David Alan Grier

David Alan Grier (born June 30, 1956) is an American actor and comedian.

He began his career by portraying Jackie Robinson in the 1981 Broadway production The First, for which he earned a nomination at the 36th Tony Awards for Best Featured Actor in a Musical.

He graduated from Detroit's Cass Technical High School, and received a B.A. in radio, television and film from the University of Michigan, and an M.F.A. from the Yale School of Drama, in 1981.

Visiting lecturer Rachel Roberts took notice of his performance one evening in a piece entitled The Place of the Spirit Dance.

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.

In 1982, he played James "Thunder" Early in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls.

He then appeared in the Robert Altman film Streamers (1983) as Roger, a role for which he won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival.

That same year, he starred in the stage production of A Soldier's Play (1983), and later starred in the film adaptation titled A Soldier's Story (1984).

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.

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.

Grier portrayed multiple characters on the American sketch comedy television series In Living Color (1990–1994).

In 1992, he starred alongside Eddie Murphy in the romantic comedy Boomerang.

After his success on In Living Color, Grier began appearing in film comedies such as Boomerang, as Eddie Murphy's shy friend Gerard in 1992; Blankman, with Damon Wayans, in 1994; In the Army Now, as Fred Ostroff with Pauly Shore and Andy Dick, also in 1994; and as Carl Bentley, a factory employee turned police officer whose car is crushed and eaten by a giant pod in Jumanji in 1995.

He played Rev. Leon Lonnie Love on the TV series Martin.

From 1993 to 1997, he played the role of Reverend Leon Lonnie Love on the Fox comedy series Martin.

Grier appeared with Tom Arnold in the 1997 comedy McHale's Navy as Ensign Charles Parker.

His other works include starring as Bernard on Damon (1998), as David Bellows on Life with Bonnie (2002–2004), as Joe Carmichael on The Carmichael Show (2015–2017), the Lion in The Wiz Live! (2015), as Hal on A Series of Unfortunate Events (2018), Carl Bentley in Jumanji (1995), and Jim Fields in Bewitched (2005).

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, Damon (with In Living Color co-star Damon Wayans), and DAG.

He 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.

He also created and executive-produced the American satirical show Chocolate News (2008) for Comedy Central.

Grier was born in Detroit, Michigan, one of three children, to Aretas Ruth (née Blaney), a school teacher, and William Henry Grier, a psychiatrist and writer, who co-wrote the book Black Rage.

For his performances in the Broadway productions Race (2009) and Porgy and Bess (2012), he received Tony Award nominations, with the latter also earning him a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album nomination.

In 2021, he won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role as Sergeant Vernon C. Waters in the stage revival of A Soldier's Play (2020).