Grier, Pam 1949–

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Grier, Pam 1949–

(Pam Greer, Pamela Grier)

PERSONAL

Full name, Pamela Suzette Grier; born May 26, 1949, in Winston-Salem, NC; daughter of Clarence Ransom (a military aircraft mechanic) and Gwendolyn Sylvia (a registered nurse; maiden name, Samuels) Grier; cousin of Roosevelt Grier (a professional football player and actor). Education: Attended Metropolitan State College, Denver, CO, and the University of California, Los Angeles; studied acting. Religion: Methodist. Avocational Interests: Skiing, scuba diving, horseback riding, tennis.

Addresses: Agent—Steve LaManna, Innovative Artists, 1505 10th St., Santa Monica, CA 90401.

Career: Actress. Performed as a singer and participated in beauty pageants. Switchboard operator at a talent agency and for American International Pictures, c. 1969. Some sources state that Grier founded a production company, sang at various venues with the singer Snoop Dogg, worked as a cheerleader for the Denver Broncos, was a presenter at the Newark Black Film Festival, and operated a design firm. Also known as Pam Greer.

Member: Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Actors' Equity Association, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Amnesty International.

Awards, Honors: Image Award, best actress, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, 1986, for Fool for Love; Achievement awards, National Black Theatre Festival and African-American Film Society, both 1993; Tuesday, October 13, 1998, declared Pam Grier Day in Denver, CO, by Denver mayor Wellington E. Webb; Career Achievement awards, Chicago International Film Festival, 1998, and Acapulco Black Film Festival, 1999; Golden Globe Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a comedy or musical film, Screen Actors Guild Award nomination, outstanding performance by a female actor in a leading role, Image Award nomination, outstanding lead actress in a motion picture, Golden Satellite Award nomination, best performance by an actress in a motion picture—comedy or musical, International Press Academy, and Saturn Award nomination, best actress, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films, all 1998, and Golden Slate, best female performance, Csapnivalo awards, 2000, all for Jackie Brown; Image Award nominations, outstanding lead actress in a comedy series, 1999 and 2000, both for Linc's; Daytime Emmy Award nomination, outstanding performer in an animated program, 2000, for "The Empress's Nightingale," Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child; Susan B. Anthony "Failure Is Impossible" Award, High Falls Film Festival, 2001; Black Reel Award nomination, best actress in a theatrical film, Foundation for the Advancement of African Americans in Film, 2002, for Bones; Image Award nomination, outstanding actress in a television movie, miniseries, or dramatic special, 2002, for 3 A.M.; Trumpet Award for film, 2003; Image Award nominations, outstanding supporting actress in a drama series, 2003 and 2004, both for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit; Image Award nominations, outstanding supporting actress in a drama series, 2005 and 2006, both for The L Word; named one of the 100 most fascinating women of the twentieth century, Ebony magazine.

CREDITS

Film Appearances

(As Pamela Grier) Partygoer, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (also known as Hollywood Vixens), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1970.

Grear, The Big Doll House (also known as Bamboo Dolls House, Women's Penitentiary, and Women's Penitentiary II), New World, 1971.

Alabama, Women in Cages (also known as Women's Penitentiary III), New World, 1972.

Blossom, The Big Bird Cage (also known as Women's Penitentiary II), New World, 1972.

(As Pamela Grier) Gozelda, Hit Man, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1972.

Lee Daniels, Black Mama, White Mama (also known as Chained Women, Chains of Hate, Hot, Hard, and Mean, and Women in Chains), American International Pictures, 1972.

(As Pamela Grier) Mona, Cool Breeze, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1972.

Aleysa the panther woman, Twilight People (also known as Beasts and Island of the Twilight People), Dimension Films, 1973.

Title role, Coffy, American International Pictures, 1973.

Lisa, Scream, Blacula, Scream! (also known as Blacula Is Beautiful, Blacula Lives Again!, Blacula II, and The Name Is Blacula), American International Pictures, 1973.

Title role, Foxy Brown, American International Pictures, 1974.

Mamawi, The Arena (also known as Naked Warriors and La rivolta delle gladiatrici), New World, 1974.

Aretha, Bucktown, American International Pictures, 1975.

Title role, Friday Foster, American International Pictures, 1975.

Sheba Shayne, Sheba, Baby, American International Pictures, 1975.

(As Pamela Grier) Regine, Drum, United Artists, 1976.

Mary Jones, Greased Lightning, Warner Bros., 1977.

(As Pamela Grier) Sandra, La notte dell'alta marea (also known as The Night of the High Tide and Twilight of Love), 1977.

Charlotte, Fort Apache, the Bronx, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1981.

Dust witch, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Buena Vista, 1983.

Myra, Tough Enough, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1983.

Cathryn Bolan, Stand Alone, New World, 1985.

Cora, On the Edge, Skouras Pictures, 1985.

