Pam Grier Ethnicity, Race & Heritage: African-American, Filipino & Puerto Rican Roots Explained

Quick answer: Pam Grier is primarily African-American, with documented Filipino and Puerto Rican ancestry on her maternal grandfather's side. Her maternal grandfather, Ray Benjamin Davis, was born in the Philippines and was of Filipino, Puerto Rican, and African descent. She was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and became one of the most iconic figures in 1970s Blaxploitation cinema.

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Is Pam Grier Mixed Race? Is She Biracial?

Pam Grier is primarily African-American, though she does carry documented non-Black ancestry through her maternal grandfather, Ray Benjamin Davis, who was born in the Philippines and had Filipino, Puerto Rican, and African roots. This makes her background more layered than a simple "African-American "label. However, she is not conventionally described as biracial — the dominant lineage across both sides of her family is African-American. EthniCelebs describes her ethnicity as "African-American, likely small amounts of Filipino and Puerto Rican."Pam Grier herself has spoken about her multicultural heritage, stating in interviews that she has Cheyenne Indian, Chinese, and Filipino ancestry — though genealogical research has not fully confirmed all of these claims through documented records. The Filipino connection is well-supported through her maternal grandfather.

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What Is Pam Grier's Ethnicity?

Pam Grier's ethnicity is primarily African-American, with documented Filipino and Puerto Rican ancestry on her mother's side via her maternal grandfather Ray Davis. Her father's family was rooted in North and South Carolina — part of the broader African-American community of the American South. Her mother's family introduced a thread of Asian and Caribbean heritage through Ray Davis, a man born in the Philippines with Filipino, Puerto Rican, and African roots.

She grew up on military bases across the United States and in Europe, as her father Clarence Grier served in the U.S. Air Force. This peripatetic upbringing gave her a distinctly cosmopolitan perspective despite her Southern family roots.

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Father's Side: African-American Roots

Pam's father, Clarence Grier, was an African-American man who served as a mechanic in the United States Air Force. His father, Clarence Ransom Grier, was born in North Carolina. Her paternal grandmother, Myrtle Hutchinson, was born in South Carolina. Both paternal grandparents were part of the African-American community of the Carolinas, a region with deep roots in the history of slavery and Reconstruction.

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Mother's Side: Filipino, Puerto Rican & African Heritage

Pam's mother, Gwendolyn Davis, was African-American and the daughter of Ray Benjamin Davis — a man born in the Philippines of Filipino, Puerto Rican, and African descent. Ray Davis's mixed heritage reflects the complex ethnic history of the Philippines under Spanish and American colonial rule, where intermarriage among Filipino, Spanish, African, and Caribbean communities was not uncommon.

Pam's maternal grandmother, Marguerite Turner, was born in Arkansas and was African-American. Her grandparents on this side therefore represented a striking meeting of two very different worlds: the multiethnic Philippines and the African-American Deep South.

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Grandparents: A Complete Picture

Clarence Ransom Grier (paternal grandfather) — African-American, born North Carolina. Myrtle Hutchinson (paternal grandmother) — African-American, born South Carolina. Ray Benjamin Davis (maternal grandfather) — Born in the Philippines; Filipino, Puerto Rican, and African descent. Marguerite Turner (maternal grandmother) — African-American, born Arkansas.

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Spouse's Ethnicity & Children's Heritage

Pam Grier has not been publicly married. She had a long-term engagement to basketball star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (African-American) in the early 1970s, and has been linked to other partners. She has no publicly confirmed biological children.

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Pam Grier in Her Own Words

"My heritage is Cheyenne, Chinese, Filipino, Black — I'm everything. I'm an American, and that's what America is." — Pam Grier, Essence interview, 2010

Throughout her career, Pam Grier has spoken proudly about the multicultural aspects of her background, even when the genealogical record for some of those claims (Cheyenne, Chinese) has not been fully verified. Her documented Filipino ancestry through her maternal grandfather is her most firmly established non-Black connection.

▶ Watch on YouTube →

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Is Pam Grier Alive?

Yes. Pam Grier is alive as of 2026. She is 76 years old. She remains active in Hollywood and cultural memory, celebrated for her groundbreaking roles in Coffy (1973), Foxy Brown (1974), and Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown (1997), for which she received a Golden Globe nomination.

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Visual Family Tree

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Sources

Interviews & Direct Quotes

• Essence Magazine — Pam Grier on heritage and identity — 2010
• The Guardian — Pam Grier profile interview — 2019

Genealogy & Ethnicity Research

• EthniCelebs — h