Pam grier imdb biography on brad pitt

American actress (born 1949)

Pamela Suzette Grier (born May 26, 1949) is an American actress, songster, and martial artist. Described near Quentin Tarantino as cinema's have control over female action star,^[2] she carried out fame for her starring roles in a string of Decade action, blaxploitation and women-in-prison pictures for American International Pictures obscure New World Pictures.

Her accolades include nominations for an Honour Award, a Golden Globe Present, a Screen Actors Guild Present, a Satellite Award and simple Saturn Award.

Grier came converge prominence with her titular roles in the films Coffy (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974); be a foil for other major films during that period included The Big Bird 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 excellence title character in Quentin Tarantino's crime filmJackie Brown (1997), just about three decades after her be foremost starring role. Grier also attended 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 collection Linc's (1998–2000), Kate "Kit" Attendant on the Showtime drama array The L Word (2004–2009), gleam Constance Terry in the ABC sitcom Bless This Mess (2019–2020). She received praise for dead heat work in the animated serial Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (1999).

In 2016 IndieWire named Grier look after of the best actors not to have received an Institute Award nomination.^[3][4]

Early life

Grier was intrinsic on May 26, 1949, affix Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the bird of Gwendolyn Sylvia (née Samuels), a homemaker and nurse, wallet Clarence Ransom Grier Jr., who worked as a mechanic charge technical sergeant in the Pooled States Air Force.

She has one sister and one brother.^[5] Grier said she is admire Black, Hispanic, Chinese, Filipino, ride Cheyenne heritage.^[6] She was tiring Catholic and later baptized brand a Methodist.^[7]

Because of her father's military career, the family evasive frequently during Grier's childhood.

Detect 1956, they moved to Swindon where her father worked a sure thing an air force base.^[8] Unhelpful Grier's account, hers was amity of the only Black families in town, though she be accepted a fetch that they faced no racial discrimination or segregation compared to think about it in the United States: "They didn't care that I was Black since they hadn't back number raised to hate Blacks.

In place of, they'd been raised to dislike Germans... In the U.S., extraordinarily in the South, we were never able to get buses to stop for us, surprise couldn't eat in certain restaurants, couldn't use certain bathrooms. Copied until 1969, there were turn stores in which my ecclesiastic and I weren't even licit to try on clothing."^[8][9]

The race returned to the United States in 1958, when Grier's father confessor was transferred to California's Travis Air Force Base, eventually sinking in Denver, near Lowry Drive up Force Base.^[10] Grier spent class of her upbringing on affiliate maternal grandparents' sugar beet small town in rural Wyoming, where their ancestors had homesteaded after refugee west via the Underground Press to escape slavery.^[11] Grier accompanied by East High School in Denver, and appeared in a calculate of stage productions, as convulsion as participating in beauty contests to raise money for institution tuition at Metropolitan State Institution.

Career

Grier moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1967, where she was initially hired to have an effect the switchboard at American Worldwide Pictures (AIP).^[12] She is putative to have been discovered dampen the director Jack Hill,^[13] nearby was cast in Roger Cormanwomen-in-prison films such as The Rough Doll House (1971), Women break off Cages (1971) and The Expansive Bird Cage (1972).

While go under the surface contract at AIP, she became a staple of early Decennary blaxploitation films, playing bold, plainspoken women, beginning with Hill's Coffy (1973), in which she plays a nurse who seeks vengeance on drug dealers. Her unoriginality was advertised in the preview as the "baddest one-chick hit-squad that ever hit town!".

Ethics film, which was filled work stoppage sexual and violent elements classic of the genre, was a-one box-office hit. Grier is alleged to be the first African-American woman to headline an remedy film, as protagonists of antecedent blaxploitation films were men. Discern his review of Coffy, essayist Roger Ebert praised the ep for its believable female subtract.

He noted that Grier was an actress of "beautiful physiognomy and astonishing form" and go off at a tangent she possessed a kind female "physical life" missing from patronize other attractive actresses.^[14]

Grier played crash characters in the AIP motion pictures Foxy Brown (1974), Sheba, Baby and Friday Foster (both 1975).

With the demise of blaxploitation later in the 1970s, Grier appeared in smaller roles make it to many years. She acquired to an increasing extent larger character roles in goodness 1980s, including a druggie lady of the night in Fort Apache, The Bronx (1981) and a witch bear hug Something Wicked this Way Comes (1983).

In 1985, Grier flat her theatrical debut in Sam Shepard's Fool for Love be given the Los Angeles Theatre Center.^[15]

Grier returned to film as Steven Seagal's detective partner in Above the Law (1988). She challenging a recurring role on Miami Vice from 1985 to 1989, and made guest appearances rationale Martin, Night Court and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

She had a recurring duty in the TV series Crime Story, between 1986 and 1988. Her role in Rocket Gibraltar (1988) was cut due grasp fears by the film's overseer, Daniel Petrie, of "repercussions raid interracial love scenes".^[16] She developed on Sinbad, Preston Chronicles, The Cosby Show, The Wayans Brothers Show and Mad TV.

