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David Alan Grier

 
Black Biography: David Alan Grier
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actor; comedian

Personal Information

Born on June 30, 1955, in Detroit, MI.
Education: University of Michigan, B.A. in radio, film, and television; Yale School of Drama, M.A.

Career

Actor. Stage roles: The First; Dreamgirls; A Soldier's Play; Richard III; Peer Gynt; Distant Fires; The Merry Wives of Windsor; A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, 1997; television roles: All Is Forgiven, 1986; In Living Color, 1990; Damon, 1998; DAG, 2000; film roles: Streamers, 1983; A Soldier's Story, 1984; Amazon Women on the Moon, 1987; From the Hip, 1987; I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, 1988; Almost an Angel, 1990; Loose Cannons, 1990; Boomerang, 1992; The Player, 1992; Blankman, 1994; In the Army Now, 1994; Jumanji, 1995; Tales from the Hood, 1995; McHale's Navy, 1997; Damned If You Do, 1999; Stuart Little, 1999; East of A, 1999; The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle, 2000; Angels in the Infield, 2000; 3 Strikes, 2000; Return to Me, 2000; television host: "Random Acts of Comedy," 1999; "AFI's 100 Years, 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies," 2000; television guest appearances: The Equalizer, 1985; A Different World, 1987; Dream On, 1995; Kenan & Kel, 1998; Cosby, 1998; The X Files, 2000.

Life's Work

Perhaps best known for his various roles on the popular television series In Living Color, ComediansUSA has called David Alan Grier "one of those unique actors who has yet to be typecast in one dramatic realm." He has appeared in everything from Shakespeare to comedy shows, musicals to more serious films. He is a multitalented actor who has received a Tony nomination and much critical acclaim.

Grier was born on June 30, 1955 in Detroit, Michigan. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in radio, television, and film from the University of Michigan. He went on to obtain his master's degree from the Yale School of Drama. Soon after he graduated from Yale he began his professional career on Broadway in a production of The First, a musical about baseball great Jackie Robinson. It was an amazing role to win so soon after graduation, and it was a role he proved to be perfect for. He was much lauded for his portrayal of Robinson and, in 1981, was nominated for a Tony award for the part. It was a promising beginning to Grier's acting career, and one that would help him obtain good roles in the future.

His next move was to join the cast of Michael Bennett's musical sensation Dreamgirls. Soon after that Grier went on to star with Adolph Cesar and Denzel Washington in the critically acclaimed off-Broadway hit A Soldier's Play. This, along with the popular film version, A Soldier's Story (1984), brought Grier into even sharper public focus.

In 1983 Grier won the role of Roger, as gentle-natured draftee who easily shrugs off any insult, in the film, Streamers. An unusual war movie, Streamers focused not on the Vietnam War itself, but rather on the four young army recruits who were forced to deal with prejudice when it was revealed that one of them was homosexual. The film takes place in a Virginia Army base which serves, as Richard Corliss of Time magazine noted, as "a kind of boot camp on the border of national psychosis." The characters, Corliss commented, "are treading blindly through a field of moral land mines." For his work in the film, Grier won a Golden Lion Award for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival.

Grier finished out the 1980s with a host of small roles in such movies as Beer(1985), about an advertising firm desperate to keep an account from a financially-ailing brewery, Ich und Er (1987), a film about the problems one man gets into after his penis starts talking to him, and From the Hip (1987), a law film starring Judd Nelson. Grier also appeared in Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), a campy spoof of 1950s sci-fi movies starring Arsenio Hall, and I'm Gonna Git You Sucka (1988), a film written, directed, and starring Keenan Ivory Wayans.

In 1990, Grier was given the opportunity to take a rather nontraditional acting job, appearing in the popular television series, In Living Color. Grier told Entertainment Weekly, "In Living Color was a sketch show, meaning I never played just one character anyway. A lot of it is adjusting--finding what's most comfortable for the show." Part of what Grier had to adjust to, he explained to ComediansUSA, was that "I'm an actor. I come on, you give me my lines and I do them. In this show, the actors took on a much more active role in the creative process." Grier adjusted to his new, more active role, making quite a few characters famous, including Antoine Merriwether, blues singer Calhoun Tubbs, and fast-talking Clavell.

