&nbsp;As the revolutionary movie star turns 72, here&rsquo;s a look at her impressive film career.

Considered one of the most prolific heroines of the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/diana-ross-style-the-supremes-songs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1970s</a>, North Carolina-born actress <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/beauty/worlds-most-beautiful-women-bella-hadid-beyonce-audrey-hepburn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pam Grier</a> is often lauded as the first female action movie star. She made her film debut in 1970 as an extra in Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls before her major roles in Jack Hill&rsquo;s Coffy and Foxy Brown, as well as starring in <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/uma-thurman-best-movies-pulp-fiction" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Quentin Tarantino</a>&rsquo;s crime thriller Jackie Brown. Many of her leading roles were in a subgenre of film dubbed &ldquo;blaxploitation&rdquo;&mdash;named from combining &ldquo;black&rdquo; and &ldquo;exploitation&rdquo;&mdash;that marked a period of 1970s movies which attempted to appeal to Black audiences. Aside from kicking ass and taking names on-screen, Grier made a miraculous recovery from a grim stage four cervical cancer diagnosis and continues to act today. In honor of the industry icon&rsquo;s 72nd birthday, here are Grier&rsquo;s most memorable roles.&nbsp;

Grier&rsquo;s first film with director Jack Hill was part of the &ldquo;women in prison&rdquo; movie subgenre. The Big Doll House (1971) was followed by a collaboration between the two with a similar subject, 1972&rsquo;s The Big Bird Cage.

Grier in "The Big Doll House"

"The Big Doll House" (1971)

Grier stars alongside Margaret Markov as a dynamic duo of tough-as-nails female prisoners in Black Mama White Mama.

Grier and Margaret Markov in "Black Mama White Mama"

"Black Mama White Mama" (1973)

In another Jack Hill-directed thriller, Grier plays a nurse-turned-action hero hell-bent on getting justice for her heroin-addicted sister.

The movie poster for "Coffy"

"Coffy" (1973)

Grier embraces the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/pop-culture/carey-mulligan-promising-young-woman-variety-movie-review-apology-response" target="_blank" rel="noopener">femme fatale</a> trope as she plays an undercover vigilante out to avenge her boyfriend&rsquo;s death in the 1974 action film.

Grier in "Foxy Brown"

"Foxy Brown" (1974)

Sheba, Baby portrays Grier as a Chicago-based private detective making a homeward mission to Kentucky to help her dad fend off mobsters.

Grier in "Sheba, Baby"

"Sheba, Baby" (1975)

In Friday Foster (1975), Grier plays a glitzy magazine photographer-turned-action hero in the thriller based on a comic strip of the same name.

Grier and Yaphet Kotto in "Friday Foster"

"Friday Foster" (1975)

Grier stars in Quentin Tarantino&rsquo;s third film alongside <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/famous-actors-never-won-oscars-biggest-snubs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Samuel L. Jackson</a>, Bridget Fonda, Robert DeNiro, and Michael Keaton.

Grier in "Jackie Brown"

"Jackie Brown" (1997)

While not a leading role, Grier plays a detective in the <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/film-tv/ten-minutes-with-grace-victoria-cox" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Heathers</a>-inspired cult classic dark comedy movie Jawbreaker.

Pam Grier’s 8 Most Iconic Movie Roles

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