10 Great Actors Never Nominated For An Oscar

One of the original female action stars in film and a major figure in the infamous exploitation genre of cinema throughout the 1970s and '80s, Grier has become a beloved cult favourite for her gritty, often ultraviolent work.

Discovered by director Jack Hill in the early 1970s, Grier went on to front many of his projects, and she famously portrayed the titular character in Coffy (1973), a vigilante thriller. The popularity of the Coffy character promoted Grier to portray similar characters throughout the rest of the decade, most notably hunting down drug dealers in the 1974 hit Foxy Brown. With her performances and films often proving audacious and groundbreaking for the time, Grier quickly developed a major fan following though none of her immense success in this era led to major awards recognition.

In 1997, Grier headlined Quentin Tarantino’s crime caper, Jackie Brown, portraying a crafty flight attendant smuggling money for Samuel L. Jackson’s Ordell Robbie. Made as a star vehicle for Grier by long time fan Tarantino, Jackie Brown received much critical acclaim as did Grier’s performance. Sadly, the film did not enjoy the box office success of Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs before it, and when awards season came around, Grier received a Golden Globe nomination but was completely snubbed by the Academy.