However, In Living Color was just the beginning of Grier's expanding fame. In 1995 he starred in the television series The Preston Episodes, a show he put together himself along with Fox Studios. Grier also appeared in the hit NBC miniseries The 60s and was seen in the mid-season replacement situation comedy, Damon, starring Damon Wayans.

Said by Variety to "get a lot of mileage from small roles," it is no surprise that Grier went on to play successful comic supporting roles in numerous movies, some more notable than others. In 1992, Grier appeared along with Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence in the hit film, Boomerang. He next appeared in such films as In the Army Now (1994), Tales from the Hood (1995), a film produced by Spike Lee, Jumanji (1995), starring Robin Williams and Bonnie Hunt, and McHale's Navy (1997). Grier also had a starring role, alongside Vivica A. Fox, in the Disney TV film A Saintly Switch about an aging NFL quarterback on the brink of divorce whose soul has been magically switched with that of his wife.

Grier's stage career also flourished in the 1990s. He was featured alongside Kevin Kline in Richard III at the New York Shakespeare Festival and was seen in Peer Gynt at the Williamstown Theater Festival. He also appeared in Distant Fires at the Hartford Stage Company and The Merry Wives of Windsor, a free play shown at the New York Shakespeare Festival in Central Park. In 1997, Grier took over from Whoopi Goldberg the important role of Pseudolus in the comedy, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.

And Grier has not slowed down for the new millennium. In the year 2000, he had roles in The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle, starring Rene Russo and Jason Alexander, 3 Strikes, starring Brian Hook, and Return to Me, alongside David Duchovny and Minnie Driver. On television, he appeared in the third film in Disney's Angel series, Angels in the Infield, playing a former baseball player who becomes a Guardian Angel trying to earn his wings. Marilyn Moss of the Hollywood Reporter praised Grier's work in this film, calling him, "hilarious." Grier also appeared on the popular TV special "AFI's 100 Years, 100 Laughs: America's Funniest Movies,"

Also in 2000, Grier starred with Delta Burke in the television series DAG. In this comedy, Grier portrayed a secret service agent who, after diving the wrong way during an attempt to assassinate the president, was demoted to watching over the First Lady and her daughter--neither of whom the president cares much about. Grier told Entertainment Weekly that he signed on for DAG because, "I wanted to do a sophisticated, smart comedy." However, the series did not meet with much critical approval. The Hollywood Reporter's Barry Garron wrote that "while the series boasts two of the most formidable comic presences on television," the limited premise and generic scripts hold the show back. In addition to critical flack, DAG also received complaints that it, according to U.S. News & World Report, made the U.S. Secret Service "look like the Keystone Kops." The director of the Secret Service, Brian Stafford, has said that he does not watch the show, telling U.S. News & World Report, "We are involved in a serious business, and our people are very dedicated to our important mandates." Despite negative reviews and charges of irreverence toward the Secret Service, DAG remained on the air.

Throughout his career, Grier has proven his versatility as an actor. He has mastered comedy and drama, television and film, as well as the stage. With such accomplishments under Grier's belt, the path to even greater success lays open before him,

Awards

Theatre World Award for The First, 1981; Tony Award nomination for The First; Venice Film Festival, Golden Lion Award for best actor in Streamers, 1983.

Further Reading

Periodicals

  • Hollywood Reporter, April 7, 2000; November 13, 2000.
  • Time, October 17, 1983.
  • U.S. News & World Report, December 25, 2000.
  • Variety, October 30, 2000.
  • Video Store, September 10, 2000.
Other
  • Additional information for this profile was obtained online at the Entertainment Weekly website, http://www.ew.com; the ComediansUSA website, http://www.famous-comedians.com; http://www.imdb.com; http://www.dodger.com; http://www.mrshowbiz.go.com; and http://www.mgm.com.

