Pam Grier
Encyclopedia
Pamela Suzette "Pam" Grier (born May 26, 1949) is an American actress. She became famous in the early 1970s, after starring in a string of moderately successful women in prison
and blaxploitation
film
s such as 1974's Foxy Brown
. Her career was revitalized in 1997 after her appearance in Quentin Tarantino
's film Jackie Brown
. She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress
. She has also been nominated for a SAG as well as a Satellite Award for her performance in the iconic film Jackie Brown. She received an Emmy Award
nomination for her work in an Animated Program Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child. Rotten Tomatoes
has ranked her as the second Greatest Female Action Heroine in film history. Director Quentin Tarantino
remarked that she may have been cinema's first female action star.
, the daughter of Gwendolyn Sylvia (née Samuels), a homemaker and nurse, and Clarence Ransom Grier, who worked as a mechanic and Technical Sergeant
in the United States Air Force
. She has one sister and one brother. At age 6, Grier was raped by two boys when she was left unattended at her aunt's house. "It took so long to deal with the pain of that," she says, "You try to deal with it, but you never really get over it," she adds. "And not just me; my family endured so much guilt and anger that something like that happened to me." Because of her father's military career, her family moved frequently during her childhood, to various places such as England
, and eventually settled in Denver, Colorado
, where she attended East High School. While in Denver, Colorado she appeared in a number of stage productions, and participated in beauty contest
s to raise money for college tuition toward Metropolitan State College. Contrary to previous reports she states that she is not the cousin of National Football League
great Roosevelt Grier or to National Hockey League
player Mike Grier
.
, California
in 1967, where she was initially hired as a receptionist at the American International Pictures
(AIP) company. She was discovered by director Jack Hill
, who cast her in his women in prison films
The Big Doll House
(1971), and The Big Bird Cage
(1972). While under contract at AIP, she became a staple of early 1970s blaxploitation
movies, playing big, bold, assertive women, beginning with Jack Hill's Coffy
(1973), in which she plays a nurse who seeks revenge on drug dealers; her character was advertised in the trailer as the "baddest one-chick hit-squad that ever hit town!" The film, which was filled with sexual and violent elements typical of the genre, was a box- office hit, and Grier was noted as the first African-American female to headline an action film, as protagonists of previous blaxploitation
films were males. In his review of Coffy, film critic Roger Ebert
noted that Grier was an actress of "beautiful face and astonishing form" and that she possessed a kind of "physical life" missing from other actresses. Grier subsequently played similar characters in the AIP films Foxy Brown
(1974), Friday Foster
, and Sheba, Baby
(both 1975).
With the demise of blaxploitation Grier appeared in smaller roles for many years. She acquired progressively larger character roles in the 1980s, including a prostitute in Fort Apache the Bronx (1981), a witch in Something Wicked this Way Comes (1983), and Steven Seagal
's detective partner in Above the Law
(1988). She had a recurring role on Miami Vice
from 1985-1989, and has made guest appearances on Martin
, Night Court
and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and also had a recurring role in the TV series Crime Story
between 1986 and 1988. She also appeared on Sinbad, Preston Chronicles, The Cosby Show, The Wayans Brother Show, and Mad TV. In 1994, Grier appeared in Snoop Dogg
's video for Doggy Dogg World
.
In the late 1990s Grier was a cast member of the Showtime series Linc's
. She again appeared in 1997 with the title role in Quentin Tarantino
's Jackie Brown
, a film that partly paid homage to her '70s blaxploitation movies. she appears in the cable television series The L Word
as Kit Porter and occasionally guest-stars in such television series as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
(where she is a recurring character).
In 2010 Grier began appearing in a recurring role on the hit science fiction series Smallville
as the villain Amanda Waller
, also known as White Queen, head agent of Checkmate
, a covert operations agency.
Also in 2010 she wrote her memoir, "Foxy: My Life in Three Acts" with Andrea Cagan.
during the early 1970s, and had a 18-month affair with actor/comedian Richard Pryor
around 1976–77. She also was romantically linked to actor/comedian Freddie Prinze
in the 1970s. In 1998 she was engaged to music executive, Kevin Evans, but the engagement ended in 1999. From 2000 to 2008 she dated marketing executive, Peter Hempel.
