Born on May 26, 1949 (Winston-Salem, California, USA).

Daughter of an American Air Force mechanic, she grew up on military bases in England and Germany. In her teenage years, her family settled in Denver, Colorado, where at eighteen Grier took part in the "Miss Colorado" beauty pageant and attracted the attention of Hollywood agent David Baumgarten, who signed her to a contract.

Grier began her career by appearing in a number of films devoted to the exploitation of women in prisons: "The Big Doll House" (1971), "Women in Cages" (1971), "The Big Bird Cage" (1972), "Black Mama, White Mama" (1972). Then director Jack Hill raised her to the pedestal of fame by inviting her to appear in "Coffy" (1973) and "Foxy Brown" (1974), two of the most memorable films of the blaxploitation era.

Grier continued to be an icon of the 1970s, but her films became paler and weaker. Of course, Grier once again captured the public's attention with a role in Quentin Tarantino's most underrated film, "Jackie Brown" (1997).