— Catherine Victoria Donaldson and Jennifer M. York

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Actor: David Alan Grier
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Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Jun 30, 1955 in Detroit, Michigan
  • Occupation: Actor, Writer
  • Active: '90s-2000s
  • Major Genres: Comedy, Drama
  • Career Highlights: A Soldier's Story, Streamers, Return to Me
  • First Major Screen Credit: Streamers (1983)

Biography

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. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
Wikipedia: David Alan Grier
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Home > Library > Miscellaneous > Wikipedia
Not to be confused with David Grier.
David Alan Grier

Grier, August 2007
Born June 30, 1955 (1955-06-30) (age 54)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Occupation Actor/Comedian
Years active 1980—present

David Alan Grier (born June 30, 1955), also known as "D.A.G." (DAG), is an American actor and comedian known for his work on the sketch comedy television show In Living Color. He hosted the Comedy Central satirical news and sketch comedy program Chocolate News from October 15, 2008 to December 17, 2008.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Grier was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Aretas Ruth (née Dudley) and William Henry Grier, a psychiatrist and writer who co-wrote the book Black Rage.[1] He graduated from Detroit's magnet high school, Cass Tech and received a BA from the University of Michigan, and an MFA from the Yale School of Drama. Immediately after graduating, he landed the role of Jackie Robinson in the short-lived Broadway musical The First, directed by Martin Charnin and written by Joel Siegel.

Career

Grier got his start on the National Public Radio radio drama adaptation of Star Wars in 1980. He was the voice of a nameless X-Wing fighter pilot during the Battle of Yavin. Grier was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and won the Theatre World Award for The First. He later starred as James "Thunder" Early in the hit Broadway musical Dreamgirls. Grier made his film debut in 1983 in Streamers, directed by Robert Altman. He won the Golden Lion for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival for the film. He also appeared in the Negro Ensemble Company production A Soldier's Play and reprised his role in the film version A Soldier's Story.

In Living Color

Although primarily known for his dramatic work, Grier began to shift towards comedy, making memorable appearances in the cult films Amazon Women on the Moon and I'm Gonna Git You Sucka. Keenen Ivory Wayans, the director of Sucka, cast Grier in his new variety show In Living Color. It became a ratings hit and won an Emmy for Outstanding Variety Series. Grier became a popular cast member through his characters, which ranged from hyperactive children to crotchety old men. Among his prominent characters were obnoxious, megaphone-blaring shop teacher Al MacAfee; the elderly Mr. Brooks, whose autumn years are a never-ending verbal battle with his wife; Calhoun Tubbs, a blues musician with very limited creativity; a member of Funky Finger Productions, a production company with more ambition than resources; and, most famously, flamboyant and proud homosexual Antoine Merriweather in the recurring sketch 'Men On Film'. He also played Rev. Leon Lonnie Love on the TV series Martin. After his success on the show, Grier began appearing in comedies such as Boomerang (as Eddie Murphy's shy friend Gerard) Blankman (with Damon Wayans), In the Army Now (as Fred Ostroff) along with Pauley Shore and Andy Dick in 1994, and as a policeman whose car is memorably crushed and eaten by a giant pod in Jumanji. Grier also gave a strong dramatic performance as an abusive father in Rusty Cundieff's horror anthology Tales from the Hood. In 1999, he made a guest appearance as himself on the Aw, Here it Goes to Hollywood episode of Nickelodeon's sitcom, Kenan & Kel.[2]

Post-In Living Color

After the cancellation of In Living Color, Grier starred in the short-lived sitcoms The Preston Episodes, Damon (with In Living Color co-star Damon Wayans) and DAG. He began doing stand-up comedy and was an instant success. He hosted the Comedy Central series Premium Blend. He also returned to Broadway in the musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. In 2002, Grier joined the cast of the improv-based ABC sitcom and Bonnie Hunt vehicle Life with Bonnie which ran only two seasons. During this time, he continued to appear in comedy films but also returned to drama in the films BAADASSSSS! and The Woodsman. He starred in his own Comedy Central stand-up special The Book of David: The Cult Figure's Manifesto. He is also a frequent guest on the Comedy Central show Crank Yankers. Grier was the host of the NBC show Thank God You're Here. He will also host his own national late night syndicated TV show in early 2007. He is currently starring in the revival production of The Wiz at the La Jolla Playhouse directed by Des McAnuff.