She received her Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore
in 2011.
Women in prison films
Women in prison film is a subgenre of exploitation film that began in the late 1960s and continues to the present day.Their stories feature imprisoned women who are subjected to sexual and physical abuse, typically by sadistic male or female prison wardens and guards...
and blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s such as 1974's Foxy Brown
Foxy Brown (1974 film)
Foxy Brown is a 1974 blaxploitation film written and directed by Jack Hill. It stars Pam Grier as the title character, described by one character as "a whole lot of woman" who showcases unrelenting black sexiness while battling the villains.- Plot :...
. Her career was revitalized in 1997 after her appearance in Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
's film Jackie Brown
Jackie Brown (film)
Jackie Brown is a 1997 American crime drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is an adaptation of the novel Rum Punch by American novelist Elmore Leonard and pays homage to 1970s blaxploitation films....
. She received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy
The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1950...
. She has also been nominated for a SAG as well as a Satellite Award for her performance in the iconic film Jackie Brown. She received an Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nomination for her work in an Animated Program Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child. Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
has ranked her as the second Greatest Female Action Heroine in film history. Director Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
remarked that she may have been cinema's first female action star.
Early life
Grier was born in Winston-Salem, North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, the daughter of Gwendolyn Sylvia (née Samuels), a homemaker and nurse, and Clarence Ransom Grier, who worked as a mechanic and Technical Sergeant
Technical Sergeant
Technical Sergeant is the name of one current and two former enlisted ranks in the United States military.-United States Air Force:Technical Sergeant, or Tech Sergeant, is the sixth enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force, just above Staff Sergeant and below Master Sergeant. A technical sergeant is...
in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
. She has one sister and one brother. At age 6, Grier was raped by two boys when she was left unattended at her aunt's house. "It took so long to deal with the pain of that," she says, "You try to deal with it, but you never really get over it," she adds. "And not just me; my family endured so much guilt and anger that something like that happened to me." Because of her father's military career, her family moved frequently during her childhood, to various places such as England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and eventually settled in Denver, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
, where she attended East High School. While in Denver, Colorado she appeared in a number of stage productions, and participated in beauty contest
Beauty contest
A beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
s to raise money for college tuition toward Metropolitan State College. Contrary to previous reports she states that she is not the cousin of National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
great Roosevelt Grier or to National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
player Mike Grier
Mike Grier
Michael James Grier is a retired professional ice hockey winger who most recently played for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League . He has also played professionally for the Edmonton Oilers, Washington Capitals, and San Jose Sharks...
.
Career
Grier moved to Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1967, where she was initially hired as a receptionist at the American International Pictures
American International Pictures
American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...
(AIP) company. She was discovered by director Jack Hill
Jack Hill
Jack Hill is an U.S. film director, noted for his work in the exploitation film genre. Despite this, several of Hill's later films have been characterized as feminist works.Hill was born in Los Angeles...
, who cast her in his women in prison films
Women in prison films
Women in prison film is a subgenre of exploitation film that began in the late 1960s and continues to the present day.Their stories feature imprisoned women who are subjected to sexual and physical abuse, typically by sadistic male or female prison wardens and guards...
The Big Doll House
The Big Doll House
The Big Doll House is a 1971 women in prison film starring Pam Grier, Judy Brown, Roberta Collins, Brooke Mills, and Pat Woodell. The film follows six female inmates throughout daily life in a gritty, unidentified supra-tropical prison...
(1971), and The Big Bird Cage
The Big Bird Cage
The Big Bird Cage is a 1972 exploitation film of the "women in prison" subgenre. It serves as a non-sequel follow-up to the 1971 film The Big Doll House...
(1972). While under contract at AIP, she became a staple of early 1970s blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
movies, playing big, bold, assertive women, beginning with Jack Hill's Coffy
Coffy
- Track listing :# "Coffy Is The Color" - 3:03Vocals – Dee Dee Bridgewater, Roy Ayers, Wayne Garfield# "Priscilla's Theme" - 3:58# "King George" - 3:00Vocals – Roy Ayers# "Aragon" - 2:55# "Coffy Sauna" - 2:16# "King's Last Ride" - 1:10# "Coffy Baby" - 2:26...
