Pam Grier
- Acting
- May 26, 1949 · Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA
Biography
Pamela Suzette Grier (born May 26, 1949) is an American actress. Described by director Quentin Tarantino as cinema's first female action star, she achieved fame for her starring roles in a string of 1970s action, blaxploitation, and women in prison films for American International Pictures and New World Pictures. Her accolades include nominations for an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, 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 Quentin Tarantino's crime film Jackie Brown (1997), and also appeared in Escape from L.A. (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 series Linc's (1998–2000), Kate "Kit" Porter on the Showtime drama series The L Word (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).
Known for
Filmography
- The Way Things Seem to Be · Self
- Breakdown: 1975 · Self
- Mystery Cuddlers · Juniper
- As We Know It · Beverly Jones
- Pet Sematary: Bloodlines · Majorie Washburn
- Cinnamon · Mama
- Sherri · Self
- The Jennifer Hudson Show · Self
- Them · Athena
- How It Feels to Be Free · Self
- The Great North · Neckbone (Voice)
- Quentin Tarantino: From a Movie Buff to a Hollywood Legend · Self
- Skin: A History of Nudity in the Movies · Self
- Beautiful Like a Poem · Self
- Time Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness · Self
- Time Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time · Self
- A Christmas Wish · Mary
- The Kelly Clarkson Show · Self
- Poms · Olive
- Bless This Mess · Constance
- Being Rose · Lily
- Bad Grandmas · Coralee
- Do I Look Like a Lady? (Comedians and Singers) · Self
- This Is Us · Grandma
- Kings of Cult · (archive footage)
- Cleveland Abduction · Carla
- Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic · Self
- Quentin Tarantino: 20 Years of Filmmaking · Self
- The Man with the Iron Fists · Jane
- Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day · Detective Barrick
- Corman's World · Self
- Larry Crowne · Frances
- Bob's Burgers · Evelyn (Voice)
- Mafia · James Womack
- Celebrity Nude Revue: The Saucy 70's Volume 1 · Self
- Machete Maidens Unleashed! · Self
- Just Wright · Janice Wright
- The Invited · Zelda
- Celebrity Ghost Stories · Self
- Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen · Self
- Ladies of the House · Birdie
- Bad Girls Behind Bars · Alabama (archive footage)
- Back in the Day · Mrs. Cooper
- The L Word · Kit Porter
- A Decade Under the Influence · Self
- Love the Hard Way · Linda Fox
- First to Die · Claire Washburn
- Jackie Brown: How It Went Down · Self
- The Adventures of Pluto Nash · Flura Nash
- BaadAsssss Cinema · Self
- Justice League · My'ria'h (Voice)
- Feast of All Saints · Suzette Lermontant
- Bones · Pearl
- Smallville · Amanda Waller
- Strange Frequency
- Ghosts of Mars · Commander Helena Braddock
- 3 A.M. · George
- It Conquered Hollywood! The Story of American International Pictures · Self
- Wilder · Detective Della Wilder
- Fortress 2 · Susan Mendenhall
- Snow Day · Tina
- No Tomorrow · Diane
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit · Assistant US Attorney Claudia Williams
- Hayley Wagner, Star · Sam
- Holy Smoke · Carol
- In Too Deep · Det. Angela Wilson
- The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn · Self
- Jawbreaker · Detective Vera Cruz
- Family Blessings · Mrs. Quincy
- Pete Rock: Soul Survivor · Pam Grier
- All Saints: The Video · Self
- Hollywood Squares · Self
- The Wild Thornberrys · Mother Springbok (Voice)
- Linc's · Eleanor Braithwaite Winthrop
- Paul Robeson: Speak of Me as I Am · Narrator (Voice)
- Jackie Brown · Jackie Brown
- The View · Self
- Fakin' Da Funk · Annabelle Lee
- Strip Search · Janette
- Afro Promo · Self