Grier recently starred in Gym Teacher: The Movie playing the villain, Shelly Bragg. He appeared as Uncle Henry in the ABC 2005 television movie The Muppets' Wizard of Oz.

In October 2008, Grier began hosting a new Comedy Central show called Chocolate News which focuses on how Grier "thinks" African Americans view the world. It is a spoof on TV news magazines, and, in a parodying way, how blacks would produce news and offer commentary. However, according to an article and statement by David Allen Grier, after the first show and with just one season completed, Chocolate News was canceled by Comedy Central.[3] Even after its attempts to promote the show by "D.A.G." (DAG) such as on The Bonnie Hunt Show, it has not been renewed.

Grier appeared in Dance Flick as "Sugar Bear." The film was released in February 2009. He also was the voice for Kobe Bryant in the Nike puppet commercials.

In fall of 2009, Grier’s first book, Barack Like Me: The Chocolate-Covered Truth, will be published by Simon & Schuster.[4][5] The book will recount Grier's own life story, and is coauthored by Alan Eisenstock. It is scheduled for release on October 6, 2009.[6]

He will return to Broadway in the upcoming premiere of Race, written and directed by David Mamet, opposite James Spader, Kerry Washington, and Richard Thomas, which opens at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on December 6th, 2009.

Loveline

He was often referred to as the third host of the radio show Loveline, as he was a frequent guest and guest host (usually filling in for Adam Carolla). One of his most famous contributions was a bit where he began calling out various pharmaceutical drugs Dr. Drew was recommending to a caller as though they were the names of black children being yelled at by their parents. The episode aired on 09/07/2005 towards the end of the show.

“ Ethinyl! Estradiol! Y'all get in the house! And where is Levonorgestrel?! ”

Also, on one of his other infamous episodes on September 25, 2002, David stops by lamenting his recent breakup with his girlfriend of four years. He recently (at the time) found out she had been cheating on him with multiple famous actors, at one point in the show DAG coughs while saying the names to avoid legal troubles. During the show Engineer Anderson slows down the recording and plays it back, and the listeners are able to discern the names Tom Sizemore, Colin Farell and Cuba Gooding Jr. from them.

Grier's supposed last appearance on Loveline was April 16, 2006.[7] On his MySpace page, Grier posted in a blog:

“ To all of my loyal fans. It pains me greatly to inform you all that I will probably never be heard on the radio show Loveline again. I have been informed of this sad fact by the one and only Dr. Drew Pinsky. I know not how or why this has happened, but we must ALL move on... ”

On March 3, 2009, David was a guest on The Adam Carolla Podcast. He explained that the reason he was not asked back on Loveline was because the producers of the show did not want him back on despite Dr. Drew pushing for him to again be a guest. While Dr. Drew wasn't initially upfront with him about this, David has no hard feelings toward him and Dr. Drew has since apologized for what happened. Shortly thereafter, Dr. Drew explained on Loveline what had happened and expressed his intent to petition the producers for David to return, and on August 10, 2009, his request was finally granted: After over 3 years, David was once again on Loveline, joining former host Adam Carolla and Dr. Bruce Heischober.

The Adam Carolla Show

Grier has made many guest appearances on the Adam Carolla Show (97.1 FreeFM), usually to plug his improv performances. One of his recurring bits is where he enacts a heavy-set black woman named Peanut who does a terrible job answering the phones at FreeFM. He also frequently antagonizes the co-host Teresa Strasser. This is done most often by snoring loudly while Teresa reads the news. Carolla's radio show is off the air, but Grier regularly appears on the Adam Carolla Podcast.

Dancing with the Stars

David was a contestant on the 8th season of Dancing with the Stars,[8] partnered with Kym Johnson. By the fourth week of the competition, Grier announced that he had lost 26 pounds.[9] He was eliminated in the fifth week.