(1973), in which she plays a nurse who seeks revenge on drug dealers; her character was advertised in the trailer as the "baddest one-chick hit-squad that ever hit town!" The film, which was filled with sexual and violent elements typical of the genre, was a box- office hit, and Grier was noted as the first African-American female to headline an action film, as protagonists of previous blaxploitation
Blaxploitation
Blaxploitation or blacksploitation is a film genre which emerged in the United States circa 1970. It is considered an ethnic sub-genre of the general category of exploitation films. Blaxploitation films were originally made specifically for an urban black audience, although the genre's audience...
films were males. In his review of Coffy, film critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
noted that Grier was an actress of "beautiful face and astonishing form" and that she possessed a kind of "physical life" missing from other actresses. Grier subsequently played similar characters in the AIP films Foxy Brown
Foxy Brown (1974 film)
Foxy Brown is a 1974 blaxploitation film written and directed by Jack Hill. It stars Pam Grier as the title character, described by one character as "a whole lot of woman" who showcases unrelenting black sexiness while battling the villains.- Plot :...
(1974), Friday Foster
Friday Foster (film)
Friday Foster is a 1975 blaxploitation film, written and directed by Arthur Marks, and starring Pam Grier in the title role. Yaphet Kotto, Eartha Kitt, Scatman Crothers and Carl Weathers co-starred. It was an adaptation of the 1970-74 eponymous syndicated newspaper comic strip, scripted by Jim...
, and Sheba, Baby
Sheba, Baby
The action movie Sheba, Baby is a 1975 blaxploitation film starring Pam Grier as Sheba Shayne. In the film, Sheba returns to her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, to confront thugs who are trying to intimidate her father into dissolving or handing over his family business...
(both 1975).
With the demise of blaxploitation Grier appeared in smaller roles for many years. She acquired progressively larger character roles in the 1980s, including a prostitute in Fort Apache the Bronx (1981), a witch in Something Wicked this Way Comes (1983), and Steven Seagal
Steven Seagal
Steven Frederic Seagal is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist and reserve deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan...
's detective partner in Above the Law
Above the Law (film)
Above the Law is a 1988 action film directed by Andrew Davis, probably best-known for being the film debut of Steven Seagal. This came about after a successful screen test, financed by Michael Ovitz, led to Seagal being offered a contract by Warner Bros...
(1988). She had a recurring role on Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
from 1985-1989, and has made guest appearances on Martin
Martin (TV series)
Martin is an American sitcom produced by HBO Independent Productions that aired for five seasons, from August 27, 1992 to May 1, 1997 on Fox...
, Night Court
Night Court
Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984, to May 20, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, unorthodox Judge Harold T. "Harry" Stone...
and The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and also had a recurring role in the TV series Crime Story
Crime Story (TV series)
Crime Story is an NBC TV drama created by Gustave Reininger and Chuck Adamson. The executive producer was Michael Mann, who had left Miami Vice to oversee Crime Story and direct the film Manhunter. The show premiered with a two hour pilot — a movie which had been exhibited theatrically —...
between 1986 and 1988. She also appeared on Sinbad, Preston Chronicles, The Cosby Show, The Wayans Brother Show, and Mad TV. In 1994, Grier appeared in Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
's video for Doggy Dogg World
Doggy Dogg World
"Doggy Dogg World" is the third single from Snoop Doggy Dogg's debut album Doggystyle. It is the first European-only release with an American video TV-play. It features '70s funk band The Dramatics, with guest rap verses from Kurupt and Daz Dillinger , and chorus singing by background vocalist...
.
In the late 1990s Grier was a cast member of the Showtime series Linc's
Linc's
Linc's is an American comedy-drama based in a bar in Washington D.C.. The series starred Steven Williams, Pam Grier and Golden Brooks, and aired on Showtime for two seasons from 1998 to 2000 before being cancelled....
. She again appeared in 1997 with the title role in Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
's Jackie Brown
Jackie Brown (film)
Jackie Brown is a 1997 American crime drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is an adaptation of the novel Rum Punch by American novelist Elmore Leonard and pays homage to 1970s blaxploitation films....
, a film that partly paid homage to her '70s blaxploitation movies. she appears in the cable television series The L Word
The L Word
The L Word is an American co-production television drama series originally shown on Showtime portraying the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Greater Los Angeles, California city of West Hollywood...
as Kit Porter and occasionally guest-stars in such television series as Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
(where she is a recurring character).
