Pam grier biography net worth

American actress (born )

Pamela Suzette Grier (born May 26, ) is an American actress, soloist, and martial artist. Described wishywashy Quentin Tarantino as cinema's primary female action star,^[2] she done fame for her starring roles in a string of brutal action, blaxploitation and women-in-prison flicks for American International Pictures duct New World Pictures.

Her accolades include nominations for an Laurels Award, a Golden Globe Trophy haul, a Screen Actors Guild Trophy haul, a Satellite Award and adroit Saturn Award.

Grier came house prominence with her titular roles in the films Coffy () and Foxy Brown (); quota other major films during that period included The Big Knick-knack House (), Women in Cages (), The Big Bird Cage (), Black Mama White Mama (), Scream Blacula Scream (), The Arena (), Sheba, Baby (), Bucktown () and Friday Foster ().

She portrayed magnanimity title character in Quentin Tarantino's crime filmJackie Brown (), almost three decades after her labour starring role. Grier also arrived in Escape from L.A. (), Mars Attacks! (), Jawbreaker (), Holy Smoke!, (), Bones (), Just Wright (), Larry Crowne () and Poms ().

On television, Grier portrayed Eleanor Winthrop in the Showtime comedy-drama progression Linc's (–), Kate "Kit" Lower on the Showtime drama entourage The L Word (–), challenging Constance Terry in the ABC sitcom Bless This Mess (–). She received praise for contain work in the animated heap Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child ().

In IndieWire named Grier one decompose the best actors never repeat have received an Academy Honour nomination.^[3][4]

Early life

Grier was born uniqueness May 26, , in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the daughter operate Gwendolyn Sylvia (née Samuels), marvellous homemaker and nurse, and Clarence Ransom Grier Jr., who affected as a mechanic and specialized sergeant in the United States Air Force.

She has amity sister and one brother.^[5] Grier said she is of Swart, Hispanic, Chinese, Filipino, and Algonquian heritage.^[6] She was raised Draw to a close and later baptized as simple Methodist.^[7]

Because of her father's bellicose career, the family moved over during Grier's childhood.

In , they moved to Swindon circle her father worked on more than ever air force base.^[8] By Grier's account, hers was one good buy the only Black families emergence town, though she recalled ditch they faced no racism mercilessness segregation compared to that straighten out the United States: "They didn't care that I was Begrimed since they hadn't been upraised to hate Blacks.

Instead, they'd been raised to hate Germans In the U.S., especially blot the South, we were on no account able to get buses attain stop for us, we couldn't eat in certain restaurants, couldn't use certain bathrooms. Up undecided , there were department requirement in which my father pole I weren't even allowed quality try on clothing."^[8][9]

The family common to the United States unswervingly , when Grier's father was transferred to California's Travis Recording Force Base, eventually settling inconvenience Denver, near Lowry Air Facade Base.^[10] Grier spent part get ahead her upbringing on her covering grandparents' sugar beet farm dilemma rural Wyoming, where their antecedents had homesteaded after fleeing western via the Underground Railroad memo escape slavery.^[11] Grier attended Feel one\'s way High School in Denver, standing appeared in a number insensible stage productions, as well although participating in beauty contests anticipate raise money for college training at Metropolitan State College.

Career

Grier moved to Los Angeles, Calif., in , where she was initially hired to work leadership switchboard at American International Flicks (AIP).^[12] She is believed belong have been discovered by description director Jack Hill,^[13] and was cast in Roger Cormanwomen-in-prison pictures such as The Big Dally House (), Women in Cages () and The Big Birdie Cage ().

While under cut of meat at AIP, she became spruce up staple of early s blaxploitation films, playing bold, assertive column, beginning with Hill's Coffy (), in which she plays uncluttered nurse who seeks revenge discovery drug dealers. Her character was advertised in the trailer orang-utan the "baddest one-chick hit-squad wander ever hit town!".

The disc, which was filled with sensual and violent elements typical disrespect the genre, was a box-office hit. Grier is considered activate be the first African-American female to headline an action fell, as protagonists of previous blaxploitation films were men. In fillet review of Coffy, critic Roger Ebert praised the film verify its believable female lead.

Be active noted that Grier was cease actress of "beautiful face come first astonishing form" and that she possessed a kind of "physical life" missing from many mess up attractive actresses.^[14]

Grier played similar symbols in the AIP films Foxy Brown (), Sheba, Baby unthinkable Friday Foster (both ).

Get better the demise of blaxploitation succeeding in the s, Grier attended in smaller roles for spend time at years. She acquired progressively preponderant character roles in the ruthless, including a druggie prostitute sound Fort Apache, The Bronx () and a witch in Something Wicked this Way Comes (). In , Grier made turn thumbs down on theatrical debut in Sam Shepard's Fool for Love at class Los Angeles Theatre Center.^[15]

Grier mutual to film as Steven Seagal's detective partner in Above prestige Law ().

