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Who is David Alan Grier? Everything to Know about the St. Denis Medical Star
From sketch comedy to Broadway lights, the star of St. Denis Medical, David Alan Grier, has done it all.
If you could describe David Alan Grier in one word, it would be “multi-dimensional.” He’s one of the most prolific actors in the business — and there are more twists to his career than you can ever imagine. He’s a Tony-winning Broadway actor, a movie star, and a TV veteran, getting his start in the ground-breaking sketch comedy In Living Color. He’s about to add another feather to his cap with NBC’s new comedy St. Denis Medical.
Radio, stand-up, sitcoms, game shows, reality TV, and feature films are all areas of showbiz that Grier has conquered in his 40-year career. Now he's headed back to comedy as Ron, an ER doctor at the fictional understaffed and underfunded Oregon hospital, St. Denis Medical.
RELATED: Superstore Alum Nico Santos to Guest Star on St. Denis Medical (DETAILS)
The series, from the folks who brought us The Office and Superstore, promises lots of laughs. Here, we look at Grier’s epic career path ahead of the new show's premiere on Tuesday, November 12.
David Alan Grier’s early life
Growing up in Detroit in the '60s, Grier remembers his family marching with Martin Luther King Jr. during the 1963 March on Poverty, a memory he talks about in his first book, “Barack Like Me: The Chocolate-Covered Truth” (yes, he’s an author, too!). Grier caught the acting bug as an undergraduate student at the University of Michigan in the mid-70s and earned his MFA from the Yale School of Drama, where he trained in Shakespeare.
David Alan Grier's Broadway Career
Shortly after graduating, Grier landed the role of a lifetime as Jackie Robinson in the 1981 Broadway musical “The First,” earning a Tony nomination by his mid-20s. Next came “Dreamgirls” and the Negro Ensemble Company production of “A Soldier's Play,” where he was cast opposite a young Denzel Washington.
Grier broke into movies in equally spectacular fashion, reprising his role in “A Soldier’s Story” on the big screen and taking an award-winning turn in 1983’s Streamers, Robert Altman’s Vietnam War drama.
David Alan Grier almost ended up on a different career path
After Grier’s initial success, he moved to Los Angeles to film the pilot for In Living Color. When momentum briefly stalled, he thought of a career in law.
“I got off a really good start, but then I always felt pressure—What am I going to do next?” he told Vanity Fair, adding, “And no one thought I was funny. I hadn’t really done comedy, and I got the same thing at that point—they were like, ‘These casting directors have not seen you [that way],’ so I had to establish myself there.”
Luckily for us, the show took off and redefined sketch comedy for a new generation. “From then on, it was game on,” he said.
Soon enough, Grier became a familiar face in homes across the country thanks in part to his recurring role in the comedy classic Martin. He hosted NBC’s Thank God You’re Here game show, starred in his own Comedy Central special, The Book of David: The Cult Figure’s Manifesto, and appeared in a string of films that endeared him to a generation of fans.
David Alan Grier turned down a spot on SNL
The iconic actor revealed that he turned down a permanent role on Saturday Night Live early in his career but he still drops in on show creator and old pal, Lorne Michaels.
“NBC came and they offered me a spot on SNL. This was after In Living Color. They said, will you join the cast?” he told the “Daily Beast.”
“But for me, it was like, when you’re the host, you call all the shots. So I said, I can’t be in front of the cast and then six months later I’m behind the cast. Like, ‘Isn’t that the dude that was hosting like nine months ago?’ Also, after doing In Living Color, I wanted to do a different kind of show. So I didn’t do it, but I still go and see people on SNL and visit and Lorne [Michaels] and those guys are so gracious.”
David Alan Grier brings drama and laughter
The 68-year-old has racked up dozens, if not hundreds, of impressive comedy credits throughout his career, taking roles in fan favorites like Boomerang (1992) with Eddie Murphy, Jumanji (1995), and Bewitched (2005). He once hosted his own current events satire, Chocolate News, on Comedy Central, where he perfected his provocative style.
One of those rare stars equally adept at drama, Grier has regularly appeared in numerous dramatic features, made-for-TV movies, and musicals. Some of his most popular roles on the silver screen include Baadasssss! (2003), The Woodsman (2004), and the 2008 indie film The Poker House.
Grier also showed off his range on television, playing the Cowardly Lion in NBC's live performance of The Wiz! Shutting down the notion that he would ever slow his roll, he starred in Clifford the Big Red Dog (2021) and followed it up with the psychological thriller The Patient (2022), alongside Steve Carell.
David Alan Grier's Stage Acting
Throughout his career, the prodigious actor moved effortlessly between Hollywood and the Broadway stage, giving us memorable performances in the musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” and David Mamet’s “Race,” for which Grier was given his second Tony nomination in 2010.
The next year, he was nominated for a Tony yet again for his role in "Porgy and Bess" and he also received a Grammy nomination for the cast recording.
David Alan Grier won a Tony Award in 2021 at the age of 65
In a full-circle moment, Grier returned to his roots in 2020, starring once again in the Pulitzer Prize-winning “A Soldier’s Play,” but this time around, he took on a different character, Tech Sergeant Vernon C. Waters, and won a Tony for Best Featured Actor, making him the seventh African American winner in that category.
Despite his busy schedule as a dad and Hollywood star, Grier knew he couldn’t pass up the such a remarkable opportunity to return to the stage.
“I was really talking with myself and the universe kind of going, 'Oh, I'd love to go back to Broadway, but I have a young daughter. It would have to be the right production.' You always want to be offered a role that you can't say no to,” he told “Broadway Buzz” in 2020.
David Alan Grier brought his daughter to the Oscars
Grier and his ex-wife, Christine Y. Kim, share a daughter, Lulu Danbi Grier-Kim. The 16-year-old is clearly the apple of her father’s eye. Recently, the two arrived arm-in-arm on the red carpet at the 2024 Oscars to support The Color Purple. The duo had stepped out on the red carpet before for the world premiere of Candy Cane Lane, where Grier had a cameo as Santa Claus. And, of course, Lulu was by his side, cheering on her dad as he took home his first Tony win.
Watch St. Denis Medical, premiering on NBC on November 12. Watch episodes next-day on Peacock.
