Pam Grier Biography

The Blaxploitation movement of the 60’s and 70’s, helped spark pride, as well as representation for black communities towards the end of the Civil Rights Movements. These low-budget films would depict the crime, and violence that would occur in urban communities, and the leading character would usually be an anti-hero. Pam Grier has been considered to be the first female action star. Her films had been major box office hits, and she is widely seen as aa 1970's sex symbol. Though Pam Grier had even undergone many difficult experiences throughout her life, her strength in character which she had symbolically represented in her films, has helped turn her into an icon, influencing other black actresses, as well as maintaining her relevance in the modern era.

         The film Coffy, which was one of Grier’s earlier roles, in 1973, helped boost her career as a national star, getting her signed to American International Pictures for five years. This opportunity would get her into other iconic leading roles in movies such as Foxy Brown (1974), Sheba, Baby (1975), and Friday Foster (1975). These blaxploitation films would characterize her as a strong, and empowered female action anti-hero who would oftentimes specifically target drug dealing groups for vengeance. These roles helped achieve her icon status for the way she would embrace her sexuality, as well as empowerment for all women. This was made even more relevant when noting that the early 1970’s marked the time of the second sexual revolution, and the women’s rights movement. Not a lot of films would depict female antihero characters, fighting against other women, and targeting men in revenge plots, Pam Grier was the ultimate exception, and this is what made her a woman of her time.

         Although, Pam’s career has seen several triumphs, and tribulations she has also had many struggles. Usually these struggles revolved around the high-profile relationships she would be in. Her relationship with comedian Richard Pryor, ended after she found that he would have sex with her while having put drugs on his genitalia, this caused a lot of serious health defects to form around her pelvic area. Her relationship with Freddie Prinze, another actor ended due to his growing depression, and obsessive drug use, after their breakup Grier became one of the last people he had talked to through the phone before he committed suicide. Another struggle Pam had undergone through her career was her cancer battle she had struggled with throughout the late 80’s, putting a major halt in her acting career while she went through treatment.

         One of her greatest achievements, however can be her career revival in Quentin Tarantino’s 1997 film “Jackie Brown”. The film gave her her first Golden Globe nomination, and an NAACP Image award. The movie centered around a financially struggling stewardess, developing a plan to swindle two FBI agents, a bail bondsman, and a gun dealer. The film reprised her characteristics from earlier films, as a strong female action lead. Since then Grier has started in recurring, and starring roles in several television shows, such as The L Word, and Law And Order, and several modern films. Her acting roles have inspired, and influenced the style of many black actresses in Hollywood.

         Pam Grier can be identified by many as the first female action star, and is widely recognized for her iconic roles throughout the blaxploitation movement in the early 1970’s. Although, she has faced many struggles she is ideally known for the strong persona that she has carried herself with throughout her career.