Actress Pam Grier has been a major American movie star since getting her start in Roger Corman's women-in-prison movie "The Big Doll House" in 1971. She will mark her 40th year in the film business with a role in the forthcoming Tom Hanks vehicle "Larry Crowne". It will be her 65th film appearance.
By 1973 she was soon becoming a star and standout in all sorts of films: The Twilight People (1973), Scream Blacula Scream (1973), and The Arena (1974). In the mid 70's, Grier was in a number of Blaxploitation pictures as the bonafide star... Foxy Brown (1974), Sheba Baby (1975), Bucktown (1975) and Friday Foster (1975). She was a box office draw, and it didn't hurt that she was also a smoking hot babe.
The genre tapered off in the last part of the 70's and she made one final appearance in Blaxploitation film of the era with the sequel to Mandingo, Drum (1976). It was time to move on for Grier and she sought mainstream roles in films like the Richard Pryor vehicle Greased Lightning. Her personal life heated up while her career cooled off a bit but she made a mini comeback with the gritty Paul Newman actioner Fort Apache The Bronx (1981).
While her memorable stint in a high profile film didn't immediately lead to much work for Grier, she persisted and ended up steadily working in film and TV until her full blown comeback with Quentin Tarantino's loving nod to the films of the era with Jackie Brown (1997). Audiences fell in love with her all over again and she garnered a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nomination and the respect she so deserves.
By 1973 she was soon becoming a star and standout in all sorts of films: The Twilight People (1973), Scream Blacula Scream (1973), and The Arena (1974). In the mid 70's, Grier was in a number of Blaxploitation pictures as the bonafide star... Foxy Brown (1974), Sheba Baby (1975), Bucktown (1975) and Friday Foster (1975). She was a box office draw, and it didn't hurt that she was also a smoking hot babe.
The genre tapered off in the last part of the 70's and she made one final appearance in Blaxploitation film of the era with the sequel to Mandingo, Drum (1976). It was time to move on for Grier and she sought mainstream roles in films like the Richard Pryor vehicle Greased Lightning. Her personal life heated up while her career cooled off a bit but she made a mini comeback with the gritty Paul Newman actioner Fort Apache The Bronx (1981).
While her memorable stint in a high profile film didn't immediately lead to much work for Grier, she persisted and ended up steadily working in film and TV until her full blown comeback with Quentin Tarantino's loving nod to the films of the era with Jackie Brown (1997). Audiences fell in love with her all over again and she garnered a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild nomination and the respect she so deserves.
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