Grier was born on June 30, 1956, in Detroit, Michigan. He received a B.A. from the University of Michigan and an M.F.A. from Yale School of Drama.
After graduating he was nominated for his role as Jackie Robinson for a Tony for Best Feature Actor in the 1981 musical “The First.” Grier has a long history on Broadway, having been nominated for Tony awards, and performing in productions such as “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, David Mamet’s play “Race” with James Spader, Kerry Washington and Richard Thomas, and “Porgy and Bess” with Audra McDonald.
Grier, however, is probaby best known for being a cast member on Keenen and Damon Wayans’ sketch show “In Living Color,” which ran from 1990 to 1994. He’s also had roles in shows and movies like superhero parody “Blankman,” Amazon Women on the Moon,” “The Cosby Show” spin-off “A Different World” with Lisa Bonet, “Boomerang,” Tales From the Hood,” “Pinky and the Brain” (voice), “McHale’s Navy” (1997), “Bewitched” (2005), and most recently “Peeples” with Craig Robinson and Kerry Washington.
Grier also co-starred with Bonnie Hunt in the film “Jumanji” before joining the cast of her show “Life with Bonnie,” which ran for two seasons.