In 2010 Grier began appearing in a recurring role on the hit science fiction series Smallville
Smallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
as the villain Amanda Waller
Amanda Waller
Dr. Amanda Blake Waller is a character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Legends #1 in 1986, and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and John Byrne...
, also known as White Queen, head agent of Checkmate
Checkmate (comics)
Checkmate, a division of Task Force X, is a fictional covert operations agency within the DC Comics universe. It first appeared in Action Comics #598 and proceeded to have its own ongoing title in Checkmate!...
, a covert operations agency.
Also in 2010 she wrote her memoir, "Foxy: My Life in Three Acts" with Andrea Cagan.
Personal life
Grier has never married and has no children. She dated basketball player Kareem Abdul-JabbarKareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a retired American professional basketball player. He is the NBA's all-time leading scorer, with 38,387 points. During his career with the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969 to 1989, Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships and a record six regular season...
during the early 1970s, and had a 18-month affair with actor/comedian Richard Pryor
Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer and MC. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets...
around 1976–77. She also was romantically linked to actor/comedian Freddie Prinze
Freddie Prinze
Freddie Prinze was an American actor and stand-up comedian. He was known as the star of Chico and the Man. He is the father of actor Freddie Prinze, Jr.-Early life:...
in the 1970s. In 1998 she was engaged to music executive, Kevin Evans, but the engagement ended in 1999. From 2000 to 2008 she dated marketing executive, Peter Hempel.
She received her Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore
University of Maryland Eastern Shore
University of Maryland Eastern Shore located on 776 acres in Princess Anne, Maryland, United States, is part of the University System of Maryland...
in 2011.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | Beyond the Valley of the Dolls Beyond the Valley of the Dolls Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a 1970 American schlock melodrama film starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, John LaZar, Michael Blodgett and David Gurian... |
Partygoer | |
| 1971 | The Big Doll House The Big Doll House The Big Doll House is a 1971 women in prison film starring Pam Grier, Judy Brown, Roberta Collins, Brooke Mills, and Pat Woodell. The film follows six female inmates throughout daily life in a gritty, unidentified supra-tropical prison... |
Grear | |
| 1971 | Women in Cages Women in Cages Women in Cages is a 1971 film in the women in prison sexploitation sub-genre, co-produced by Roger Corman and directed by Gerardo de León. It was prominently featured in the Planet Terror portion of the 2007 film Grindhouse.... |
Alabama | |
| 1972 | Hit Man Hit Man (film) Hit Man is a 1972 American Crime film directed by George Armitage and starring Bernie Casey, Pam Grier and Lisa Moore. It is based on the Ted Lewis's novel Jack's Return Home, more famously adapted as Get Carter, with the action relocated from Britain to the United States.-Plot :Tyrone Tackett, ... |
Gozelda | |
| 1972 | The Big Bird Cage The Big Bird Cage The Big Bird Cage is a 1972 exploitation film of the "women in prison" subgenre. It serves as a non-sequel follow-up to the 1971 film The Big Doll House... |
Blossom | |
| 1972 | Cool Breeze | Mona | |
| 1973 | Black Mama, White Mama Black Mama, White Mama Black Mama, White Mama is a 1973 women in prison film with elements of blaxploitation, starring Pam Grier and Margaret Markov, and directed by Eddie Romero.-Plot:... |
Lee Daniels | |
| 1973 | Scream Blacula Scream Scream Blacula Scream Scream Blacula Scream is a 1973 blaxploitation horror film, made under the working titles Blacula Is Beautiful and Blacula Lives Again!. This is the only sequel to the 1972 film Blacula... |
Lisa | |
| 1973 | Coffy Coffy - Track listing :# "Coffy Is The Color" - 3:03Vocals – Dee Dee Bridgewater, Roy Ayers, Wayne Garfield# "Priscilla's Theme" - 3:58# "King George" - 3:00Vocals – Roy Ayers# "Aragon" - 2:55# "Coffy Sauna" - 2:16# "King's Last Ride" - 1:10# "Coffy Baby" - 2:26... |
Coffy | |
| 1973 | The Twilight People | Ayesa, the Panther Woman | |
| 1974 | The Arena The Arena (1974 film) The Arena is a 1974 gladiator exploitation film, starring Margaret Markov and Pam Grier, and directed by Steve Carver and an uncredited Joe D'Amato. Grier and Markov portray female gladiators in ancient Rome, who have been enslaved and must fight for their freedom... |
Mamawi | |
