1981–1989: Broadway debut and early roles 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 was nominated for a
Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and won the
Theatre World Award for
The First. He got his start on the
National Public Radio radio drama adaptation of
Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in 1981. He was the voice of a nameless
X-wing fighter pilot during the
Battle of Yavin. Grier 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 appeared in the
Negro Ensemble Company production ''
A Soldier's Play and reprised his role in the film version A Soldier's Story. Grier appeared as a geology professor at Hillman College in the show A Different World''.
1990–1999: Career breakthrough Although primarily known for his dramatic work, Grier began to shift towards comedy, making appearances in the
cult films Amazon Women on the Moon and ''
I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, whose director Keenen Ivory Wayans 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". He also provided impersonations of
Joe Jackson and
Ike Turner. In 1998 Grier hosted the game show
Random Acts of Comedy on Fox Family, what is now
Freeform. The show lasted one season. That same year he co-starred with
Jon Stewart in
Elmopalooza, as the director of Stewart's production crew, who he often chastises at Elmo and Telly after realizing what happened to the rest of the cast. In 1999, he made a guest appearance as himself in the "Aw, Here it Goes to Hollywood" episode of
Nickelodeon's sitcom
Kenan & Kel. After the cancellation of
In Living Color, Grier starred in the short-lived sitcoms
The Preston Episodes.
2000–2019: Continued work Grier is a comedian and hosted the
Comedy Central series
Premium Blend in 2001. He made an appearance on the
Dave, Shelley, and Chainsaw (DSC) Show (San Diego Jack 100.7 FM) on October 5, 2012, before doing performances at The Madhouse Comedy Club. In the interview, he debunked internet reports that he was involved in a musical based on the life of
Louis Farrakhan. He took a leading role in
DAG and had a cameo in the
Robert De Niro and
Edward Burns film
15 Minutes (2001) as a
Central Park mugger. In a departure from the comedic roles he 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 for two seasons. During this time, he continued to appear in comedy films but also returned to drama in the films
Baadasssss! (2003) and
The Woodsman (2004). 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. He starred in Gym Teacher: The Movie (2008) playing the villain, Shelly Bragg. He appeared as Uncle Henry in the ABC 2005 television film The Muppets' Wizard of Oz''. Grier guest starred in
Season 6 of Fox's
Bones. He played Professor Bunsen Jude, the Science Dude, the host of a children's television program. This character was inspired by
Bill Nye "the Science Guy". 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. He appeared on the
CBS TV-adaptation of
Bad Teacher, playing the role of principal Carl Gaines. 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 appeared as Jimmy Dale in the series
Queen Sugar appearing in Season 3 and played the role of Mr. Packard in the
Paramount Pictures film
Clifford the Big Red Dog. 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 nomination for the role. He also appeared in the revival production of
The Wiz at the
La Jolla Playhouse directed by
Des McAnuff. He was a contestant on the
eighth season of
Dancing with the Stars, partnered with
Kym Johnson. By the fourth week of the competition, Grier announced that he had lost 26 pounds. He was eliminated in the fifth week. His first book
Barack Like Me: The Chocolate-Covered Truth was published by
Simon & Schuster in 2009. The book recounts Grier's own life story, and was written with Alan Eisenstock. 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. 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. He played the
Cowardly Lion in
NBC's live performance of
The Wiz, which aired on December 3, 2015. He 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. He hosted the game show
Snap Decision, which debuted August 7, 2017, on the
Game Show Network and many Sinclair TV stations.
2020–present 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. For this role, he won the
Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. In April 2022, it was announced that Grier would join the cast of the 2023 musical remake,
The Color Purple. He plays Pastor Avery, the father of Shug Avery, a role also in the 1985
film of the same name. In 2022, he starred in
The Patient on Hulu with
Steve Carell. He was the announcer for the
96th Academy Awards, held on March 10, 2024. That same year he starred in the satirical film
The American Society of Magical Negroes, which received negative reviews. Of the film Grier said, "Some members of the white community will see it and say, ‘We’re tired of hearing about race.’ Well we're tired of talking about it. We're tired! We're tied, too. We all want to get past this, but you can only get past it by going through it." Grier currently stars on
NBC's hit comedy,
St. Denis Medical. The show was recently renewed for a third season. ==Personal life==