David Alan Grier
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David Alan Grier may be best known as a dexterous TV comedy star, but he is also a multi-talented veteran of musicals, plays, and numerous films. Born in Detroit, Grier graduated with a B.A. in radio, TV, and film from the University of Michigan. Shortly after earning his master's degree at the Yale School of Drama, Grier made his Tony award-nominated Broadway debut in 1981, starring in the musical The First. Along with a stint in the hit musical Dreamgirls, Grier also did Shakespeare and acted in the off-Broadway drama A Soldier's Play. Moving to film, Grier earned the Venice Film Festival's Best Actor prize for his first feature, Robert Altman's Streamers (1983). Grier was subsequently one of several cast members to make the transition from stage to screen when A Soldier's Play was adapted into the critically lauded, Best Picture nominee A Soldier's Story (1984). Grier moved to lighter cinematic fare with a starring role in the advertising parody Beer (1985) and appeared in a series of undistinguished films, including From the Hip (1986) and Almost an Angel (1990). Grier's brief role in Keenen Ivory Wayans' dead-on blaxploitation spoof I'm Gonna Git You Sucka! (1988), however, turned into an even more fruitful collaboration when Wayans cast Grier in his comedy sketch show In Living Color. Throughout In Living Color's 1990-1994 run, Grier created some of the show's most memorable characters, including flamboyant, circle-snapping critic Antoine Merriweather of "Men On. . ." Grier maintained his film career by appearing as himself in Altman's Hollywood satire The Player (1992) and co-starring in the Eddie Murphy vehicle Boomerang (1992), as well as Damon Wayans' superhero spoof Blankman (1994). After the show ended, Grier continued to alternate between TV and films, executive producing and starring in the short-lived series The Preston Chronicles (1995), as well as appearing in the Robin Williams hit Jumanji (1995). Grier re-teamed with his "Men On" cohort Damon Wayans for the latter's 1998 sitcom Damon, but it failed to match In Living Color's popularity. Grier notched a ratings hit, and got to display his dramatic chops with his performance as a Black Panther in the miniseries The 60s (1999). After appearing in the lackluster Rocky and Bullwinkle (2000) and Return to Me (2000), Grier took another shot at sitcom success as the title Secret Serviceman in DAG (2000). He subsequently tried starring in a number of sitcoms that failed to take off, but always found consistent supporting work, with recurring roles on Life with Bonnie, Crank Yankers, and in several feature films. Grier also returned to the stage in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and in 2008, he was given his own show, a no-holds-barred mock-news program in the style of the Daily Show called Chocolate News, which presented both real and fictional news stories from an African American perspective. In 2009 he competed on the eighth season of the reality show Dancing With the Stars, and also appeared in the spoof film Dance Flick. He lent his voice to the animated project Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil.
Photos
Highest Rated Movies
Filmography
MOVIES
RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | BOX OFFICE | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|---|
20% | Coffee & Kareem |
|
— | 2020 |
73% | Sprinter |
|
— | 2019 |
50% | Road Hard |
|
— | 2015 |
91% | The Wiz Live! |
|
— | 2015 |
No Score Yet | Delivery |
|
— | 2014 |
No Score Yet | En Vogue Christmas |
|
— | 2014 |
38% | Peeples |
|
$9.2M | 2013 |
No Score Yet | The Watsons Go to Birmingham |
|
— | 2013 |
11% | Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs Evil |
|
$10.2M | 2011 |
No Score Yet | Something Like a Business |
|
— | 2010 |
50% | Astro Boy (AstroBoy) |
|
$19.6M | 2009 |
18% | Dance Flick |
|
$25.7M | 2009 |
No Score Yet | Bollywood Hero |
|
— | 2009 |
12% | An American Carol |
|
$7M | 2008 |
No Score Yet | Gym Teacher: The Movie |
|
— | 2008 |
63% | The Poker House |
|
— | 2008 |
No Score Yet | If Love Hadn't Left Me Lonely |
|
— | 2008 |
No Score Yet | Kissing Cousins |
|
— | 2007 |
12% | Little Man |
|
$58.3M | 2006 |
No Score Yet | Thugaboo |
|
— | 2006 |
24% | Bewitched |
|
$62.3M | 2005 |
30% | The Muppets' Wizard of Oz |
|
— | 2005 |
88% | The Woodsman |
|
$1.5M | 2004 |
20% | Tiptoes |
|
— | 2004 |
No Score Yet | David Alan Grier: The Book of David: The Cult Figure's Manifesto |
|
— | 2003 |
91% | Baadasssss! |
|
$0.3M | 2003 |
92% | Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie |
|
— | 2003 |
50% | King of Texas |
|
— | 2002 |
32% | 15 Minutes |
|
$24.2M | 2001 |
43% | The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle |
|
$0.5M | 2000 |
No Score Yet | Angels in the Infield |
|
— | 2000 |
62% | Return to Me |
|
— | 2000 |
0% | 3 Strikes |
|
— | 2000 |
No Score Yet | East of A |
