Back in the 1970s, there was a whole genre of movies known as 'Blaxploitation,' and Pam Grier was the undisputed queen of them. Grier reached prominence within the genre by appearing in movies such as 'The Big Bird Cage,' 'Sheba, Baby' and 'Foxy Brown.'
As well as being an influential performer within black culture and black film during the 70s, Grier was also in relationships with two huge stars. She dated the comedian Freddie Prinze and is believed to be the last person he spoke to before his 1977 suicide. She also dated Richard Pryor, who she met during the filming of 'Greased Lightning' and is credited with helping him to learn to read. As an actress, critic Roger Ebert was a big fan of Grier's work, crediting her with being able to bring a humanity and reality to her roles that others working in her genre weren't capable of.