Pam was one of four children born to Air Force mechanic Clarence Grier and Gwendolyn Samuels, a nurse. One sister died from cancer in 1990 and the son of that sister committed suicide because of his mother's illness. Pam herself was diagnosed with cancer in 1988 and given 18 months to live which has had an effect on how she has chosen to live. She has never been wed, although she has been romantically linked to Richard Pryor and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the past. Pam Grier has been a major African American actress from the early seventies. Her career started back in 1971 when Roger Corman of New World Pictures launched her into Big Doll House, The (1971), about a woman's penitentiary and Big Bird Cage, The (1972). Her strong role put her into a five year contract with Samuel Z. Arkoff of American International Pictures and from then Grier became a leading lady in action films such as two of the Jack Hill films: Coffy (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974), and the comic strip character Friday Foster (1975) and the William Girdler film Sheba, Baby (1975). She continued work with American International where she portrayed William Marshalls vampire victim in the Scream Blacula Scream (1973). During the eighties she became a regular on "Miami Vice" (1984) and played a supporting role as an evil witch in Ray Bradbury">Blacula sequel, Scream Blacula Scream (1973). During the eighties she became a regular on "Miami Vice" (1984) and played a supporting role as an evil witch in Ray Bradburys and Walt Disney Pictures Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) and then returned to action as Steven Seagals partner in Above the Law (1988). Her most famous role of the 90s was probably Jackie Brown (1997), directed by Quentin Tarantino, which was a homage to her earlier 70s action roles, but she occasionally did supporting roles as in Tim Burtons Mars Attacks! (1996), In Too Deep (1999) and her funny performance in Jawbreaker (1999). More recently, she appeared in John Carpenters Ghosts of Mars (2001) and co-starred with Snoop Dogg in Bones (2001). Her entire career of over thirty years has brought only success for this beautiful and talented actress.