Pam Grier

Born May 26, 1949, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Pam Grier is more than just a woman, she's an icon. Any time you see a woman kicking ass in movies, you can thank her.

Have no fear. Pam Grier... is here.

—Trailer for Foxy Brown

Pam Grier has performed in the following roles:

Film:

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970): Partygoer
The Big Doll House (1971): Grear
Women in Cages (1971): Alabama
The Twilight People (1972): Ayesa
Cool Breeze (1972): Mona
The Big Bird Cage (1972): Blossom
Hit Man (1972): Gozelda
Black Mama White Mama (1973): Lee Daniels
Coffy (1973): Nurse Flower Child 'Coffy' Coffin
Scream Blacula Scream (1973): Lisa Fortier
The Arena (1974): Mamawi
Foxy Brown (1974): Foxy Brown
Sheba, Baby (1975): Sheba Shayne
Bucktown (1975): Aretha
Friday Foster (1975): Friday Foster
Drum (1976): Regine
Twilight of Love (1977): Sandra
Greased Lightning (1977): Mary Jones
Fort Apache, The Bronx (1981): Charlotte
Tough Enough (1983): Myra
Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983): Dust Witch
Stand Alone (1985): Cathryn Bolan
Badge of the Assassin (1985, television film): Alexandra Horn
The Vindicator (1986): Hunter
On the Edge (1986): Cora
The Allnighter (1987): Sgt. McLeesh
Above the Law (1988): Detective Delores 'Jacks' Jackson
The Package (1989): Ruth Butler
Class of 1999 (1990): Ms. Connors
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991): Ms. Wardroe
A Mother's Right: The Elizabeth Morgan Story (1992, television film): Linda Holman
Posse (1993): Phoebe
Original Gangstas (1996): Laurie Thompson
Escape from L.A. (1996): Jack 'Carjack' Malone / Hershe Las Palmas
Mars Attacks! (1996): Louise Williams
Strip Search (1997): Janette
Fakin' da Funk (1997): Annabelle Lee
Jackie Brown (1997): Jackie Brown
Family Blessings (1998, television film): Mrs. Quincy
Jawbreaker (1999): Det. Vera Cruz
No Tomorrow (1999): Diane
In Too Deep (1999): Det. Angela Wilson
Holy Smoke! (1999): Carol
Hayley Wagner, Star (1999, television film): Sam
Snow Day (2000): Tina
Fortress 2: Re-Entry (2000): Susan Mendenhall
Wilder (2000): Detective Della Wilder
3 A.M. (2001): George
Love the Hard Way (2001): Linda
Ghosts of Mars (2001): Commander Helena Braddock
Bones (2001): Pearl
The Feast of All Saints (2001, television film): Suzzette Lermontant
The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002): Flura Nash
Baby of the Family (2002): Mrs. Williams
First to Die (2003, television film): Claire Washburn
Back in the Day (2005): Mrs. Cooper
Ladies of the House (2008, television film): Roberta "Birdie" Marchand
Just Wright (2010): Janice Wright
The Invited (2010): Zelda
Machete Maidens Unleashed! (2010): Herself
Larry Crowne (2011): Frances
Corman's World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel (2011): Herself
Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day (2012): Detective Barrick
The Man with the Iron Fists (2012): Jane
Mafia (2012): James Womack
Cleveland Abduction (2015, television film): Nurse Carla
Bad Grandmas (2017): Coralee
Being Rose (2017): Lily
Poms (2019): Olive
A Christmas Wish (2019, television film): Mary
Cinnamon (2023): Mama
Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (2023): Majorie Washburn

Live-Action TV:

Roots: The Next Generations (1979, episode "Part IV (1917–1921)"): Francey
The Love Boat (1980, episode "Kinfolk/Sis & the Slicker/Moonlight & Moonshine/Too Close for Comfort/The Affair: Part 1 & 2"): Cynthia Wilbur
Miami Vice (1985–1990 seasons 1, 2, 5): Valerie Gordon
Night Court (1986, episode "Hurricane: Part 1 & 2"): Benet Collins
Crime Story (1986–1988): Suzanne Terry
The Cosby Show (1987, episode "Planning Parenthood"): Samantha
Frank's Place (1988, episode "Frank's Place – The Movie"): Neema Sharone
Midnight Caller (1989, episode "Blood Red"): Susan Province
Knots Landing (1990, season 12): Lieutenant Guthrie
Monsters (1991, episode "Hostile Takeover"): Matilde
Pacific Station (1992, episode "My Favorite Dad"): Grace Ballard
In Living Color (1994, episode "Mrs. Ikefire"): Herself
The Sinbad Show (1994, episode "The Telethon"): Lynn Montgomery
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1994, episode "M is for the Many Things She Gave Me"): Janice Robertson
The Marshal (1995, episode "Rainbow Comix"): Marshal Vanetta Brown
Martin (1995, episode "All the Players Came"): Herself
Sparks (1996, episode "Pillow Talk"): Ms. Grayson
The Wayans Bros. (1996, episode "Goin' to the Net"): Erica
Mad TV (1998, episode "#3.25"): Host
Linc's (1998–2000 ): Eleanor Winthrop
For Your Love (1999, episode "The Sins of the Mother and... the Boyfriend"): Brenda
Strange Frequency (2001, episode "Time Is on My Side"): ?
Night Visions (2002, episode "Switch"): Dr. Lewis
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2002–2003, 2 episodes): Asst. US Attorney Claudia Williams
The L Word (2004–2009): Kit Porter
Smallville (2010, season 9): Amanda Waller
This Is Us (2018–2019, two episodes): Grandma
Bless This Mess (2019–2020): Constance Terry

Music Videos:

"Doggy Dogg World" (Snoop Dogg, 1994): Foxy Brown

Video Games:

Grand Theft Auto V (2013): Herself (DJ on the in-game radio station "The Lowdown 91.1")
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare ("Shaolin Shuffle" DLC, 2017): Herself

Western Animation:

Pinky and the Brain (1998, episode "Inherit the Wheeze"): Julie Auburn
The Wild Thornberrys (1999, episode "Stick Your Neck Out"): Mother Springbok
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (1999, episode "The Empress' Nightingale"): The Empress' Nightingale
Justice League (2002, episode "A Knight of Shadows"): My'ria'h
The Great North (2022, episode "Slide & Wet-Judice Adventure"): Neckbone

Discography:

"Long Time Woman" (1971, single from the film The Big Doll House)
Communication (Bobby Womack, 1971): backing vocals
Understanding (Bobby Womack, 1972): backing vocals

Works written by Pam Grier include:

Foxy: My Life in Three Acts (2010)

Pam Grier provides examples of the following tropes:

Action Girl: Before Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor codified this trope in movies, she pretty much defined it.
Badass
Blaxploitation: She and Tamara Dobson became the genre's leading actresses.
Hot Chick in a Badass Suit: Two Words: Jackie Brown.
Ms. Fanservice: Her boobs were an important part of a whole generation of men's puberties.
One of Us: a self-described bookish nerd in real life. The Mars Attacks! role appealed to her because of the comics she grew up reading.
- Or the sketch on Mad TV where she plays a back superhero from the future who goes back to the 1950s to reassure a bunch of black heroes from that era that their contribution to black hero-ing is indeed important.
Sassy Black Woman