as being in remission. When asked about how she battled her breast cancer, she credits traditional Chinese medicine. “I go to Chinatown a lot for cases of ginseng and the Chinese herbs for women. I believe in the Chinese theory of healing yourself.” In an interview she did for Ebony Magazine on 20 Greatest Sex Symbols, Grier said “I’m as energetic as I’ve ever been and my sex drive today is so intensified that I just drive myself crazy.”

Perhaps the role that she is most famous for is that of “Jackie Brown” in the 1997 Quentin Tarantino film of the same title. Tarantino wrote the character with Grier in mind. Grier auditioned for the lead role to play Tina Turner in “What’s Love Got to Do With It” but lost the part to Angela Basset because Grier was too tall for the part.

With a background as diverse as the characters on The L Word, Grier is part African-American and part Caucasian on her paternal side, part Native American and part Asian on her maternal side. An actress with a host of awards and accolades under her belt, she was the first African-American woman to grace the cover of Ms. Magazine in the August 1975 issue. She has starred in over fifty films.

In 2004, she signed on to play the role of “Kit Porter”, the half sister of “Bette Porter” played by Jennifer Beals. Grier signed on after Beals agreed to participate in the project and was originally cast as a lesbian character who would have the famed “Chart” tattooed on her back. When Showtime executives stated that they were not convinced by the character, “Kit” was re-written as a straight character.
She is a musician and an actress who is self-described as a little Minnie Riperton, Chaka Khan and Donna Summer. Although she is a versatile entertainer, she admits that there are aspects to playing “Kit Porter” that she finds challenging. Of her current role she says “You have to dig deep. You have to give things up. You can’t be yourself. You have to be the actor and walk on thin ice and fall through and be able to get out.”

An acclaimed and accomplished musician and actress, Pam Grier shows that she is more than just “Bette Porter’s” big sis