|
— | 2000 |
67% | Stuart Little |
|
— | 1999 |
No Score Yet | Top of the World |
|
— | 1999 |
No Score Yet | The '60s |
|
— | 1999 |
No Score Yet | A Saintly Switch |
|
— | 1999 |
30% | Freeway 2: Confessions of a Trickbaby (Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby) |
|
— | 1999 |
No Score Yet | Sesame Street - Elmopalooza! |
|
— | 1998 |
3% | McHale's Navy |
|
— | 1997 |
55% | Jumanji |
|
— | 1995 |
50% | Tales From the Hood |
|
— | 1995 |
19% | Blankman |
|
— | 1994 |
6% | In the Army Now |
|
— | 1994 |
43% | Boomerang |
|
— | 1992 |
0% | Loose Cannons |
|
— | 1990 |
25% | Almost an Angel |
|
— | 1990 |
No Score Yet | Me and Him |
|
— | 1988 |
50% | Off Limits |
|
— | 1988 |
64% | I'm Gonna Git You Sucka |
|
— | 1988 |
61% | Amazon Women on the Moon |
|
$0.6M | 1987 |
22% | From the Hip |
|
— | 1987 |
No Score Yet | Beer |
|
— | 1985 |
92% | A Soldier's Story |
|
— | 1984 |
60% | Streamers |
|
— | 1983 |
TV
RATING | TITLE | CREDIT | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
18% |
Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!
2021
|
|
|
100% |
At Home With Amy Sedaris
2017
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
2015
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Daily Show With Trevor Noah
2015
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Crank Yankers
2019
|
|
|
100% |
A Black Lady Sketch Show
2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Resident
2018
|
|
|
65% |
The Cool Kids
2018-2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Jimmy Kimmel Live
2003
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Busy Tonight
2018-2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Talk
2010
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Wendy Williams Show
2008-2020
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Chopped Junior
2015-2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Today
2017-2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Tavis Smiley
2013-2018
|
|
|
87% |
The Carmichael Show
2015-2017
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Match Game
2016-2020
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Eric Andre Show
2012
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Late Night With Seth Meyers
2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Chew
2011-2018
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Comedy Bang! Bang!
2012-2016
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Cutthroat Kitchen
2013-2019
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Food Network Star
2005-2018
|
|
|
57% |
The McCarthys
2014-2015
|
|
|
100% |
The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore
2015-2016
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The View
1997
|
|
|
56% |
Bad Teacher
2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Funniest Wins
2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Hollywood Game Night
2013
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Soul Man
2012-2016
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell
2012-2013
|
|
|
76% |
Happy Endings
2011-2013
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
CBS This Morning
2012
|
|
|
90% |
Bones
2005-2017
|
|
|
78% |
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Dancing With the Stars
2005
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Late Night With Jimmy Fallon
2009-2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Chelsea Lately
2007-2014
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Bonnie Hunt Show
2008-2010
|
|
|
64% |
Chocolate News
2008
|
|
|
25% |
Thank God You're Here
2007
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Art in the Twenty-First Century
2001
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
My Wife and Kids
2001-2005
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
MADtv
1995-2009
|
|
|
71% |
Life with Bonnie
2002-2004
|
|
|
92% |
Cedric the Entertainer Presents
2002-2003
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Boston Public
2000-2005
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
The Proud Family
2001-2005
|
|
|
23% |
DAG
2000-2001
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Hercules
1998-1999
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Saturday Night Live
1975
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
Martin
1992-1997
|
|
|
67% |
The Preston Episodes
1995
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
In Living Color
1990-1994
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
ALF
1986-1990
|
|
|
No Score Yet |
A Different World
1987-1993
|
|
|
Quotes from David Alan Grier's Characters
Smokey: | How you doin'? You must be Stuart. |
Stuart Little: | Actually... I must be goin'. |
Lucky: | What's your hurry, Murray? |
Red: | Yeah, where you goin', Murray? Uh, Stuart? ...What's his name? |
Moss the Troll: | You think you can deliver that basket of goodies across my bridge? |