| 1974 | Foxy Brown Foxy Brown (1974 film) Foxy Brown is a 1974 blaxploitation film written and directed by Jack Hill. It stars Pam Grier as the title character, described by one character as "a whole lot of woman" who showcases unrelenting black sexiness while battling the villains.- Plot :... |
Foxy Brown | |
| 1975 | Sheba, Baby Sheba, Baby The action movie Sheba, Baby is a 1975 blaxploitation film starring Pam Grier as Sheba Shayne. In the film, Sheba returns to her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, to confront thugs who are trying to intimidate her father into dissolving or handing over his family business... |
Sheba Shayne | |
| 1975 | Bucktown | Aretha | |
| 1975 | Friday Foster Friday Foster (film) Friday Foster is a 1975 blaxploitation film, written and directed by Arthur Marks, and starring Pam Grier in the title role. Yaphet Kotto, Eartha Kitt, Scatman Crothers and Carl Weathers co-starred. It was an adaptation of the 1970-74 eponymous syndicated newspaper comic strip, scripted by Jim... |
Friday Foster | |
| 1976 | Drum Drum (1976 film) Drum is the 1976 sequel to the film Mandingo, and released by United Artists. Starring Warren Oates, Pam Grier , and Ken Norton and directed by Steve Carver, it parodies nineteenth century American slavery like its predecessor... |
Regine | |
| 1977 | Greased Lightning Greased Lightning Greased Lightning is a 1977 American biographical film, starring Richard Pryor, Beau Bridges, and Pam Grier, and directed by Michael Schultz. Greased Lightning is a film loosely based on the true life story of Wendell Scott, the first African American stock car racing champion in the United States... |
Mary Jones | |
| 1981 | Fort Apache, The Bronx Fort Apache, The Bronx Fort Apache, The Bronx is a 1981 crime drama film made by Producers Circle, Time-Life Television Productions Inc., and distributed by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. It was directed by Daniel Petrie and produced by Martin Richards, Thomas Fiorello, with David Susskind as executive producer... |
Charlotte | |
| 1983 | Something Wicked This Way Comes | Dust Witch | |
| 1983 | Tough Enough Tough Enough (film) Tough Enough is a 1983 film directed by Richard Fleischer, starring Dennis Quaid, Pam Grier, Warren Oates and Stan Shaw.-Plot synopsis:A down-on-his-luck country & western singer from Fort Worth enters a "toughman" competition to help pay his family's bills. Surprisingly, he does well against the... |
Myra | |
| 1984 | The Vindicator The Vindicator The Vindicator, also known at times as The Youngstown Vindicator, is a daily newspaper serving Youngstown, Ohio and the Mahoning County Region as well as southern Trumbull County and northern Columbiana County. Founded in 1869, the newspaper currently has a circulation of 62,100 daily and 87,000... |
Hunter | |
| 1985 | On the Edge | Cora | |
| 1985-1989 | Miami Vice Miami Vice Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989... |
Valerie Gordon (recurring) | |
| 1987 | The Allnighter The Allnighter (film) The Allnighter is a 1987 American comedy film directed by Tamar Simon Hoffs, released on May 1, 1987. The movie stars Susanna Hoffs, Dedee Pfeiffer, Joan Cusack and Pam Grier.-Background:... |
Sgt. McLeesh | |
| 1988 | Above the Law Above the Law (film) Above the Law is a 1988 action film directed by Andrew Davis, probably best-known for being the film debut of Steven Seagal. This came about after a successful screen test, financed by Michael Ovitz, led to Seagal being offered a contract by Warner Bros... |
Delores 'Jacks' Jackson | |
| 1989 | The Package | Ruth Butler | |
| 1990 | Class of 1999 Class of 1999 Class of 1999 is a 1990 science fiction film directed by Mark L. Lester. It is the director's follow-up to his 1982 film Class of 1984.-Synopsis:... |
Ms. Connors | |
| 1991 | Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey is a 1991 American science fiction comedy film, and the directing debut of Peter Hewitt. It is the second film in the Bill & Ted franchise, and a sequel to Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure . Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter and George Carlin reprise their respective roles... |
Ms. Wardroe | |
| 1993 | Posse Posse (1993 film) Posse is a 1993 American Western film directed by and starring Mario Van Peebles. Featuring a large ensemble cast of mostly African-American actors, the film is about a posse of black soldiers and one ostracized white soldier, who are all betrayed by a corrupt colonel. The title of the film refers... |
Phoebe | |
| 1996 | Mars Attacks! Mars Attacks! Mars Attacks! is a 1996 American science fiction film directed by Tim Burton and based on the cult trading card series of the same name. The film uses elements of black comedy, surreal humour, and political satire, and claims to be also a parody of multiple science fiction B movies... |
Louise Williams | |