Hunter, The Vindicator (also known as Frankenstein '88), Fox Home Video, 1986.

Sergeant MacLeish, The Allnighter, Universal, 1987.

Delores "Jacks" Jackson, Above the Law (also known as Nico and Nico: Above the Law), Warner Bros., 1988.

Ruth Butler, The Package, Orion, 1989.

Ms. Connors, Class of 1999, Taurus Entertainment, 1990.

Ms. Wardroe, Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, Orion, 1991.

Phoebe, Posse, Gramercy Pictures, 1993.

Captain Maggie Davis, Serial Killer, Republic, 1996.

Hershe Las Palmas, Escape from L.A. (also known as John Carpenter's "Escape from L.A."), Paramount, 1996.

Laurie Thompson, Original Gangstas (also known as Hot City), Orion, 1996.

Louise Williams, Mars Attacks!, Warner Bros., 1996.

Annabelle Lee, Fakin' da Funk, Octillion Entertainment, 1997.

Title role, Jackie Brown, Miramax, 1997.

Janette, Strip Search, A-pix Entertainment/Quadra Entertainment, 1997.

Detective Vera Cruz, Jawbreaker, Columbia/TriStar, 1998.

Diane, No Tomorrow, PM Entertainment Group, 1998.

Woo, New Line Cinema, 1998.

Carol, Holy Smoke!, Miramax, 1999.

Detective Angela Wilson, In Too Deep, Dimension Films, 1999.

Susan Mendenhall (some sources cite Susan Teller), Fortress 2 (also known as Fortress 2: Re-Entry), 1999.

Detective Della Wilder (title role), Wilder (also known as Slow Burn and Wilder: Profession detective), Dream Rock/Bedford Entertainment, 2000.

Tina, Snow Day, Paramount, 2000.

Commander Helena Braddock, Ghosts of Mars (also known as John Carpenter's "Ghosts of Mars"), Screen Gems/Columbia/TriStar, 2001.

Pearl, Bones, New Line Cinema, 2001.

Linda Fox, Love the Hard Way, Vine International Pictures, 2001, Kino International, 2003.

Flura Nash, The Adventures of Pluto Nash (also known as Pluto Nash), Warner Bros., 2002.

Mrs. Williams, Baby of the Family, DownSouth Filmworks, 2002.

(Uncredited; in archive footage) Herself, Undercover Brother, Universal, 2002.

Herself, A Decade under the Influence (documentary), IFC Films, 2003.

Zelda, Untitled Ryan McKinney Project, Dark Portal, c. 2006.

Film Work

Performer of title song, The Big Doll House (also known as Bamboo Dolls House, Women's Penitentiary, and Women's Penitentiary II), New World, 1971.

Performer of songs that have appeared in other films.

Television Appearances; Series

Suzanne Terry, Crime Story, NBC, c. 1986–88.

Eleanor Braithwaite Winthrop, Linc's, Showtime, 1998–2000.

Host, Women & the Badge, Oxygen Network, beginning 2002.

Kit Porter, The L Word (also known as Earthlings), Showtime, beginning 2004.

Television Appearances; Miniseries

Francey, Roots: The Next Generations, ABC, 1979.

Suzette Lermontant, Feast of All Saints (also known as Anne Rice's "The Feast of All Saints"), Showtime, 2001.

Herself, The 100 Most Memorable TV Moments, TV Land, 2004.

Television Appearances; Movies

Alexandra "Alie" Horn, Badge of the Assassin, CBS, 1985.

Linda Holman, A Mother's Right: The Elizabeth Morgan Story (also known as Shattered Silence), ABC, 1992.

Mrs. Quincy, Family Blessings (also known as LaVyrle Spencer's "Family Blessings"), CBS, 1996.

Sam, Hayley Wagner, Star, HBO, 1999.

George, 3 A.M., Showtime, 2001.

Claire Washburn, 1st to Die (also known as F1rst to Die and James Patterson's "F1rst to Die"), NBC, 2003.

Mrs. Cooper, Back in the Day, Black Entertainment Television, 2005.

Television Appearances; Specials

Herself, The Making of "Something Wicked This Way Comes," 1983.

Narrator, Paul Robeson: Speak of Me As I Am, PBS, 1998.

(As Pamela Grier) Voice of the nightingale, "The Empress's Nightingale," Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (animated; also known as The Empress's Nightingale: An Animated Special from "The Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child" Series), HBO, 1999.

Herself, It Conquered Hollywood! The Story of American International Pictures (documentary), American Movie Classics, 2001.

The Sandra Bernhard Experience, Arts and Entertainment, 2001.

Herself, Totally Gayer, VH1, 2004.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations

16th Annual Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, syndicated, 1989.

Herself, Fourth Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as Screen Actors Guild Fourth Annual Awards), TNT, 1998.

Presenter, The 25th Annual American Music Awards, ABC, 1998.

