Acting · Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA · Born May 26, 1949
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).
MovieThe Way Things Seem to Be
2026
as Self
MovieMystery Cuddlers
2024
as Juniper
MovieAs We Know It
2023
as Beverly Jones
MoviePet Sematary: Bloodlines
2023
as Majorie Washburn
MovieCinnamon
2023
as Mama
TVSherri
2022
as Self - Guest
TVThe Jennifer Hudson Show
2022
as Self
TVThem
2021
as Athena
MovieHow It Feels to Be Free
2021
as Self (archival footage)
TVThe Great North
2021
as Neckbone (voice)
Quentin Tarantino: From a Movie Buff to a Hollywood Legend
2021
as Self (archive footage)
MovieSkin: A History of Nudity in the Movies
2020
as Self
MovieBeautiful Like a Poem
2020
as Self (archive footage)
MovieTime Warp Vol. 1: Midnight Madness
2020
as Self
TVTime Warp: The Greatest Cult Films of All Time
2020
as Self
MovieA Christmas Wish
2019
as Mary
TVThe Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
as Self
MoviePoms
2019
as Olive
TVBless This Mess
2019
as Constance
MovieBeing Rose
2017
as Lily
MovieBad Grandmas
2017
as Coralee
MovieDo I Look Like a Lady? (Comedians and Singers)
2016
as Self (archive footage)
TVThis Is Us
2016
as Grandma
MovieKings of Cult
2015
as (archive footage)
MovieCleveland Abduction
2015
as Carla
MovieRichard Pryor: Omit the Logic
2013
as Self (archive footage)
MovieQuentin Tarantino: 20 Years of Filmmaking
2013
as Self
MovieThe Man with the Iron Fists
2012
as Jane
MovieWoman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day
2012
as Detective Barrick
MovieCorman's World
2011
as Self - Actress
MovieLarry Crowne
2011
as Frances
TVBob's Burgers
2011
as Evelyn (voice)
MovieMafia
2011
as James Womack
MovieCelebrity Nude Revue: The Saucy 70's Volume 1
2010
as Self
MovieMachete Maidens Unleashed!
2010
as Self
MovieJust Wright
2010
as Janice Wright
MovieThe Invited
2010
as Zelda
TVCelebrity Ghost Stories
2009
as Self
TVWatch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
2009
as Self - Guest
MovieLadies of the House
2008
as Birdie
MovieBad Girls Behind Bars
2005
as Alabama (archive footage)
MovieBack in the Day
2005
as Mrs. Cooper
TVThe L Word
2004
as Kit Porter
MovieA Decade Under the Influence
2003
as Self
MovieLove the Hard Way
2003
as Linda Fox
MovieFirst to Die
2003
as Claire Washburn
MovieJackie Brown: How It Went Down
2002
as Self
MovieThe Adventures of Pluto Nash
2002
as Flura Nash
MovieBaadAsssss Cinema
2002
as Self
TVJustice League
2001
as My'ria'h (voice)
MovieFeast of All Saints
2001
as Suzette Lermontant
MovieBones
2001
as Pearl
TVSmallville
2001
as Amanda Waller
TVStrange Frequency
2001
MovieGhosts of Mars
2001
as Commander Helena Braddock
Movie3 A.M.
2001
as George
MovieIt Conquered Hollywood! The Story of American International Pictures
2001
as Self
MovieWilder
2000
as Detective Della Wilder
MovieFortress 2
2000
as Susan Mendenhall
MovieSnow Day
2000
as Tina
MovieNo Tomorrow
1999
as Diane
TVLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
as Assistant US Attorney Claudia Williams
MovieHayley Wagner, Star
1999
as Sam
MovieHoly Smoke
1999
as Carol
MovieIn Too Deep
1999
as Det. Angela Wilson
TVThe Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn
1999
as Self - Guest
MovieJawbreaker
1999
as Detective Vera Cruz
MovieFamily Blessings
1998
as Mrs. Quincy
MoviePete Rock: Soul Survivor
1998
as Pam Grier
MovieAll Saints: The Video
1998
as Herself (archive footage) (uncredited)
TVHollywood Squares
1998
as Self - Panelist
TVThe Wild Thornberrys
1998
as Mother Springbok (voice)
Linc's
1998
as Eleanor Braithwaite Winthrop
MoviePaul Robeson: Speak of Me as I Am
1998
as Narrator (voice)
MovieJackie Brown
1997
as Jackie Brown
TVThe View
1997
as Self
MovieFakin' Da Funk
1997
as Annabelle Lee
MovieStrip Search
1997
as Janette
MovieAfro Promo
1997
as Self (archive footage)
MovieMars Attacks!
