Theater, television and film dot David Alan Grier's career to date, and his ability to excel in all three mediums is a testament to the man's inherent sense of comic timing. Trained in Shakespeare at Yale where he received an MFA from the Yale School of Drama, the multi talented Grier was subsequently named one of Comedy Central's "100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time".
Grier began his professional career on Broadway as Jackie Robinson in The First, for which he earned a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical and won the Theatre World Award (1981). He then joined the cast of Dreamgirls before going on to star opposite Denzel Washington in A Soldier's Play, for which both actors reprised their roles in the film adaptation titled A Soldier's Story. He appeared in Robert Altman's Streamers and won the Golden Lion for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival (1983).
His television work is highlighted by a turn as principal cast member on the Emmy Award winning In Living Color (1990-1994) where he helped to create some of the show's most memorable characters, DAG (2000-2001) and Life with Bonnie (2003) which earned an Image and Golden Satellite nomination. David created, wrote and executive produced a show for Comedy Central called Chocolate News (2008). Grier also won America's votes as a smooth, debonair, and outrageously irreverent contestant on ABC's smash hit Dancing with the Stars (2009). But Grier didn't hang up his dance shoes just then-he later appeared in the Wayans Brothers' spoof movie Dance Flick which hit theatres in May 2009.
In Grier's first book, BARACK LIKE ME: The Chocolate Covered Truth (Touchstone / Simon & Schuster; October 6, 2009), the acclaimed comedian expounds on politics, culture and race while recounting his own life story in this edgy, timely, timeless, and hilarious memoir and look at all things Barack.
Grier returned to his theatrical roots 2009/2010; he starred in David Mamet's acclaimed play RACE opposite James Spader and Kerry Washington at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre on Broadway for which he received a Tony Award nomination. He's currently filming opposite Kerry Washington and Craig Robinson in WE THE PEEPLES, set for release in 2011.