| 1996 | Escape from L.A. Escape from L.A. Escape From L.A. is a 1996 film directed by John Carpenter. The sequel to the action film Escape from New York, the film follows former war hero Snake Plissken, played by Kurt Russell... |
Hershe Las Palmas | |
| 1996 | Original Gangstas Original Gangstas Original Gangstas is a 1996 action movie set in urban Gary, Indiana starring Blaxploitation film stars such as Fred Williamson, Pam Grier, Jim Brown, and Richard Roundtree.... |
Laurie Thompson | |
| 1997 | Jackie Brown Jackie Brown (film) Jackie Brown is a 1997 American crime drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is an adaptation of the novel Rum Punch by American novelist Elmore Leonard and pays homage to 1970s blaxploitation films.... |
Jackie Brown | San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress The San Diego Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress is an award given by the San Diego Film Critics Society to honor the finest female acting achievementes in filmmaking.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... Nominated — Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress The Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress is one of the annual film awards given by the Boston Society of Film Critics.-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... Nominated — Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy The Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy was first awarded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association as a separate category in 1950... Nominated - London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year Nominated - Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress The Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress is one of the annual awards given by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:-References:... Nominated — Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress The Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Actress is an award given by the Las Vegas Film Critics Society to honor the best actress of the year.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture:Number of Performances that won or nominated for Oscars:*1. Whoopi Goldberg - The Color Purple*2. Angela Bassett - What's Love Got to Do With It?... Nominated - National Board of Review Award for Best Actress National Board of Review Award for Best Actress The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Award for Best Actress is one of the annual film awards given by the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.-1940s:-1950s:- 1960s :- 1970s :- 1980s :- 1990s :- 2000s :-2010s:... Nominated - National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress TheNational Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress is an annual award given by the National Society of Film Critics to honour the best leading actress of the year.-1960s:-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... Nominated - Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress The Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress is one of the annual film awards given by the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle.-2000s:-2010s:... Nominated — Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy Satellite Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy The Satellite Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy is one the Satellite Awards, given annually by the International Press Academy.- 1990s :- 2000s :- 2010–2019 :... Nominated — Saturn Award for Best Actress Nominated — Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Nominated - Seattle Film Critics Award for Best Actress Nominated — Silver Bear for Best Actress Silver Bear for Best Actress The Silver Bear for Best Actress is the Berlin International Film Festival's award for achievement in performance by an actress.-Awards:- External links :*... Nominated — Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress Southeastern Film Critics Association Award for Best Actress The Southeastern Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress is one of the awards given by the Southeastern Film Critics Association to honor the finest female lead acting.-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:... |
| 1997 | Fakin' da Funk Fakin' Da Funk Fakin' Da Funk is a 1997 comedy film starring Pam Grier and Dante Basco about a Chinese son adopted by black parents who relocates to South Central Los Angeles. A second story involves Mai-Ling, an exchange student played by Margaret Cho, who by another twist, gets sent to the wrong 'hood'... |
Annnabelle Lee | |
| 1999 | Holy Smoke! Holy Smoke! Holy Smoke! is a 1999 Australian drama film directed by Jane Campion, who co-wrote the screenplay with her sister Anna. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was shown at the New York Film Festival and the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival before being released theatrically.-Plot... |