Performances

Week Dance Song Danced To Score Order Danced To Results
1
Night One		 Waltz "You Light Up My Life" - Whitney Houston 19 11 No Elimination
1
Night Two		 Salsa "El Cumbanchero" - Angel Malandez and the 911 Orchestra 17 2 Safe
2 Foxtrot "Come Rain or Come Shine" - Natalie Cole 24 8 Safe
3 Lindy Hop "Bandstand Boogie" - Barry Manilow 22 1 Safe
4 Viennese Waltz "I Put a Spell on You" - Nina Simone 22 5 Bottom 2
Week Four
Dance-Off		 Viennese Waltz "I Put a Spell on You" - Nina Simone 24 1 Eliminated
Lost to Lawrence Taylor

Personal life

Grier was previously married to Maritza Rivera but they were divorced in 1995. In July 2007, he married Christine Y. Kim, Associate Curator at the Studio Museum in Harlem. Kim gave birth to their daughter Luisa Danbi Grier-Kim on January 10, 2008 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.[10] On June 9, 2009, according to TMZ, Christine filed for divorce citing irreconcilable differences.[11]

Grier is a fan of motorcycles[12][13][14][15][16] and owns the rare Yamaha YZF-R1 Limited Edition[17] and on the August 11, 2009 episode of Loveline agreed to auction it to aid Bryan Bishop's Tumor Fund before storming out while Carolla and Anderson bickered on air.

Grier is also a Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do.

In Living Color

Characters

  • Al MacAfee
  • Antoine Merriweather (Men On Film)
  • Calhoun Tubbs
  • Cephus (Cephus & Reesie)
  • Clavelle (Funky Finger Productions)
  • David (Life with Bonnie)
  • Doug McPherson (Hemorrhoid Guy)
  • Hoke (Driving Miss Schott)
  • Jazz Mo' (Life with Bonnie)
  • Lamont Hightower
  • Leon (Snack 'n Shack)
  • Lil' Magic's Mom
  • Little Kid (Homey D. Clown)
  • Lonnie Anderson
  • Loomis Simmons
  • Mac
  • Mr. Brooks
  • Phat Man (Chocolate News)
  • Sammy (Zodiac Comedy Shack)
  • Tiny (Prison Cable Network)
  • Don 'No Soul' Simmons (Amazon Women on the Moon)
  • Candleopra (Chocolate News)
  • Seemingly homeless man in the soul diner (blurts out such classic lines as "I pop my pimples cuz they tell me to" and "I have a boil with an eye on it.")

Other notable roles / characters

Impressions

References

  1. ^ David Alan Grier Biography (1955?-)
  2. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0619382/
  3. ^ In Future Chocolate News
  4. ^ http://books.simonandschuster.com/Barack-Like-Me/David-Alan-Grier/9781439154922
  5. ^ http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/show-patrol/2009/06/david-alan-grier-chicago-tbs.html
  6. ^ http://authors.simonandschuster.com/David-Alan-Grier/63692388
  7. ^ http://lovelinearchive.com/
  8. ^ "Dancing’s Season Eight Cast Is Revealed! - PEOPLE TV Watch", 2009-02-09
  9. ^ Dancing with the Stars Contestant Loses 26 Pounds Us Weekly, March 31, 2009
  10. ^ Comedian David Alan Grier Welcomes a Girl - Babies, David Alan Grier : People.com
  11. ^ >[1]
  12. ^ http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=23484
  13. ^ http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/303/1447/Motorcycle-Article/2005-Seattle-100-Charity-Ride.aspx
  14. ^ http://roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=26542
  15. ^ http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/archive/2007/07/23/SPG93R56JV1.DTL
  16. ^ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C04E5DB163EF930A2575BC0A9609C8B63
  17. ^ Adam Carolla Podcast, 2009-05-29
  18. ^ http://www.uic.edu/aa/college/gallery400/01_exhibit-past.htm
  19. ^ http://www.whitney.org/www/2008biennial/www/?section=artists&page=artist_arceneaux
  20. ^ a b 5/12/08 The Adam Carolla Show

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