Presenter, The 29th NAACP Image Awards, Fox, 1998.

Presenter, The Source Hip-Hop Music Awards, UPN, 2001.

Presenter, World Stunt Awards, ABC, 2001.

Herself, 2003 Trumpet Awards, TBS, 2003.

Television Appearances; Episodic

Guest, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (also known as The Best of Carson), NBC, multiple episodes in 1973.

Guest, Soul Train, syndicated, 1973, 1977.

Cynthia Williams, "The Kinfolk/Sis and the Slicker/Moonlight and Moonshine/Affair: Parts 1 & 2," The Love Boat, ABC, 1980.

Valerie Gordon, "Prodigal Son," Miami Vice, NBC, 1985.

Valerie Gordon, "Rites of Passage," Miami Vice, NBC, 1985.

Benet Collins, "Hurricane: Parts 1 & 2," Night Court, NBC, 1986.

Samantha, "Planning Parenthood," The Cosby Show, NBC, 1987.

Neema Sharone, "Frank's Place: The Movie," Frank's Place, CBS, 1988.

Susan Province, "Blood Red," Midnight Caller, NBC, 1989.

Lieutenant Guthrie, "Dead but Not Buried: Part 1," Knots Landing, CBS, 1990.

Lieutenant Guthrie, "What If?," Knots Landing, CBS, 1990.

Valerie Gordon, "Too Much, Too Late," Miami Vice, NBC, 1990.

"Hostile Takeover," Monsters, 1991.

Grace Ballard, "My Favorite Dad," Pacific Station, NBC, 1992.

Janice Robertson, "M Is for the Many Things She Gave Me," The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, NBC, 1994.

Lynn Montgomery, "The Telethon," The Sinbad Show, Fox, 1994.

Major Vanetta Brown, "Rainbow Comix," The Marshal, ABC, 1995.

Herself, "All the Players Came," Martin, Fox, 1995.

Anita Grayson, "Pillow Talk," Sparks (also known as Sparks, Sparks, and Sparks), UPN, 1996.

Erica, "Goin' to the Net," The Wayans Bros., The WB, 1996.

Herself, "Show n97," Mundo VIP, 1998.

Voice of Julie Auburn, "Inherit the Wheeze," Steven Spielberg Presents "Pinky and the Brain" (animated; also known as Pinky and the Brain), The WB, 1998.

Guest host, Mad TV, Fox, 1998.

Guest, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, syndicated, 1998.

Brenda, "The Sins of the Mother and … the Boyfriend," For Your Love, The WB, 1999.

Voice of Mother Springbok, "Stick Your Neck Out," The Wild Thornberrys (animated), Nickelodeon, 1999.

Herself, Intimate Portrait: Pam Grier, Lifetime, 1999.

Bar owner, "Time Is on My Side," Strange Frequency, VH1, 2001.

Guest, The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (also known as The Late Late Show), CBS, 2001.

Herself, Miami Vice: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 2001.

Hollywood Unleashed, Animal Planet, 2001.

The Test, FX Channel, 2001.

Assistant United States attorney Claudia Williams, "Disappearing Acts," Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (also known as Law & Order's Sex Crimes, Law & Order: SVU, and Special Victims Unit), NBC, 2002.

Dr. Lewis, "Switch," Night Visions, Fox, 2002.

Voice of My'ria'h, "A Knight of Shadows: Parts 1 & 2," Justice League (animated; also known as JL, JLA, and Justice League of America), Cartoon Network, 2002.

Assistant United States attorney Claudia Williams, "Pandora," Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (also known as Law & Order's Sex Crimes, Law & Order: SVU, and Special Victims Unit), NBC, 2003.

Guest, The Wayne Brady Show, syndicated, 2004.

Herself, Snoop Dogg: The E! True Hollywood Story, E! Entertainment Television, 2005.

Also appeared in an episode of In Living Color, Fox.

Television Appearances; Pilots

Kit Porter, The L Word (also known as Earthlings), Showtime, 2004.

Stage Appearances

Frankie and Johnny at the Clair de Lune, c. 1980.

May, Fool for Love, Los Angeles Theatre Center, Los Angeles, 1985–86.

Telltale Hearts, Crossroads Theatre Company, New Brunswick, NJ, 1993–94.

Also appeared in The Piano Lesson.

RECORDINGS

Videos

Herself, Baadasssss Cinema (documentary), New Video Group, 2002.

Herself, Diggin' Up "Bones" (short), New Line Home Video, 2002.

Herself, Jackie Brown: How It Went Down (short documentary), Miramax Home Entertainment, 2002.

(In archive footage) Herself, Sex at 24 Frames per Second (documentary; also known as Playboy Presents "Sex at 24 Frames per Second: The Ultimate Journey through Sex in Cinema"), Playboy Entertainment Group, 2003.