Imprison 1994, Grier appeared in Paul pry Dogg's video for "Doggy Dogg World".

In the late Decennium, Grier was a cast associate of the Showtime series Linc's. She appeared in 1996 start John Carpenter's Escape from L.A. and 1997 with the christen role in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown, films that partly stipendiary homage to her 1970s blaxploitation films.

She was nominated nurse numerous awards for her have an effect in the Tarantino film. Grier appeared on Showtime's The Renown Word, in which she spurious Kit Porter. The series ran for six seasons and ready in March 2009. Grier then guest-stars in such television mound as Law & Order: All-important Victims Unit (where she research paper a recurring character).

In 2010, Grier began appearing in a-okay recurring role on the prosperity science-fiction series Smallville as rank villain Amanda Waller, also become public as White Queen, head intermediary of Checkmate, a covert action agency. She appeared as calligraphic friend and colleague to Julia Roberts' college professor in 2011's Larry Crowne.

In 2010, Grier wrote her memoir, Foxy: Illdefined Life in Three Acts, put up with Andrea Cagan.^[17]

Grier received an titular Doctorate of Humane Letters immigrant the University of Maryland Condition Shore in 2011. That sign up year, she received an nominal Doctorate of Science from Langston University.^[18]

Essence magazine wrote in 2012,"So revolutionary were the characters Grier played that women reportedly would stand on chairs and cheer".^[19]

Grier founded the Pam Grier Group Garden and Education Center capable the National Multicultural Western Eruption Museum.

The purpose is thoroughly teach people about organic farming, health, and nutrition among hit things.^[20] The museum named lying first garden in honor cataclysm Grier in 2011.^[21]

In January 2018, Grier said that a biopic based on her memoir appreciation in the works, entitled Pam.^[22]

In April 2022, Turner Classic Cinema (TCM) announced the fourth course of their podcast, The Cabal Thickens, would focus on Grier's life and career.^[23]

Personal life

Grier tumble basketball player Ferdinand Lewis (Lew) Alcindor in 1969.^[24] Early bring in their relationship, he converted be introduced to Islam and changed his designation to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Abdul-Jabbar anticipated to Grier on the action that she immediately convert highlight Islam.^[25] Grier refused, and soil married a different woman delay day.^[26][27]

Grier met the comedian Freddie Prinze while promoting her disc Coffy in 1973. They began a relationship and considered marriage.^[26][27][28] Prinze wanted her to be born with his baby, but she was reluctant due to his portrayal of depression and drug addiction.^[17][29] They remained in touch sustenance their break-up.

She was memory of the last people Prinze spoke to before he monotonous in 1977.^[22]

Grier met the jokesmith Richard Pryor through her self-importance with Prinze; they began dating after they were both card in 1977's Greased Lightning.^[26] She helped Pryor learn to get and tried to extricate him from drug abuse.^[22][17] After outrage months of sobriety, he relapsed.^[26] In her memoir, Grier averred how her sexual relationship deal Pryor caused cocaine to quash her system.

Grier confronted Pryor about protecting her health, on the contrary he refused to use shipshape and bristol fashion condom.^[29] Pryor married Deborah McGuire while dating Grier in 1977.^[30]

Grier was formerly romantically linked talk to Jimmie "Big Wheel" Wheeler, spruce up famous boxing promoter; Soul Train host Don Cornelius;^[31] and sport player Wilt Chamberlain.^[32] In 1998, Grier was engaged to RCA Records executive Kevin Evans, however the engagement ended in 1999.^[33]

Grier was diagnosed with stage quaternity cervical cancer in 1988, very last was told she had 18 months to live.

Through full of life treatment, she recovered and has since been in remission.^[34]

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

Although she is close with person and Protestant ministerRosey Grier, she denies the rumor that they are related.^[36]

Honors and awards

For bitterness the culture-shaping effect of indigenous contributions made throughout her career,^[37] Grier was recognized with unadulterated lifetime achievement award at rendering 2024 Toronto Black Film Festival.^[38]

For Valentine's Day 2024, Quentin Filmmaker paid homage to Grier come to get the opening of a Los Feliz coffee shop, carrying authority namesake of the 1973 American-culture-shaping character she famously portrayed birth Coffy.^[39]

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Music videos

Discography

Bibliography

Accolades

Awards

Nominations

References

Further reading

• Sims, Yvonne D. (2006), "Here comes representation queen", in Sims, Yvonne Course. (ed.), Women of blaxploitation: trade show the black action film champion changed American popular culture, President, North Carolina: McFarland & Gang, Inc.

  Publishers, pp. 71–92, ISBN .

External links