David Alan Grier

David Alan Grier (born June 30, 1956)[1] is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his work on the sketch comedy television show In Living Color, as David Bellows in Life with Bonnie (2002-2004) and as Joe Carmichael in the TV series The Carmichael Show (2015-2017) and for his movie roles as Roger in Streamers (1983), Carl Bentley in Jumanji (1995), and Jim Fields in Bewitched (2005).

Not to be confused with David Grier or David Alan Grier (writer).

David Alan Grier
Grier in August 2007
Born	(1956-06-30) June 30, 1956 Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Education	University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (BA) Yale University (MFA)
Occupation	Actor, comedian
Years active	1983–present
Spouse(s)	Maritza Rivera ​ ( m. 1987; div.  1997) Christine Y. Kim ​ ( m. 2007; div.  2010)
Children	1
Website	www.davidalangrier.net

Early life and education

One of three children,[2] Grier was born in Detroit, Michigan, the son of mother Aretas Ruth (née Blaney), a school teacher, and father William Henry Grier, a psychiatrist and writer who co-wrote the book Black Rage.[3]

Grier graduated from Detroit's magnet high school, Cass Tech, and received a B.A. in Radio, Television and Film[4] from the University of Michigan, and an M.F.A. from the Yale School of Drama in 1981. Grier was singled out by visiting lecturer, Rachel Roberts, performing for her one night in a piece entitled The Place of the Spirit Dance.[5]

When Grier was young, his family marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. in a March on Poverty in Detroit, where King gave an early version of the "I Have A Dream" speech.[6]

Career

Immediately after graduating from Yale, Grier landed the role of Jackie Robinson in the short-lived Broadway musical The First, directed by Martin Charnin and written by Joel Siegel.

Grier got his start on the National Public Radio radio drama adaptation of Star Wars in 1981. 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. Grier also appeared as a geology professor at Hillman College in the show A Different World where he was a crush of several of the girls on the show including lead character Denise Huxtable played by actress Lisa Bonet.

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.

Some of his more well-known characters were flamboyant and effeminate Antoine Merriweather in the "Men on..." sketch series, blues musician Calhoun Tubbs (based on Shakey Jake, a busker who often performed near the Michigan campus) megaphone-blaring shop teacher Al MacAfee, the elderly Mr. Brooks, and Tiny, a prison inmate obsessed with female "breastesses".

Acting career

After his success on In Living Color, 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 Pauly Shore and Andy Dick in 1994, and as a policeman whose car is memorably crushed and eaten by a giant pod in Jumanji. He also played Rev. Leon Lonnie Love on the TV series Martin.

Grier appeared with Tom Arnold in the 1997 comedy McHale's Navy as Ensign Charles Parker. In 1999, he made a guest appearance as himself in the "Aw, Here it Goes to Hollywood" episode of Nickelodeon's sitcom, Kenan & Kel.[7]

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.

Grier had a cameo in the Robert De Niro and Edward Burns movie 15 Minutes as a Central Park mugger. In a departure from the childlike roles he often played on In Living Color, he portrayed an abusive father in Rusty Cundieff's anthology film Tales from the Hood.

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.

Grier 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 hosted Chocolate News, a Comedy Central spoof of a TV news magazine show. Comedy Central did not renew the show for a second season.

Grier appeared as Sugar Bear in the 2009 movie Dance Flick.

Grier guest-starred in Season 6 of FOX's Bones. He played Professor Bunsen Jude the Science Dude, the host of a children's TV program. This character was inspired by Bill Nye "the Science Guy".[8]

In May 2013, Grier appeared in Tyler Perry Presents Peeples, playing the role of Virgil Peeples, alongside Kerry Washington and Craig Robinson. Also in 2013, Grier appeared in The Watsons Go To Birmingham, a Hallmark Channel adaptation of Christopher Paul Curtis' 1995 Newbery Honor-winning novel, The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963.

Grier appeared on the CBS TV-adaptation of Bad Teacher, playing the role of principal Carl Gaines.[9] The series also featured actors Sara Gilbert, Ryan Hansen, Kristin Davis, and Sara Rodier.

He played the Cowardly Lion in NBC's live performance of The Wiz, which aired on December 3, 2015.[10]

In 1998, Grier co-starred with Jon Stewart in Elmopalooza, as the director of Jon's production crew, who he often rebukes at Elmo and Telly after realizing what happened to the rest of the cast.

