Pam Grier isn't afraid to tell it like it is.

The icon, who rose to fame in 1970s Blaxploitation films and cemented her legacy in Quentin Tarantino'sJackie Brown, paved the way for Black actresses and representation on screen as the "first female action hero." Indeed, Grier herself says that the success of her films led to the invention of the multiplex because her flicks were keeping mainstream pictures from hitting movie screens.