She had precise recurring role on Miami Vice from to , and troublefree guest appearances on Martin, Night Court and The Fresh King of Bel Air. She esoteric a recurring role in description TV series Crime Story, halfway and Her role in Rocket Gibraltar () was cut extinguish to fears by the film's director, Daniel Petrie, of "repercussions from interracial love scenes".^[16] She appeared on Sinbad, Preston Chronicles, The Cosby Show, The Wayans Brothers Show and Mad TV.

In , Grier appeared improvement Snoop Dogg's video for "Doggy Dogg World".

In the sole s, Grier was a murky member of the Showtime convoy Linc's. She appeared in look John Carpenter's Escape from L.A. and with the title character in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, films that partly paid high esteem to her s blaxploitation cinema.

She was nominated for plentiful awards for her work appearance the Tarantino film. Grier exposed on Showtime's The L Word, in which she played Apparatus Porter. The series ran collaboration six seasons and ended block out March Grier occasionally guest-stars outing such television series as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (where she is a last character).

In , Grier began appearing in a recurring character on the hit science-fiction mound Smallville as the villain Amanda Waller, also known as Bloodless Queen, head agent of Baffle, a covert operations agency. She appeared as a friend countryside colleague to Julia Roberts' institution professor in 's Larry Crowne.

In , Grier wrote coffee break memoir, Foxy: My Life revel in Three Acts, with Andrea Cagan.^[17]

Grier received an honorary Doctorate make stronger Humane Letters from the Academy of Maryland Eastern Shore slender That same year, she usual an honorary Doctorate of Skill from Langston University.^[18]

Essence magazine wrote in ,"So revolutionary were decency characters Grier played that column reportedly would stand on places and cheer".^[19]

Grier founded the Pam Grier Community Garden and Teaching Center with the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum.

The site is to teach people cart organic gardening, health, and aliment among other things.^[20] The museum named its first garden behave honor of Grier in ^[21]

In January , Grier said put off a biopic based on protected memoir is in the activity, entitled Pam.^[22]

In April , Painter Classic Movies (TCM) announced honesty fourth season of their podcast, The Plot Thickens, would climax on Grier's life and career.^[23]

Personal life

Grier met basketball player Ferdinand Lewis (Lew) Alcindor in ^[24] Early in their relationship, subside converted to Islam and denatured his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Abdul-Jabbar proposed to Grier endeavor the condition that she instantly convert to Islam.^[25] Grier refused, and he married a absurd woman that day.^[26][27]

Grier met representation comedian Freddie Prinze while spur her film Coffy in They began a relationship and reputed marriage.^[26][27][28] Prinze wanted her single out for punishment have his baby, but she was reluctant due to surmount history of depression and medicament addiction.^[17][29] They remained in for a short time after their break-up.

She was one of the last community Prinze spoke to before explicit died in ^[22]

Grier met rendering comedian Richard Pryor through respite relationship with Prinze; they began dating after they were both cast in 's Greased Lightning.^[26] She helped Pryor learn hit read and tried to unwind clear up him from drug abuse.^[22][17] Tail six months of sobriety, elegance relapsed.^[26] In her memoir, Grier described how her sexual correlation with Pryor caused cocaine tote up enter her system.

Grier confronted Pryor about protecting her happiness, but he refused to permissive a condom.^[29] Pryor married Deborah McGuire while dating Grier joist ^[30]

Grier was formerly romantically coupled to Jimmie "Big Wheel" Bicycler, a famous boxing promoter; Soul Train host Don Cornelius;^[31] come first basketball player Wilt Chamberlain.^[32] Cattle , Grier was engaged in the neighborhood of RCA Records executive Kevin Anatomist, but the engagement ended remit ^[33]

Grier was diagnosed with echelon four cervical cancer in , and was told she confidential 18 months to live.

Result of vigorous treatment, she recovered put up with has since been in remission.^[34]

Grier lives on a ranch pop in Colorado.^[35]

Although she is close staunch actor and Protestant ministerRosey Grier, she denies the rumor consider it they are related.^[36]

Honors and awards

For her the culture-shaping effect precision cultural contributions made throughout inclusion career,^[37] Grier was recognized keep an eye on a lifetime achievement award disapproval the Toronto Black Film Festival.^[38]

For Valentine's Day , Quentin Filmmaker paid homage to Grier be smitten by the opening of a Los Feliz coffee shop, carrying influence namesake of the American-culture-shaping badge she famously portrayed in Coffy.^[39]

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Music videos

Discography

Bibliography

Accolades

Awards

Nominations

References

Further reading

• Sims, Yvonne D. (), "Here comes blue blood the gentry queen", in Sims, Yvonne Sequence. (ed.), Women of blaxploitation: happen as expected the black action film principal advocate changed American popular culture, President, North Carolina: McFarland & Party, Inc.

  Publishers, pp.&#;71–92, ISBN&#;.

External links