In 2008, Grier starred in the Comedy Central series Chocolate News which had satirical sketches about current events and news stories. It lasted for one season of ten episodes.

Grier appears as Jimmy Dale in the series Queen Sugar appearing in Season 3. He will also be voicing Clifford in the upcoming Paramount Pictures film, Clifford the Big Red Dog.[11]

Comedy

He began doing stand-up comedy and began hosting the Comedy Central series Premium Blend. He was ranked no. 94 on Comedy Central 100 Greatest Stand-Ups.

Grier made an appearance on the Dave, Shelley, and Chainsaw (DSC) Show (San Diego Jack 100.7 FM) on October 5, 2012 before performances at The Madhouse Comedy Club. He mentioned the "other" David Alan Grier and the "Farrakhan - The Musical" stories.[12]

Stage

Grier returned to Broadway to perform in the musical A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. He returned to Broadway for the premiere of Race, written and directed by David Mamet, opposite James Spader, Kerry Washington, and Richard Thomas, which opened at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on December 6, 2009. Grier received his second Tony Award nomination for his role.[13]

He also appeared in the revival production of The Wiz at the La Jolla Playhouse directed by Des McAnuff.

Grier appeared on Broadway as Sportin' Life in the Gershwins' Porgy and Bess, which opened at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on January 12, 2012, alongside Norm Lewis and Audra McDonald. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical for this role.[14] In addition to his Tony Award nomination, Grier received a 2013 Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album for his performance on the cast recording of the play.[15]

In January 2020, Grier returned to the stage for the Broadway production of A Soldier's Play, this time playing Tech Sergeant Vernon C. Waters, the role originated by Adolph Caesar in the off-Broadway production.[16]

Other work

In 1998 David hosted the game show Random Acts of Comedy on what is now Freeform. The show lasted one season.

David was a contestant on the eighth season of Dancing with the Stars,[17] partnered with Kym Johnson. By the fourth week of the competition, Grier announced that he had lost 26 pounds.[18] He was eliminated in the fifth week.

Grier's first book Barack Like Me: The Chocolate-Covered Truth was published by Simon & Schuster in 2009.[19][20] The book recounts Grier's own life story, and was written with Alan Eisenstock.

Grier appeared in an episode of Clean House along with his brother and his brother's family. Grier invited the show to help his brother due to his severe problems with clutter, and the family received a home makeover.

Grier hosted the game show Snap Decision, which debuted August 7, 2017 on the Game Show Network and many Sinclair TV stations.[21]

Personal life

Grier was married to Maritza Rivera and divorced in 1997. In July 2007, he married Christine Y. Kim, an associate curator of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She gave birth to their daughter, Luisa Danbi Grier-Kim on January 10, 2008, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, in Los Angeles.[22] On July 9, 2009, Kim filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences.[23]

He is a fan of motorcycles[24][25][26][27][28] and owns the rare Yamaha YZF-R1 Limited Edition.[29] On the August 10, 2009, episode of Loveline, Grier agreed to auction it to aid Bryan Bishop's Tumor Fund, but walked off set while Carolla and the audio engineer bickered on air.

He is an avid cook and began food blogging during the run of the play Race, where James Spader helped to critique the food Grier made.[6]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1983	Streamers	Roger	Venice Film Festival Award for Best Actor
1984	A Soldier's Story	Corporal Cobb
1985	Beer	Elliott Morrison
1986	From the Hip	Steve Hadley
1987	Amazon Women on the Moon	Don 'No Soul' Simmons
1988	Off Limits	Rogers
1988	I'm Gonna Git You Sucka	Newsman
1988	Me and Him	Peter Conklin
1990	Loose Cannons	Drummond
1990	Almost an Angel	Det. Bill
1992	Boomerang	Gerard
1994	In the Army Now	Fred Ostroff
1994	Blankman	Kevin Walker
1995	Goldilocks and the Three Bears	Spike
1995	Tales from the Hood	Carl
1995	Jumanji	Carl Bentley
1997	McHale's Navy	Ensign Charles Parker
1997	Top of the World	Detective Augustus
1998	Elmopalooza	Himself (show's director)
1999	Freeway II: Confessions of a Trickbaby	Mr. Butz
1999	A Saintly Switch	Dan Anderson	Television film
1999	Stuart Little	Red	Voice
2000	3 Strikes	Detective Jenkins
2000	Return to Me	Charlie Johnson
2000	The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle	Measures
2001	15 Minutes	Mugger in Central Park
2003	Baadasssss!	Clyde Houston
2003	Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie	Himself/Announcer
2003	Tiptoes	Jerry Robin, Jr.
2004	The Woodsman	Bob
2005	The Muppets' Wizard of Oz	Uncle Henry	Television film
2005	Bewitched	Jim Fields
2006	Little Man	Jimmy
2008	Kissing Cousins	The Griller
2008	The Hustle	Rev. Isaac Montgomery Paid
2008	The Poker House	Stymie
2008	An American Carol	Rastus Malone
2009	Dance Flick	Sugar Bear
2009	Astro Boy	Mr. Squirt / Math Cowboy / Boxer Robot	Voice
2010	Something Like a Business	3D
2011	Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil	Moss the Troll	Voice
2013	Peeples	Virgil Peeples
2015	Road Hard	Michael
2017	The Big Sick	Andy Dodd
2018	Arizona	Coburn
2018	Sprinter	Coach
2019	Native Son	Marty
2020	Coffee & Kareem	Captain Hill
2020	Clifford the Big Red Dog	Clifford	Voice; Post-production