1996
as Louise Williams
TVE! True Hollywood Story
1996
MovieEscape from L.A.
1996
as Hershe Las Palamas
TVThe Daily Show
1996
as Self - Guest
MovieOriginal Gangstas
1996
as Laurie Thompson
MovieSinbad: Son of a Preacher Man
1996
as Self
MovieBadass Supermama
1996
as (archive footage)
TVMADtv
1995
as Self - Guest Host
MovieSerial Killer
1995
as Capt. Maggie Davis
TVHappily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
1995
as Nightingale (voice)
TVThe Wayans Bros.
1995
as Erica
TVIntimate Portrait
1993
as Self
The Sinbad Show
1993
TVLate Night with Conan O'Brien
1993
as Self - Guest
MoviePosse
1993
as Phoebe
MovieA Mother's Right: The Elizabeth Morgan Story
1992
as Linda Holman
TVMartin
1992
as Pam Grier
TVPacific Station
1991
as Grace Ballard
MovieBill & Ted's Bogus Journey
1991
as Ms. Wardroe
TVThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
1990
as Janice
MovieClass of 1999
1990
as Ms. Connors
MovieThe Package
1989
as Ruth Butler
TVMonsters
1988
as Matilde
MovieAbove the Law
1988
as Delores 'Jacks' Jackson
TVFrank's Place
1987
as Neema Sharone
MovieThe Allnighter
1987
as Sargeant McLeish
TVCrime Story
1986
as Suzanne Terry
MovieOn the Edge
1986
as Cara
MovieThe Vindicator
1986
as Hunter
MovieStand Alone
1985
as Cathryn Bolan
MovieBadge of the Assassin
1985
as Alexandra 'Alie' Horn
TVThe Cosby Show
1984
as Samantha
TVMiami Vice
1984
TVNight Court
1984
as Benet Collins
MovieSomething Wicked This Way Comes
1983
as Dust Witch
MovieTough Enough
1983
as Myra
MovieFort Apache, the Bronx
1981
as Charlotte
TVKnots Landing
1979
as Lieutenant Guthrie
TVRoots: The Next Generations
1979
as Francey
TVThe Love Boat
1977
as Cynthia Wilbur
MovieGreased Lightning
1977
as Mary Jones
MovieTwilight of Love
1977
as Sandra
MovieDrum
1976
as Regine
MovieFriday Foster
1975
as Friday Foster
MovieBucktown
1975
as Aretha
MovieSheba, Baby
1975
as Sheba Shayne
TVPeople's Choice Awards
1975
as Self
MovieFoxy Brown
1974
as Foxy Brown
MovieThe Arena
1974
as Mamawi
MovieScream Blacula Scream
1973
as Lisa Fortier
MovieCoffy
1973
as Coffy
MovieBlack Mama, White Mama
1973
as Lee Daniels
MovieHit Man
1972
as Gozelda
MovieThe Big Bird Cage
1972
as Blossom
MovieThe Twilight People
1972
as Ayesa, the Panther Woman
MovieCool Breeze
1972
as Mona
MovieWomen in Cages
1971
as Alabama
MovieThe Big Doll House
1971
as Grear
MovieBeyond the Valley of the Dolls
1970
as Fourth Woman
TVThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self
MovieDiggin’ Up "Bones"
as Self