Carol | |
| 1999 | In Too Deep In Too Deep (1999 film) In Too Deep is a 1999 thriller film written by Michael Henry Brown and Paul Aaron, and directed by Michael Rymer and starring Omar Epps, LL Cool J, Stanley Tucci with Pam Grier and Nia Long.-Synopsis:... |
Det. Angela Wilson | |
| 1999 | Linc's | Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series:-Stats:*Most Wins**Jasmine Guy- 6 wins*Most Nominations-Winners:... (1999–2000) |
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| 1999 | Jawbreaker Jawbreaker (film) Jawbreaker is an American black comedy satire film, directed by Darren Stein. It was released February 19, 1999. The film stars Rose McGowan, Rebecca Gayheart, Julie Benz, and Judy Greer as girls in an exclusive clique in their high school. Charlotte Ayanna has a non-speaking cameo role as a... |
Detective Vera Cruz | |
| 2000 | Snow Day | Tina | |
| 2000 | 3 AM | Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Actress in Network/Cable Series Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special:*Most Wins: Cicely Tyson, Halle Berry, Angela Bassett, Alfre Woodard- 2 wins*Most Nominations:-Stats:... |
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| 2000 | Wilder | Detective Della Wilder | |
| 2000 | Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Ever Child | Nominated — Daytime Emmy Award Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming... for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program |
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| 2001 | Ghosts of Mars Ghosts of Mars John Carpenter's Ghosts of Mars is a 2001 American science fiction action horror film composed, written, and directed by John Carpenter. The film stars Ice Cube, Natasha Henstridge, Jason Statham, Pam Grier, Clea DuVall, and Joanna Cassidy... |
Commander Helena Braddock | |
| 2001 | Bones | Pearl | Nominated — Black Reel Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture |
| 2002 | The Adventures of Pluto Nash The Adventures of Pluto Nash The Adventures of Pluto Nash is a 2002 science fiction comedy film directed by Ron Underwood and starring Eddie Murphy as the owner of a lunar nightclub investigating who was behind the arson that destroyed his club... |
Flura Nash | |
| 2002 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced... |
Asst. US Attorney Claudia Williams | Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series:*Most Wins**Loretta Devine & S. Epatha Merkerson- has three wins*Most Nominations**1. S. Epatha Merkerson- 6 nominations**2. Pam Grier- 5 nominations... (2003–2004) |
| 2004–2009 | The L Word The L Word The L Word is an American co-production television drama series originally shown on Showtime portraying the lives of a group of lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people and their friends, family and lovers in the trendy Greater Los Angeles, California city of West Hollywood... |
Kate "Kit" Porter | Nominated — NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series:*Most Wins**Loretta Devine & S. Epatha Merkerson- has three wins*Most Nominations**1. S. Epatha Merkerson- 6 nominations**2. Pam Grier- 5 nominations... (2005–2006, 2008) |
| 2005 | Back in the Day | Mrs. Cooper | |
| 2008 | Ladies of the House Ladies of the House Ladies of the House is a television movie made-for-tv movie that aired on Hallmark Channel in October 2008. It stars Florence Henderson, Pam Grier, and Donna Mills.-Plot:... |
Birdie | Television film |
| 2010 | Smallville Smallville (TV series) Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October... |
Agent Amanda Waller Amanda Waller Dr. Amanda Blake Waller is a character published by DC Comics. She first appeared in Legends #1 in 1986, and was created by John Ostrander, Len Wein, and John Byrne... |
Three episodes: "Absolute Justice Absolute Justice "Absolute Justice" is the eleventh episode of the ninth season of the CW series Smallville, and the 185th episode of the overall series. The episode originally aired on February 5, 2010 in the United States, and was initially slated to be two individual episodes before it was ultimately turned into... ", "Checkmate" and "Sacrifice" |
| 2010 | Just Wright Just Wright Just Wright is a 2010 romantic comedy film starring Common and Queen Latifah that tells the story of a physical therapist who falls in love with a pro basketball player. The film received mixed reviews.-Plot:... |
Janice Wright | |
| 2010 | The Invited | Zelda | |
| 2011 | Larry Crowne Larry Crowne Larry Crowne is a 2011 American romantic comedy film starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. The film was directed by Hanks, who co-wrote its screenplay with Nia Vardalos... |
Frances | |
| 2011 | The Man with the Iron Fists | filming |