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1985	The Equalizer	Desk Sergeant	Episode: "The Lock Box"
1986	All Is Forgiven	Oliver Royce	9 episodes
1987	CBS Summer Playhouse	Deter Phibin	Episode: "Kingpins"
1987	A Different World	Prof. Bryan Walcott	Episode: "Romancing Mr. Stone"
1988	Tour of Duty	Harold	Episode: "Soldiers"
1988	Duet	Gordon	Episode: "Oh My God, I Left the Baby on the Bus"
1988	Tanner '88	Secret Serviceman	2 episodes
1989	ALF	FBI Agent #1	Episode: "Wanted: Dead or Alive"
1990	Equal Justice	Stone	Episode: "A Sucker's Bet"
1990–94	In Living Color	Various	143 episodes
1993–97	Martin	Reverend Leon Lonnie Love	4 episodes
1995	Saturday Night Live	Antoine Meriweather	Episode: "Damon Wayans/Dionne Farris"
1995	Dream On	Marshall	Episode: "Take Two Tablets, and Get Me to Mt. Sinai"
1995	The Preston Episodes	David Preston	10 episodes
1995	Pinky and the Brain	Marlon (voice)	Episode: "TV or Not TV"
1995–2000	Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child	Various voices	3 episodes
1998	Damon	Bernard	13 episodes Nominated – Image Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
1998	Cosby	Gil	Episode: "Chemistry"
1998	Hercules: The Animated Series	Memnon (voice)	Episode: "Hercules and the Phil Factor"
1999	A Saintly Switch	Dan Anderson	Television movie
1999	The '60s	Fred Hampton	Television movie
1999	Kenan & Kel	Himself	Episode: "Aw, Here It Goes To Hollywood : Part 2"
2000	Angels in the Infield	Bob Bugler	Television movie
2000	The X-Files	Cinema Audience	Episode: "Hollywood A.D."
2000	Buzz Lightyear of Star Command	Tubunch (voice)	Episode: "Stress Test"
2000–01	DAG	Jerome Dagget	17 episodes
2002	King of Texas	Rip	Television movie
2002	Sesame Street	Aladdin	Episode: "#33.45"
2002	Boston Public	Laurence Williams	Episode: "Chapter Forty-Two"
2002	The Proud Family	Reuben (voice)	Episode: "Behind Family Lines"
2002–04	Life with Bonnie	David Bellows	44 episodes Nominated – Image Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor – Television Series
2002–20	Crank Yankers	Various voices	20 episodes
2003	Samurai Jack	Da Samurai/Junk Monster (voice)	Episode: "Samurai Versus Samurai"
2003–05	My Wife and Kids	Jimmy	3 episodes
2007	Thank God You're Here	Host	7 episodes
2010	Bones	Professor Bunsen Jude	Episode: "The Body and the Bounty"
2010	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Jeremy Swift	Episode: "Branded"
2013	Happy Endings	Terry Chuckles	Episode: "In the Heat of the Noche"
2013	Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja	Rudd Rhymez (voice)	Episode: "Hip Hopocalypse Now"
2014	The Soul Man	Jesse	Episode: "Obama Drama"
2014	Bad Teacher	Carl Gaines	13 episodes
2014	Black Dynamite	Doctor (voice)	Episode: "How Honeybee Got Her Groove Back or Night of the Living Dickheads"
2014–15	Comedy Bang! Bang!	Network President	Recurring role; 5 episodes
2015–17	The Carmichael Show	Joe Carmichael	Main cast; 32 episodes
2015	The McCarthys	Dr. Hugh Morris	Episode: "Family Therapy"
2015	Cutthroat Kitchen	Himself/judge	Episode: "Taco Dirty to Me"
2015	The Wiz Live!	The Cowardly Lion / Robert The Farmhand Man #2	Live performance
2016	The Eric Andre Show	Himself/David Alan Thicke	Episode: "Dennis Rodman; Haley Joel Osment"
2017	Snap Decision	Host
2017	A Christmas Story Live!	Santa Claus	Live performance
2018	A Series of Unfortunate Events	Hal	2 Episodes
2018–19	The Cool Kids	Hank	Main role
2019	The Resident	Lamar Broome	Reoccurring role Season 3, Episode 2

