Trivia: The reigning queen of the 1970s blaxploitation genre, Pam Grier was born May 26, 1949, in Winston-Salem, NC. An Air Force mechanic's daughter, she was raised on military bases in England and Germany. During her teen years the family settled in Denver, CO, where at the age of 18, Grier entered the Miss Colorado Universe pageant. Named first runner-up, she attracted the attention of Hollywood agent David Baumgarten, who signed her to a contract. After relocating to Los Angeles, Grier struggled to mount an acting career, and worked as a switchboard operator at the studios of Roger Corman's American International Pictures. Finally, with Corman's aid, she made her film debut in the 1970 Russ Meyer cult classic Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, followed by an appearance in Jack Hill's 1971 cheapie The Big Doll House. For several years, Grier languished virtually unnoticed in grindhouse fare like 1971's Women in Cages and 1973's Arena (aka Naked Warriors) before winning the title role in Hill's 1973 action outing Coffy. Playing a nurse seeking vengeance against the drug dealers responsible for her sister's descent into heroin addiction, Grier immediately rose to the forefront of the so-called "blaxploitation" genre, a group of action-adventure films aimed squarely at African-American audiences. Portraying the 1974 superheroine Foxy Brown, she became a major cult figure, as her character's fierce independence, no-nonsense attitude, and empowered spirit made her a role model for blacks and feminists alike. At the peak of her popularity, Grier even appeared on the covers of Ms. and New York magazines. Her films' often racy content also made her a sex symbol, and additionally she posed nude for the men's magazine Players. Successive action roles as gumshoe Sheba Shayne in 1975's Sheba, Baby and as the titular reporter Friday Foster further elevated Grier's visibility, but fearing continued typecasting she shifted gears to star opposite Richard Pryor in the fact-based 1977 auto-racing drama Greased Lightning. She did not reappear onscreen for four years, resurfacing to acclaim in 1981 as a murderous prostitute in Fort Apache, the Bronx; however, no other major roles were forthcoming, and she spent much of the decade appearing on television and in straight-to-cable features. A major role in the 1988 Steven Seagal action hit Above the Law marked the beginning of a comeback, and after appearing in 1993's Posse, Grier starred with fellow blaxploitation vets Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree, and Fred "the Hammer" Williamson in 1996's Original Gangstas, a throwback to the films of the early '70s. In 1997, the actress' career resurgence was complete with the title role in Jackie Brown, written in her honor by director and longtime fan Quentin Tarantino. Grier's tough, sexy portrayal of a jaded flight attendant earned praise from critics far and wide, as well as the promise of steady work. She could subsequently be seen in a consistently wide range of films, like Jawbreaker (1999), Holy Smoke (1999), The Invited, and Larry Crowne, in addition to a host of successful TV roles on shows like Smallville and The L Word.

Trivia: Black supporting actor Antonio Fargas first appeared onscreen in the '70s.

Trivia: Born Peter de Sappe, this lead actor appeared onscreen from 1958.

Trivia: African American actor/director Terry Carter is a unfairly unheralded trailblazer. After growing up in (and growing out of) the tough Williamsburg section of Brooklyn, Carter played a leading role on The Story of Ruby Valentine, radio's first all-black soap opera. He was the first equal-footing black regular on a TV sitcom, portraying Private Sugarman on Phil Silvers' Sgt. Bilko. He co-starred with Sally Ann Howes in Richard Adler's ground-breaking Broadway musical Kwamina. He was the first black newscaster on a major-market television station (Boston's Westinghouse outlet, WBZ-TV). And he was founder of the first black-owned TV-commercial production firm. While his film credits are comparatively sparse, Terry Carter has built up a solid fan following with his TV work, notably as Sgt. Joe Broadhurst on McCloud (1970-77) and as Tigh on Battlestar Gallactica (1978-79).

Trivia: American character actor Harry Holcombe was involved in radio, television and in feature films during the '60s and '70s. Films appearances include The Silencers, The Manchurian Candidate, The Graduate and Fun with Dick and Jane. During the '80s, Holcombe appeared in television commercials.

Trivia: Tall, bald and nearly always bearded, Sid Haig has provided hulking menace to many a low-budget exploitationer and high-priced actioner. A 1960 alumnus of the Pasadena Playhouse, Haig has been in films at least since 1964, when he played a lobotomized "poor relation" in the cult horror classic Spider Baby. He has proved quite valuable to such filmmakers as producer Roger Corman and director Jack Hill, playing abusive goons in such fare as The Big Doll House and The Big Bird Cage. Sid Haig's more "respectable" credits include George Lucas' THX 1138 and the 1970 James Bond opus Diamonds are Forever (he's the flunkey who tosses a topless Lana Wood from the window of a high-rise Vegas hotel).After decades of B-movie roles, Haig received a late-career boost in 1997, when he was given a small part in Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown. In the ensuing years, he would again work with Tarantino in Kill Bill, Vol. 2, and show up in the Rob Zombie horror flicks House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects.

Trivia: African-American actor Bob Minor gained his cinematic entree as a stuntman. His earliest speaking roles came by way of the blaxploitation pictures of the '70s. Two of the more profitable examples of this genre were Coffy (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974), both of which starred Pam Grier and featured Minor in supporting roles. The actor occasionally surfaced in mainstream films designed for a more generic audience, notably The Deep (1978) (as Wiley), White Dog (1982) and Glory (1989) but even after attaining this filmic level he couldn't quite escape such exploitation flicks as Swinging Cheerleaders (1976). Bob Minor worked with regularity on television, just missing consistent weekly work in such never-purchased pilots as Friendly Persuasion (1975), Dr. Scorpion (1978) and Samurai (1979).

Trivia: Stunt man, stunt coordinator, second unit director, and actor, onscreen from the '80s.

Trivia: Jack Bernardi played character and supporting roles on stage, television, and in feature films. The son of character actor Hershel Bernardi, he started out performing in Yiddish at the 2nd Avenue Theater in New York. He next travelled to the Catskill Mountains to become a social director and comedy writer for several hotels. Bernardi moved to Los Angeles in the early '50s, working on early television series such as Mama Rosa. As a guest star, he appeared on shows like McHale's Navy, Peter Gunn, Barney Miller, The Lucy Show, and Highway to Heaven. Bernardi began his film career in the mid-'60s. His film credits include It's a Bikini World (1967) and Shampoo (1975).

Trivia: Robert Nadder played character roles on stage, screen, and television. In the mid-'50s, he appeared in New York theatrical productions such as The Great White Hope. Though he moved to Los Angeles in the early '70s, and started appearing occasionally on television in mid-decade, he primarily earned his living on stage. Nadder made his first film appearance in The Main Event (1979) and Love at First Bite (1979). His subsequent film work was sporadic.

Trivia: African-American singer, musician, and actress Esther Sutherland worked on stage, screen, and television.