References

1. Katsilometes, John (July 1, 2010). "Albino gorillas? Farrakhan: The Musical? With Grier, anything is possible". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
2. "David Alan Grier". Biography. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
3. "David Alan Grier Biography (1955?-)". www.filmreference.com. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
4. "2005-04-17 (David Alan Grier) – Loveline Tapes". lovelinetapes.com. Retrieved 2020-01-14.
5. Roberts, Rachel, 1927-1980. (1984). No bells on Sunday : the Rachel Roberts journals. Walker, Alexander. (1st U.S. ed.). New York: Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-015235-4. OCLC 11244243.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
6. King, Larry (19 May 2014). "David Alan Grier" (Video interview). Larry King Now. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
7. "Aww, Here It Goes to Hollywood: Part 2" on IMDb
8. "Bones Exclusive: David Alan Grier to Woo Brennan?". TVGuide.com. 2010-08-18. Retrieved August 18, 2010.
9. "David Alan Grier to Play Principal in CBS' 'Bad Teacher'". The Hollywood Reporter. February 16, 2013.
10. Blake, Emily (August 4, 2015). "NBC's 'The Wiz Live!' finds its Cowardly Lion". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 18, 2015.
11. "Most Anticipated Movies of 2020 List, Watch Trailers". The Hollywood Reporter. 2020-02-17.
12. "Albino gorillas? Farrakhan: The Musical? With Grier, anything is possible". LasVegasSun.com. 2010-07-01. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
13. "2010 Tony Nominations Announced; Fela! and La Cage Top List". Archived from the original on 2010-05-06. Retrieved 2010-05-04.
14. "David Alan Grier". Broadway.com. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
15. "59th Annual GRAMMY Awards Winners & Nominees". GRAMMY.com. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
16. Rooney, David. "'A Soldier's Play': Theater Review". The Hollywood Reporter. The Hollywood Reporter, LLC, a subsidiary of Prometheus Global Media, LLC. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
17. "'Dancing With The Stars' Season 8 Cast Revealed!". Access. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
18. "Grier, Wozniak reveal 'Dancing' weight loss". Digital Spy. April 1, 2009. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
19. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2009.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
20. "The best things to eat, drink and do in Chicago - RedEye Chicago". Chicago Now. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
21. Andreeva, Nellie (28 June 2017). "'Snap Decision' Game Show Hosted By David Alan Grier To Air On GSN & In Broadcast Syndication At the Same Time". Deadline Hollywood.
22. Keith, Amy Elisa (January 11, 2008). "Comedian David Alan Grier Welcomes a Girl". People. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
23. "David Alan Grier -- In Living ... Single". TMZ. July 9, 2009. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
24. "July 30 Seattle 100 Charity Event To Include Racing Stars, Celebrities". roadracingworld.com. 2005-02-19. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
25. "2005 Seattle 100 Charity Ride - Motorcycle USA". Motorcycle USA. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
26. "Yates, Gobert, Hayes To Ride In 4th Annual Seattle 100 Charity Event At Pacific Raceways". roadracingworld.com. 2005-02-19. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
27. Gay, Nancy (July 23, 2007). "MOTOGP AT LAGUNA SECA NOTEBOOK / Sponsor re-energizes series at racetrack". San Francisco Chronicle.
28. Diamond, Jamie (August 13, 2006). "A NIGHT OUT WITH -- Adam Carolla; Is a Scallop an Animal?". The New York Times.
29. Adam Carolla Podcast, 2009-05-29

External links

• Official website
• David Alan Grier on IMDb
• David Alan Grier at the Internet Broadway Database
• David Alan Grier at Internet Off-Broadway Database